Eversince I have started this blog I have not made and post my own birthday cake. Last year, I have injured my shoulder and can't even lift up a cake pan not to say to bake it. For the past week, I have been flipping my cookbooks, browsing the web though I have bookmarked a list of cakes in my favourite folders, and I still can't decide what cake should I bake.
I don't feel like having a cake with lots of heavy buttercream but just a simple light sponge cake some cream in it. And as I always loves strawberry (and recently bought the NZ Strawberries which is so good than others) and on offer, so I made up my mind to bake this Strawberry Mousse Shortcake.
The Shortcake cotton cake is the same from my previous Strawberry Shortcake which I have made more than 3 times already, and it is proven how much I loves this cake texture!
STRAWBERRY MOUSSE SHORTCAKE
Ingredients
Cotton Cake
145g cake
flour
15g corn
flour
1 egg
5 egg
yolks – whisk lightly with a fork
150g
unsalted butter
65g fresh
milk
5 egg
whites
100g
caster sugar
¼ tsp
salt
Some strawberries
for decoration on top
Method
Preheat
oven to 160C. Grease and line a 8” square or round baking pan, and wrap the bottom
of the pan with aluminium foil.
Warm the
butter and milk (do not boil). Turn off heat, and stir in the sifted cake
and corn flour using a wooden spatula. Transfer to a bigger bowl,
and add in the eggs and continue to mix till smooth.
In
another bowl, whisk the egg whites till frothy. Add in the salt and add
in the sugar in 3 additions. Whisk till soft peak.
Pour 1/3
of the egg whites into the egg/butter mixture and fold in gently. Pour in
the rest and fold in gently till combined. Pour batter into the baking
pan and bake it at Bain Marie method for about 45 minutes.
For the Strawberry Mousse:
Inspiration from Sweet Sensation
Ingredients
1 1/2
teaspoons powdered gelatin
2
tablespoons water
200g fresh
strawberries, pureed
3
tablespoons sugar
1
tablespoon lemon juice
180ml
heavy cream
Directions:
In a
small bowl combine gelatin and water and set aside to soften.
In a
medium saucepan combine strawberry puree, sugar and lemon juice. Cook on low
heat until hot but not boiling, stirring constantly. Add gelatin and stir until
it is completely melted, making sure it doesn't start boiling. Transfer to a
medium-sized bowl and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for two hours.
Fold the
whipped cream into the strawberry base and refrigerate until spreadable (it
should be firm enough to hold its shape).
Stabilised Whipped Cream (for topping)
2 tsp
gelatin powder
8 tsp
cold water
2 cups
whipping cream, cold
½ cup
icing sugar
1 tsp
vanilla essence
Method
1.
Chill mixing bowl and beaters in the freezer for 10 minutes.
2.
Pour cold water in the small saucepan. Sprinkle the gelatin powder over
the surface
of the water and let stand for 5 minutes. Place saucepan over the low
heat and stir
constantly with a wooden spoon just until gelatin dissolves. Removes
saucepan from
heat and cool to room temperature.
3.
Remove the mixing bowl and beaters from the freezer. In the mixing bowl,
combine
the whipping cream, icing sugar and vanilla and whipped until slightly
thickened.
Then, while slowly beating, gradually pour in the gelatin into the whipped
cream
mixture. Then, whip the mixture at high speed until slightly stiff.
To assemble the cake:
Slice the
sponge cake horizontally into 2 or 3 layers.
Place one
sponge layer cut-side up on a cake board or serving plate.
Pour and
spread over the strawberry mousse.
Place the
cut-side up of the second layer cake and place it over the strawberry mousse and return
to fridge to chill for 30 minutes.
Once the
mousse is set, spread the stabilized whipped cream all over covering the cake.
You may
use some leftover cream to pipe out the cream as decoration.
Chill in
fridge for cream to set for an hour or so. Decorate as desired and
garnish with the strawberries.
Well, since I thought Christmas is just 4 days away, so I have invited little Santa to celebrate my birthday this year!
Oh, I am cutting the cake later on.....will post again the slice cake...
because I'm excited to let my mum and Sister S to view my birthday cake....hee..hee..
Here is a photo of me.... Mel...
These are my favourite photos....my beloved mum and me................. and my favourite animal, giraffe!
Merry Christmas everyone! Ho..ho..ho..ho.... 
