No-Bake Summer Cake – Vanilla Mousse with Strawberry Jelly

This is the perfect dessert for the hot summer days when I’m sure you have no desire to turn on the oven to bake. It’s a very light and refreshing cake with a smooth vanilla mousse layer and topped with a delicious strawberry jelly.  It was easy and fast to make and the best part is that hubby really LOVED IT! This is the second out of four irresistible recipes I made with the strawberries we picked from Downey’s Farm in Brampton :). See the other recipe I posted for Strawberry Jam.

Time:  40 min, Prep: 20 min.  Cook: 20 min + chilling time
Servings: 12-16                           

Ingredients:

Vanilla Mousse:

• 500 ml whipping cream + 3 Tbsp powder sugar
• 3 eggs
• 3Tbsp sugar
• 100 ml milk
• 14 g gelatin + 5 Tbsp milk to moisten gelatin
• 2 Tbsp vanilla essence

Strawberry Jelly:

• 600 g strawberries
• 100 g sugar
• 14 g gelatin + 5 Tbsp warm water to moisten gelatin

You also need a 24.5 x 9 cm (9.6 x 3.5 inches) springform pan.

Directions:

Vanilla Mousse:

In a saucepan, whisk the eggs and combine with sugar and 100ml milk. Place over medium heat for 10 minutes or until the mixture thickens. Make sure you stir constantly to prevent sticking. Remove from the heat.

Soften the gelatin in a few tablespoons of warm (not hot) milk. Combine the softened gelatin with the egg mixture. Stir in the vanilla extract.

Make the whipped cream but don’t whip for too long, just until it forms soft peaks.

Incorporate the whipped cream into the egg mixture, a tablespoon at a time.

Line your springform pan with foil and pour in the vanilla mousse. Place the pan in the freezer for 20-30 minutes to speed up the cooling process. In the meantime, you can start making the strawberry jelly.

Strawberry Jelly:

Puree the strawberries until smooth. Add the sugar and place in a saucepan over low-medium heat until the sugar dissolves.  Remove from the heat.

Soften the gelatin in a few tablespoons of warm (not hot) water and combine with the strawberry mixture.  Let it cool for a while (should still have pouring consistency) and then add over the vanilla mousse.

Refrigerate the cake for 4-5 hours or overnight.

Enjoy!