Valentine’s Day has come and gone but that’s no excuse to not to enjoy a pink, fruity dessert like this vegan strawberry mousse cake from time to time.

Even more so now that strawberries are in season. Last year the season came and went so fast that I didn’t even realize it in time to take advantage. This year I’m ahead of the game and already on my fourth kilo!

This recipe is an offshoot of my vegan strawberry mousse, which in turn came about after I discovered aquafaba. I had seen so many recipes for chocolate mousse with aquafaba, but hardly any fruit mousse recipes.

I discovered that aquafaba works wonderfully in fruit mousses to give the light airiness that whipped egg whites normally achieve in non-vegan mousses.

I thought it was great but my husband wasn’t one hundred percent convinced. He wanted more stability and that sort of crackle you hear when sinking your spoon into a dairy mousse.

I told him that it’s achieved with gelatin, which is NOT vegan (or even vegetarian), but agar agar is often used as a gelatin substitute. That got me thinking again. Could I do a vegan strawberry mousse cake?

Why, yes I can, and this is the result.

It was my first time working with agar agar and I think I was pretty lucky.

I scoured the internet for hints, tips and tricks about agar agar and was extremely skeptical that I would be able to pull it off. Too little agar agar and it won’t set, too much and it will set too hard.

Then there’s the question of what kind of agar agar you have. Powder, flakes or strands/threads each require a slightly different technique.

I went to my Asian supermarket and ended up with strands, which could be the most difficult to work with because it’s extremely hard to measure in small quantities, but it’s the cheapest of the three options.

I’ve given measurements here by weight in case you have a different type of agar agar, but if you don’t have a scale or are unsure about how much to use then you can measure out your mousse layer and juice in cups and remember that as a general guideline to thicken one cup of liquid you’ll need 1 tablespoon of agar agar flakes or one teaspoon of agar agar powder. Adjust those ratios depending on how much mousse and juice you end up with.

Vegan Strawberry Mousse Cake

Name: Vegan Strawberry Mousse Cake
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 4
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 650 grams (16 ounces) strawberries, divided; 4 tablespoons sugar, plus more to taste; Pinch of salt; 5 grams (0.18 oz) agar agar, divided (see conversions above); 60 grams (2 oz) pitted dates (Should be soft. If not, soak them in warm water); 60 grams (2 oz) graham biscuits (Read ingredients to be sure they’re milk and egg free); 2 tablespoons coconut cream (place a can of coconut milk in the fridge overnight and then scoop out the hardened cream on top); 3 tablespoons aquafaba (the liquid from a can of garbanzos); Water

Yield: Serves 4

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Additional Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Light and airy vegan strawberry mousse cake made with a delicious jelly topping. An impressive yet simple vegan dessert!

Ingredients

650 grams (16 ounces) strawberries, divided
4 tablespoons sugar, plus more to taste
Pinch of salt
5 grams (0.18 oz) agar agar, divided (see conversions above)
60 grams (2 oz) pitted dates (Should be soft. If not, soak them in warm water)
60 grams (2 oz) graham biscuits (Read ingredients to be sure they’re milk and egg free)
2 tablespoons coconut cream (place a can of coconut milk in the fridge overnight and then scoop out the hardened cream on top)
3 tablespoons aquafaba (the liquid from a can of garbanzos)
Water

Instructions

You’ll need some kind of a bottom-less mold. I have two squares measuring 10 x 10 x 4.5 cm (4 x 4 x 1.8 inches). I cut my cakes in half to get four rectangles. If you don't have squares, you could use a circle mold or even make the cakes in wine glasses.

