Mousse

[Anna Phor]

I would like to make a mousse. A fluffy, preferably strawberry mousse, that will hold up as a layer in a cake. Lighter than buttercream or whipped cream.

I'm reading through various recipes online but I can't work out which ones are likely to produce the texture I want. Is this a cream + gelatin kind of confection? I know what I want it to taste like (and I'm hoping "fluffy" is enough of a descriptor to help someone else figure it out!!); I don't think what I want to make calls for eggs.

Help?

[DonRocks]

I would like to make a mousse. A fluffy, preferably strawberry mousse, that will hold up as a layer in a cake. Lighter than buttercream or whipped cream.

I'm reading through various recipes online but I can't work out which ones are likely to produce the texture I want. Is this a cream + gelatin kind of confection? I know what I want it to taste like (and I'm hoping "fluffy" is enough of a descriptor to help someone else figure it out!!); I don't think what I want to make calls for eggs.

Help?

I'm no cook, but that fluffiness you seek (and I know exactly what you're talking about) must come from air, no?

[lperry]

Lighter than whipped cream is tough, especially if you want it to hold up cake.  Maybe a whipped cream made with strawberry syrup with whole berries as the support structure?

[porcupine]

It's been a long time since I played around with this sort of thing, but iirc you need something gelatin-based.  Adding whipped cream or egg white will soften it, leading to a more pleasing texture, but unless you have a very light cake, it won't hold layers up.  I think I have an old recipe for a strawberry mousse used to fill angel food; I'll look for it if you're interested.

[KMango]

It's not mousse, but I wonder if a homemade strawberry marshmallow fluff would work in a layer cake.

[Anna Phor]

I am entirely frustrated by the fact that I know exactly what it is that I want to make, but am unable to translate that into words that will enable google to give me back an answer. Curse you, imperfect language. Why can I not just download my sense-memory into the search engine??!!

I think I need to experiment with gelatin and whipped cream. Marshmallow fluff has the right kind of texture, I think, but the wrong kind of taste (too sweet) and mouthfeel (too sticky; should be creamier).

[zoramargolis]

Perhaps a Swiss meringue?

[mdt]

I think what you want is a Bavarian. I can get you a recipe when I get to my cookbooks.

[Anna Phor]

Tried out the Berry Bavarian Cream from the Joy of Cooking.

The recipe calls for you to dissolve the gelatin, add to macerated strawberries, and then, "when it is almost set" fold in some whipped cream.

How long would one normally wait for it to be "almost set"? I gave it 30 min at room temp, and it was still pretty runny.

[zoramargolis]

Put it in the refrigerator, or if you want it to set faster, a few minutes in the freezer.

[Anna Phor]

I should have done that, Zora.

Instead, I doubled the amount of gelatin, stuck the whole thing in the microwave for a minute to dissolve the additional gelatin, cooled to room temp, then folded in the whipped cream.

End result? Whipped cream on top with strawberry jello on the bottom. It all separated out in the fridge. Edible, but not the result I was after.