At the Secret Garden Cafe, we have a small gluten free menu for those who have dietary restrictions. Until recently, we did not offer much of anything in the way of gluten free desserts and we still are only able feature this dessert a few times a week, primarily because of space constraints. We are happy to now be able to give a few people a good dessert that’s not only gluten free, but tasty as well!
This recipe came about through a happy accident! I have been making cakes filled and topped with mousse for a while. Generally, I made them with my very moist chiffon cake (the base recipe for my coconut cake) and topped with some sort of fruit mousse, usually mango or strawberry. I got bored of doing those recipes and decided I would try a chocolate cake layered with strawberry and white chocolate mousse.
When I made the cake, I noticed the cake part was not right. I wanted something dense, like a brownie. I quickly found that cold brownie is hard to cut from all the butter and is bit dry. I also did not like the texture of a basic chocolate cake with the mousse; it was not rich enough or have the chew I was looking for. I decided to omit the flour all together, and voila, it was just what I was looking for. It was easy to cut, but also fudgy and decadent at the same time. It happened to be gluten free, win-win! We finally had gluten free dessert that was not forced into be that way with alternative flours and powders, but was actually meant to be that way!
Now, I’m going to be honest, this is not a recipe that you can whip up quickly. Though the components are fairly simple to make, assembly does take some time and patience. You really need to make sure you follow the recipe and directions for it to come together correctly. Make sure you fold your batter and mousse rather than mix it. Folding allows you to mix your ingredients while not destroying the air that you’ve painstakingly whipped into your cream and meringue. You can watch the video above to see how it’s done.
See the full recipe below:
Recipe by: Sarah DeVight
| Time: 5.5 hours | Course: Dessert | Difficulty: Medium |
| INGREDIENTS Flourless Chocolate Cake 4 Eggs (separated) ¾ cup Brown Sugar 1 tsp Vanilla ¼ cup cocoa powder 8 tbsp salted butter Strawberry Mouse 1 lbs very ripe strawberries 2 cups heavy cream ½ cup powdered sugar 2 tsp gelatin bloomed in ¼ cup cold water 1 cup white chocolate 2 tbsp lemon juice 1 tsp vanilla White Chocolate Mousse 1 cup white chocolate 2 ½ cups heavy cream ½ cup powdered sugar 2 tsp vanilla INSTRUCTIONS 1-Make flourless chocolate cake: Start by separating four eggs. Whip the egg whites using a mixer, once foamy, add brown sugar. Continue whipping until it reaches stiff peaks any where from 5-7 minutes. 2- Next, melt 1 cup of semi sweet chocolate with butter, microwaving in 30 second increments until smooth 3- Add the cocoa powder, egg yolks and vanilla and mix until combined 4- Gently fold in egg whites, 1/3 at a time. Mixture may still have some streaks of the white and that is ok. We don’t want to over mix, the egg whites are what gives this chocolate cake it’s volume. 5- Place in a 9” spring form pan that has been well greased and dusted with cocoa powder 6- Bake at 350 F for about 15 – 20 minutes. The center will seem a little wet and that is fine. Set aside and allow to cool completely. 7- Make strawberry mousse: Divide strawberries in half. De-stem and add one half to a food process. Blend on high and add lemon juice. 8- Chop up other half of strawberries and place aside 9- Go ahead and mix up the whipped cream in one go for both mousses and separate them into batches. Add heavy cream, 1 cups of powdered sugar and vanilla in a mixer and beat until stiff peaks. Place in refrigerator and reserve for later. 10-Bloom gelatin with water and set aside (allow to rest for at least 1 minute) 11- Strain strawberry puree and heat in a medium pot. Once hot, add bloomed gelatin and whisk. 12- Melt white chocolate in microwave 30 secs at a time until completely smooth 13 – Add to hot puree and whisk until completely smooth (if it’s a little lumpy pass through a fine mesh strainer). Allow to cool completely. 14- Add strawberry puree to half of the whipped cream mixture and fold gently. Then add fresh strawberries 15- Pour over cake and place in refrigerator while you make the white chocolate mousse. 16- Make white chocolate mousse: Melt white chocolate with ½ cup heavy cream. 17 – Fold into remaining whipped cream and spread over the strawberry layer of the cake. 18 – Place in the refrigerator for about 4 hours or until completely set. 19 – Use a knife around the edges of the spring form pan before releasing to help remove cake from the mold. |
