Now that the weather is getting warmer… and sunnier… and awesome-er… There are some seasonal fruits and veggies that are making their way into the grocery stores! For example, I heard on the radio today that the asparagus season is starting. In case you aren’t as excited as everyone in Germany… this is a big deal here. Everyone waits with baited breath on the first batch of German asparagus… I’m not kidding…
Nevertheless, I am sorry to say I did not make a dessert with asparagus. But instead, with strawberries and rhubarb! I do this pretty much every year. It’s a classic combination and it’s a must for this time of year.
Even though I make this every year… I always change it up! One year I did a pie, the next year a cake with meringue, and now… these mini mousse cakes! How perfect?!
These desserts are made with a strawberry rhubarb meringue mousse. What does that mean? It means they are as light as air and perfect as a light dessert on a fresh spring day!
The pairing of strawberries and rhubarb is a match made in heaven. We all know the delicious, sweet taste of a strawberry, but then pair it with the bitterness of the rhubarb, and you’ve got a flavor combination that balances both sides of the spectrum.
- For the cake:
- 28g sugar
- 100g eggs (2 eggs)
- 25g flour
- 15g corn starch
- 1.2g baking powder
- For the strawberry rhubarb mousse:
- 2 stalks rhubarb, peeled and chopped
- 300 g strawberries, cleaned and chopped
- 100 g egg whites
- 100 g sugar
- 200 g cream
- 12 g gelatin (7 sheets), 30 g cold water
- For the jelly:
- 100 g strawberry rhubarb puree
- 40 g sugar
- 3.5 g gelatin, 10 g cold water
- For the cake: Preheat the oven to 180 Celsius or 350 Fahrenheit and prepare a baking sheet lined with baking paper.
- Start by sifting the flour, corn starch and baking powder together in a small bowl.
- In a metal or glass bowl, place the eggs and sugar over a water bath on the stove and begin beating with a hand mixer.
- **If you do not have a hand mixer your can heat the eggs and sugar over the water bath with a whisk and then transfer to your stand mixer.
- Once the eggs and sugar are warm, remove from heat and continue to beat until they become stable. The color will become much lighter and the volume will double.
- Fold in the sifted flour, corn starch and baking powder.
- Pour on top of the baking paper and spread evenly.
- Bake for about 8-10 minutes.
- Once cooled, cut out into circles just smaller than the silicon form being used.
- Place into the bottom of the silicon forms.
- For the strawberry rhubarb mousse: Begin with the strawberry rhubarb puree.
- Placed the rhubarb and strawberries in a pot and bring to a boil.
- With an immersion blender, puree the mixture until smooth.
- Measure out 300 g in one bowl, and 100 g in another. The 300 g is for the mousse and the 100 g is for the jelly.
- Bloom the gelatin in the cold water for about 5 minutes. Once bloomed, melt the gelatin in the 300 g of puree. Place in an ice water bath to bring to room temperature.
- Whip the cream. Set aside.
- Whip the egg whites with the sugar until stiff.
- Once the puree/ gelatin mixture has cooled to at least room temperature, fold in the whipped cream, and finally, the whipped egg whites.
- Pipe the mousse into the silicon forms. With a palette, scrape the extra mousse off the top of the forms so that the edges are clean.
- Place in the freezer.
- For the jelly: Bloom the gelatin in the cold water.
- Melt in the 100 g of strawberry rhubarb puree.
- When ready to be used, the jelly should just be warm enough to be liquid, but not too hot.
- Once the mousse cakes have frozen, pour the jelly on top and with a palette, carefully spread the jelly over top the cakes.
- Place back in the freezer for a few minutes.
- Once ready to be removed, carefully unmold the cakes. Decorate as desired!
These are soooo pretty! Love them! Always want to try the strawberry and rhubarb combo! I like that they are set in freezer and can be in pretty much any mold. Gotta try soon!
I love then its look so yummy and fresh Thank you