This delicious Strawberry Milk Mousse Cake is the perfect summer dessert and will remind you of your childhood favorite strawberry cakes. Fluffy milk cake topped with a strawberry three-milk mixture and a soft and creamy strawberry mousse made with fresh strawberries.
There is something about strawberries that reminds me on childhood. I don’t know if it’s the fruity flavor, the pretty pink color, or the memories attached to it. Anything strawberry-flavored is always so fun and exciting to eat, and this Strawberry Mousse Milk Cake is no exception.
The cake is jam-packed with strawberry flavor, with a strawberry three-milk mixture (like a tres leches cake), and a super fruity and delicious white chocolate and fresh strawberry mousse with strawberry swirls. The best part is, it looks as pretty as it tastes.
The recipe has three parts – the milk cake sponge, the strawberry three-milk mixture, and the strawberry mousse. Let’s get into the recipe.
PS: This recipe was inspired by my Mango Mousse Milk Cake which was is one of the most popular recipes on my blog!
The Milk Cake Sponge
The milk cake sponge is made with my simple four-ingredient recipe using eggs, vanilla, sugar, and flour. This simple cake sponge acts as the perfect sponge to take in the strawberry milk flavor. I use it for every milk cake recipe and it’s the easiest cake recipe you can make.
Here’s how to make the milk cake sponge.
- Separate the egg whites and yolks in two bowls, then add half the sugar in each bowl, also add the vanilla in the egg yolks.
- Whip both the egg whites and egg yolks until the whites are fluffy and the yolks are pale and creamy.
- Fold the egg whites and flour into the egg yolks in three intervals with a silicone spatula until fully combined.
- Transfer the cake into a pan and bake for 15 minutes until fully cooked. Make sure to keep the cake layer thin so that you can add the mousse on top.
I use a square pastry frame to bake the cake and set the mousse, but you can use any pan. Make sure to bake the cake in the same pan that you will be using to set the mousse. If you don’t have a pastry frame or square pan, you can also use an oven-safe glass pan.
Love milk cakes? Try these recipes
Strawberry Three-Milk Mixture
The milk cake is soaked in a strawberry milk mixture. A traditional milk mixture for a milk cake (or a tres leches cake) is made with cream, condensed milk, and evaporated milk. For this recipe, I have replaced the cream with fresh store-bought strawberry milk.
Here’s how to make the milk mixture.
- Mix the strawberry milk, condensed milk, and evaporated milk in a bowl until combined.
- Poke holes in the cake layer using a fork and pour the milk on top of it while it’s still hot. Let the cake soak in the fridge while you make the mousse.
Strawberry Mousse
The fresh strawberry mousse is definitely the star of the show for this dessert. It’s made with a simple white chocolate base and fresh strawberries and comes together in 15-20 minutes. It’s a no egg, no bake, recipe that uses only five ingredients – white chocolate, milk, cream, strawberries, and gelatin.
Here’s how to make the strawberry mousse.
- First, bloom the gelatin by mixing it with ice-cold water and letting it sit in the fridge for 15 minutes.
- Blend fresh or frozen (defrosted) strawberries until they form a puree. In a saucepan, add the milk, liquid whipping cream, and strawberry puree and heat it until it reaches boiling point. Make sure toe retain some strawberry puree for topping. Meanwhile, add the chocolate in another heat-proof bowl.
- Once the milk mixture comes to a boil, pour it over the chocolate and let it sit for 2 minutes, then whisk until the chocolate melts completely. Add the gelatin into the chocolate ganache and mix while it’s still hot, then set the mixture aside to cool down.
- In another bowl, whip the cream to medium peaks. Once the chocolate ganache has cooled down, fold the cream into it gently using a silicone spatula. Make sure you are doing this slowly and gently to retain the airiness of the mousse.
- Once the mousse is ready, pour it over the prepared milk cake, then add a few drops of the remaining strawberry puree and swirl it in using a spoon or an offset spatula.
- Let the mousse set in the fridge overnight.
This is the perfect recipe to impress your guests and although it may seem long, it comes together very easily and quickly.
If you love strawberries, you will adore this dessert! So, ready to get started? Let’s go!
Strawberry Mousse Milk Cake
Equipment
- Silicone spatula
- Hand whisk
- Electric or stand mixer
- 9×7" pastry frame or rectangular glass dish for setting the dessert
Ingredients
Milk Cake Sponge
- 4 eggs separated into whites and yolks
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 70 grams white granulated sugar
- 80 grams all-purpose flour
Three Milk Mixture
- 80 ml fresh strawberry milk
- 140 ml condensed milk
- 50 ml evaporated milk
Strawberry Mousse
- 70 ml liquid whipping cream
- 70 ml full-fat milk
- 100 ml fresh strawberry puree
- 6 grams gelatin powder
- 30 ml ice-cold water for blooming gelatin
- 200 grams gs white chocolate
- 225 ml liquid whipping cream for whipping
- 20 ml extra fresh strawberry puree for topping
Instructions
Milk Cake
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Prepare the baking pan by layering it with parchment paper or greasing it with butter and flour to make sure that the cake does not stick while baking.
- Place the egg white and yolks in two separate bowls and add half the sugar in each bowl. Add vanilla and whip the egg yolks until they are light and fluffy and the egg whites until they are thick, fluffy, and reach stiff peaks.4 eggs, 1/2 tsp vanilla, 70 grams white granulated sugar
- Now, add the egg white mix and the flour into the egg yolk mix alternatively, 1/3rd at a time. Fold the mix after each addition with a silicone spatula gently, making sure not to knock the air out of the mixture. There is no baking powder in this cake. The airiness of the egg whites is what helps the cake rise and gives it that spongey texture. If you knock a lot of air off while mixing, your cake will be flat and dense.80 grams all-purpose flour
- Once everything is well combined, transfer the cake batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean from the center. The cake layer should not be too thick, around 2 inches.
- As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, poke holes into it using a fork (to help the milk soak better). While the cake is still hot, pour a generous amount of the milk and let it cool.
- Make the milk mixture: In a bowl, place all the ingredients for the milk: strawberry milk, condensed milk, and evaporated milk, and mix until fully combined.80 ml fresh strawberry milk, 140 ml condensed milk, 50 ml evaporated milk
Strawberry Mousse
- Bloom the gelatin – pour ice-cold water into a bowl and sprinkle the gelatin powder over it. Immediately mix the water until the gelatin water is dissolved, then let it set in the fridge for 15 minutes.6 grams gelatin powder, 30 ml ice-cold water
- In a heat-proof bowl, add the chocolate. Add the milk, whipping cream, and fresh strawberry puree to a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Once it’s hot, pour the milk mixture on the chocolate, let it sit for a minute until the chocolate melts, then whisk together until the chocolate is properly incorporated into the milk mixture.70 ml liquid whipping cream, 70 ml full-fat milk, 100 ml fresh strawberry puree, 200 grams gs white chocolate
- While the mixture is still hot, add the bloomed gelatin and whisk until the gelatin is fully melted and incorporated into the milk mixture. Make sure your mixture is still hot, or the gelatin will not melt properly. Set it aside until it cools down to room temperature. In a separate bowl, add the remaining liquid whipping cream and whip it with a hand or electric mixer until it reaches medium peaks.225 ml liquid whipping cream
- Once the milk mixture reaches room temperature, gradually pour it into the whipped cream while folding it gently with a silicon spatula. Do this gently so that the mixture remains light and fluffy.
- Top the cooled milk cake with the strawberry mousse, then place a few dollops of fresh strawberry puree on top of the mousse and swirl it in. Chill for at least 6 hours or overnight until fully set. Serve cold.20 ml extra fresh strawberry puree for topping
Notes
- You can make this dessert in any pan of your choice. Using a pastry frame will allow you to unmold the cake from the pan. However, you can easily bake and set it in a glass pan and serve it directly from the dish.
- Make sure to keep the cake layer thin, the ratio should be 30% cake and 70% mousse for best results.
- Pour the milk on the cake while the cake is still hot to ensure that it soaks up the milk properly and let it chill for at least an hour before topping with the mousse.
- When whipping the cream for the mousse, make sure to keep it at medium stiff peaks or it will get over mixed when you mix it with the chocolate ganache.
- Fold the cream gently into the chocolate ganache using a silicone spatula to ensure that the mousse remains light, airy, and fluffy.
- Chill the mousse cake for at least 6-8 hours or ideally overnight to ensure that it sets properly.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did, it was truly a treat to taste! If you give it a try, let me know how you liked it in the comments. And of course, share it with me on Instagram.
This looks like a perfect desert for a perfect date night