Strawberry & Basil Mousse Cake

An elegant and refreshing pastry combining airy strawberry mousse, a fruity strawberry-basil compote, and a crisp sable base. A delicate and modern dessert with a vibrant flavor contrast.
This dessert celebrates the arrival of fresh strawberries in early summer and brings a twist of freshness with aromatic basil. The pairing lifts the fruit’s natural flavor and gives the cake a light herbaceous dimension—perfect for garden events or a weekend treat.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients
  

🥧 Sable Breton Shortcrust Base

  • 60 g unsalted butter
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 40 g powdered sugar
  • 90 g spelt flour Type 630

🍓 Strawberry-Basil Compote

  • 100 g fresh strawberries diced
  • 50 g strawberry purée
  • 10 g fresh basil finely chopped
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 sheet gelatin gold grade

🍓 Strawberry Mousse

  • 150 g strawberry purée
  • 150 g heavy cream
  • 1.5 sheets gelatin

🍫 Chocolate Flower Decoration

  • 20 g white chocolate

✨ Final Decoration

  • Fresh strawberries for topping
  • Edible sugar flowers or the chocolate flowers
  • 1 can red velvet spray

Instructions
 

Sable Breton

  • Preheat oven to 170°C (338°F).
  • Mix butter, powdered sugar, and salt until smooth. Add flour and knead just until a homogeneous dough forms.
  • Chill for 30 minutes.
  • Roll the dough to ~3 mm thick on a floured surface.
  • Cut out 6 circles (5 cm diameter) and place on baking paper.
  • Bake for 10 minutes until golden. Let cool.

Chocolate Flowers

  • Use remaining dough to cut out flower shapes with a blossom cutter.
  • Bake at 170°C for about 7 minutes.
  • Melt the white chocolate and transfer to a small piping bag.
  • Pipe a small dot in the center of each baked flower. Chill to set.

Strawberry-Basil Compote

  • Mix diced strawberries with basil, lemon juice, and half the purée.
  • Soak gelatin in cold water.
  • Warm the remaining purée and dissolve the gelatin in it.
  • Stir into the strawberry mix.
  • Divide into 6 small silicone molds (~3 cm diameter). Freeze for 2+ hours or overnight.

Strawberry Mousse

  • Lightly whip the cream and refrigerate.
  • Soak gelatin in cold water.
  • Warm 50 g of strawberry purée and dissolve gelatin.
  • Add remaining purée, then gently fold in the whipped cream.
  • Fill a piping bag with the mousse.

Assembly

  • Pipe mousse halfway into 6 “Stone” silicone molds (6 cm diameter).
  • Insert the frozen compote into each.
  • Cover with remaining mousse and smooth the surface.
  • Freeze for at least 5 hours or overnight.

Velvet Coating

  • Remove frozen cakes from molds.
  • Place each on an inverted glass or box over parchment paper.
  • Spray evenly with red velvet spray from ~30 cm away.
  • (Do this outdoors or in a well-ventilated area.)

Finishing & Serving

  • Place each mousse cake on a baked sablé base.
  • Decorate with fresh strawberries and chocolate or sugar flowers.
  • Let thaw in the fridge for 2–3 hours before serving.
  • Consume within 3–4 days.