Mango Mousse Strawberry Shortcake

So, the recipe for Strawberry Shortcake has been highly requested since I did a 'twisted' version during my 24th birthday. 

So, I decided to do a blogpost for it. However, I had loads of mango mousse left from making my yule log and since the mango mousse packs a punch, I was wondering if I should substitute the fresh cream with mango mousse. Part of me tells me that fresh cream should be used but the other half says "HECK IT! WHY NOT?"! Well, we won't have to guess which half of me won. So here's a recipe for Mango Mousse Strawberry Shortcake.. If you like it the conventional way, just replace the mango mousse part of the recipe with fresh cream (:

This recipe took about 3 hours to bake and assemble and yields a 5.5 inch square cake.

Mango Mousse Strawberry Shortcake Recipe

This recipe yields one 5.5 inch square cake

2 eggs

50g cake flour, sifted

50g salted butter, melted

50g fine sugar

150g fresh mango puree (or store-bought)

175g fresh whipping cream (non-dairy)

10g gelatin

2 1/4 tbsp water

[If you prefer a traditional Strawberry Shortcake, 

replace the mango mousse with 250g fresh whipped cream]

8 - 10 whole strawberries (I used Korean strawberries that were in season)

Steps

Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius. Butter and line the square baking tin of 5.5 or 6" with baking paper. I didn't have a either size so I used my 7" tin which resulted in slightly thinner layer and some wastage. Use what you have that's close to the size of your square cake mould. I used a 5.5" one. Melt the butter on medium heat for about a minute in the microwave oven. 

Add the eggs to the sugar only when you're about to mix them.

Whisk the mixture till stiff peaks form and that tracks can be seen in the batter.

Whisk! This is still too soupy!

Whisk it till you get a almost stiff batter.

 

Then, fold in the sifted cake flour and melted butter. I choose to do this by hand as it allows me to feel where I've mixed and where I've yet to mix. You may feel free to use a spatula if you're uncomfortable using your bare hands. 

You should get a batter like this. Pour the batter into your baking tin and bake it for about 15 minutes or till a toothpick comes out clean from the middle of the cake. You should get a thin cake as we're only using 2 thin slices of cake for this mango mousse strawberry shortcake. 

Remove cake from baking tin. and allow cake to cool completely in a cake caddy to prevent drying. 

Meanwhile, prepare the mango mousse. 

To the water, add the gelatin and double boil it till all gelatin powder dissolves.

You should get something like this. Allow mixture to cool to near room temperature before adding into whipped cream.

Blend the fresh mango puree or if you prefer, use the store bought mango puree. Personally, I prefer the fresh mango puree as it tastes so much better!

Whip up the whipping cream till stiff peaks are achieved. Then, add the mango puree and gelatin mixture. 

Mix well and place in fridge for 10-15 minutes to allow it to set a little. 

This is how thin my cake was.

 

Wash and dry the strawberries.

Trim the uppermost brown layer of the cake as this part will make your cake dry to eat.

I used my 5.5" square cake ring to trim out the size of the cake I needed. 

Slice the cake into 2 layers. I love to use a cake board to 'remove' layers from each other.

Mango Mousse! (:

I used a small spray bottle to contain sugar syrup that I use between layers. 1 used 1 part sugar to 1 part water in grams. This keeps the cake layers moist. 

Spray some sugar syrup on cake layer one. Then, spread a thin layer of mango mousse on cake.

Ensure that the sides of the square cake ring is clean so that the strawberries will look 'clear' later on.

Halve the strawberries and trim it to the necessary height.

Place the strawberries along the walls of the cake ring. Do leave enough space for your other layer of cake later on on top. 

Line all 4 sides of the cake ring.

Scoop a huge dollop of mango mousse into the middle of the cake ring and level it to reach the 'top' of the strawberries. 

Add the second layer of cake. Spray with another layer of sugar syrup.

Top off the cake with a thin layer of mango mousse. Set cake in fridge for 30 minutes to an hour to allow the cake mousse to firm up. Alternatively, if you have the luxury of time, an hour to two hours would be good too. 

When the mango mousse has set, run a small paring knife along the sides of the cake ring to free the cake. Alternatively, you may use a hair dryer to warm up the sides of the cake ring for easier removal of the cake ring. 

Removed cake ring! I used a lil' mango mousse to touch up parts of the cake that were still exposed. This way, the chances of the cake drying up is drastically reduced.

Top with necessary decorations and line the sides of the cake with clear cake wrap to secure the cake in place. You may also use hamper wrap that has been wiped with a clean moist cloth and dried to wrap the cake.

So, this is one of the easier cakes to assemble as it requires few layers of cake. Also, the mango mousse is so full of flavour that you won't get 'sick' of the flavour unlike fresh cream which kinda bores me. 

So, do make this Mango Mousse Strawberry Shortcake for your loved ones real soon! (: 

I'd love to see the bakes or stuff you've cooked using the blog's recipe! Do share photos of stuff you've baked or cooked using the blog's recipe with me either via FB message to http://facebook.com/limcynthia OR http://facebook.com/thebakingbiatch OR via email at cynthia.lim.hl@gmail.com! I look forward to hearing from you! (: