Strawberry Mousse

This Strawberry Mousse is a creamy, billowy and fluffy dessert, that’s a refreshing and luscious treat. It's so easy to make, can be made in advance and would be the perfect end to a romantic meal.

Each spoonful of this Strawberry Mousse is so luxurious and refreshing. It's really easy to prepare, and looks so stunning and elegant too. The fresh strawberry flavor is accentuated in several ways - blended into the mousse as well as garnished on top and on the bottom of the mousse.

We love serving this dessert in the summer, since it's cold and refreshing. Not having to turn on the oven during the hot summer days is a big plus too.

In Florida, strawberry season is in the winter as well, so we take full advantage of that and make sure to make it in February too, so it's perfect timing to make for Valentine's day too.

Ingredients:

Scroll to the bottom of the page for the printable recipe with measurements.

• unflavored gelatin - I use a small amount of gelatin for this dessert. It is enough to help the dessert set up and be really velvety and fluffy, but you can barely detect that it has any gelatin in it, because it's still very soft. If you want it to have a firmer texture, you can add more gelatin.

• water - it's important to dissolve the gelatin in water and let it get soft or "bloom" for a few minutes before it can be melted and used in the mousse.

• strawberries - of course, we need lots of fresh strawberries. I have never used frozen strawberries, although I imagine it would work too.

• sugar, divided - I use both granulated and powdered sugar in this recipe. I sprinkle some sugar over the strawberries before blending them up, which will not only intensify the strawberry flavor but will also sweetened the mousse. Powdered sugar worked better when whipping up heavy cream and won't leave any grainy sugar particles.

• heavy cream - heavy cream has more fat content and is richer than whipping cream, but you can use either for this recipe. Heavy cream will have more stability and be more velvety and smooth, Whipping cream will be lighter in texture.

• vanilla extract - to add flavor to the mousse

Strawberry Mousse Video

How to Make Strawberry Mousse:

1. In a small or medium bowl, sprinkle the unflavored gelatin over the water, mix it quickly to combine, so that all the gelatin is mixed in with the water. Set is aside to hydrate for about 5 minutes. This process is called "blooming". The gelatin will soften and the mixture will thicken.
2. Meanwhile, hull (remove the top and leaves of the strawberries) and cut up 1 lb of strawberries and sprinkle 3 Tablespoons of sugar over the strawberries. The amount of sugar depends on how sweet or tart upon berries are. Set aside for a few minutes as well.
3. The berries will macerate - release liquid and soak in their own juices, intensifying the flavor. Pulse a few times in a food processor or mash the berries together finely. 
4. Whip the cold cream with the powdered sugar and vanilla extract until stiff peaks form.
5. 5. Melt the gelatin in the microwave for about 30 seconds or in a small saucepan on low heat. Do NOT boil, otherwise the gelatin will not work.
6. Pour the gelatin into the pureed berries and fold carefully into the whipped cream. 

Homemade Whipped Cream

I like placing my bowl and whisk attachment in the freezer before I start preparing the dessert. By the time I am ready to whip the cream, the bowl and the whisk attachment have chilled and the cream whips up much better. When you whip cream, you are whipping air, water and fat. If the fat begins to melt, the whipped cream will collapse, which is why it's so important to use chilled utensils and very cold cream.

Chilling the Mousse/Individual Servings:

If you will be serving the mousse the same day, chop the remaining pound of strawberries and sprinkle the other 1 ½ - 3 Tablespoons of sugar over the berries. (If your berries are sweet, use less sugar. )

Place some of the strawberries into the bottom of each cup, leaving out the strawberry liquid.

If you're going to make individual portions, it's much easier and neater to transfer the strawberry mousse mixture into a large ziplock bag, cut off one corner and pipe out the mousse mixture into your serving cups.

Chill for about 4 hours, until the mousse is set. Garnish with more berries and more whipped cream (optional).

For Best Results - Using Fresh Berries

For best results, don't make this more than a day in advance if you will be adding the chopped fresh strawberries to the bottom of the mousse cups. The mousse itself will stay fresh for at least 3 days in the refrigerator, so if you are making it more than a day in advance, only add fresh berries right before serving them.

Instead of making individual servings of mousse, you can pour the whole mixture into a pretty serving dish and chill it in one piece and then cut into portions before serving. If you want to make a large dessert, like in a 9x13 inch dish, I would recommend doubling the mousse recipe.

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This recipe was originally published here at Olga’s Flavor Factory on February 13, 2012. I have updated the pictures, clarified the instructions and added a video, but the recipe is still the same. This has been our family favorite and many readers’ favorite for years. Enjoy!