For the mousse: Take 250 grams of strawberries and roughly chop them using a food processor or a knife. Put them in a bowl with 2 tablespoons of sugar and a pinch of salt. Measure out 3 grams of agar agar, put it in a separate bowl and cover with ⅓ cup of hot water.
For the jelly: Take the remaining 400 grams of strawberries and roughly chop them. Place them in a third bowl with 2 tablespoons of sugar and a pinch of salt. Measure out 2 grams agar agar and put it in a separate bowl with ¼ cup hot water.
Leave all four bowls for 30 minutes, stirring the strawberries occasionally.
In a food processor, chop the dates and graham biscuits to a powder. Press the mixture into the bottom of your molds.
Take your mousse strawberries and strain the juice into a small pot, pressing the pulp to get most of the liquid out. Simmer the juice over medium heat until thick, syrupy and reduced by half. Meanwhile, blend the remaining pulp in a food processor or blender until smooth. Return to the bowl and add the strawberry syrup and coconut cream. Add sugar or other sweetener to taste, for me 2 teaspoons was enough.
Put your jelly strawberries in a bowl lined with cheesecloth or some other material you can strain through. Use your hands to squeeze out all the juice you can into the bowl. I got about 1 cup of juice from this. Add sugar or other sweetener to taste to the juice. The remaining pulp can be blended and added to the mousse strawberries.
Whip the aquafaba into the consistency of firm peak egg whites using the whisk attachment of an immersion blender or a balloon mixer.
Put the 3 grams agar agar with its ⅓ cup water into a small pot over medium heat. Warm it gently, while stirring, until the agar agar has dissolved and formed a thick gel. For flakes or strands this could take 10 -15 minutes. For powder it only takes a couple of minutes. Warm your mousse strawberries slightly in the microwave and mix through the agar agar gel. Now gently fold through the whipped aquafaba a few tablespoons at a time. Pour the mousse into your molds and place in the fridge to set.
Put the 2 grams agar agar and its ¼ cup water into the pot over medium heat. Dissolve it in the same way as previously. Pour in your cup of strawberry juice for the jelly. Optional: Simmer gently for about 5 – 10 minutes to concentrate the flavour and get a more compact jelly. If you choose not to do this, you’ll have a thicker but softer jelly layer. It’s up to you. Pour the jelly into the molds and place in the fridge to set.
Once set, gently slip off the molds and serve your cakes however you would like!

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1 slice
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 294Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 194mgCarbohydrates: 60gFiber: 5gSugar: 39gProtein: 4g

Comments

Angie says

March 20, 2016 at 12:52 am

Hi, this looks amazing!
Could you please clarify the strawberry quantities? The ingredients say 450g total, but Step 1 says use 250g then Step 2 says 400g.
Thanks very much.

- Melissa says
  
  March 20, 2016 at 1:07 am
  
  Thanks for catching that, it should be 650 grams total. I've updated the recipe.
  
  - Chris Baker says
    
    March 06, 2020 at 10:34 pm
    
    Hi, I have recently discovered that using different kinds of agar result in extremely firm or nicely set, do you use agar powder or flakes in the recipe ?
    
    - Melissa says
      
      March 17, 2020 at 1:58 pm
      
      I used strands. The conversions for flakes and powder are given just above the recipe.
      
Roxanne says

March 30, 2016 at 1:25 am

Hi
I want to rry it but with gelatin
What would be the quantity please
Thanks !:)

- Melissa says
  
  March 30, 2016 at 8:52 am
  
  Sorry, I don't know about gelatin because I don't use animal products in my recipes.
  
  - Luc says
    
    April 08, 2016 at 7:18 pm
    
    😉 Et voila!
    
Nitisha says

April 04, 2016 at 2:48 pm

Hello,
Your receipe is amazing.. I faced a little problem with using agar. The trouble is when the agar sets to a jelly condition and we mix the strawberry mixture , I found that the agar doesnt blend in and I can a few tiny pieces of agar in the mixture.. Can u guide me with that..

- Melissa says
  
  April 04, 2016 at 3:09 pm
  
  Hmmm... you could try a couple of things. If the agar gel seems too thick to blend, maybe add a bit more hot water to it before adding it to the strawberries. Also be sure to heat the strawberry mixture enough because if it's cold, the agar will begin to set hard before you can mix it all through.
  
  - Harriette says
    
    March 24, 2018 at 4:03 am
    
    Blend strawberries agar agar water etc well heat gently and proceed
    
AmethystJean says

April 23, 2016 at 11:47 pm

Thank you so much for this recipe....and for using agar strands! I bought them because they were so cheap and I have never seen a recipe with them!

- Melissa says
  
  April 24, 2016 at 7:44 am
  
  Same here about the agar strands. There's hardly any recipes and it took me so long to figure out how much to use them!
  
Alice says

May 21, 2016 at 9:45 am

Thank you very much for sharing this! I have been looking for just such a recipe. Thank you for your dedication and inventiveness. The result looks delicious and very professional.

Karen White says

November 24, 2016 at 2:12 pm

Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. Looks fabulous and vegan too!

Lucy says

August 01, 2017 at 3:41 pm

Hi, do you mix aquafaba in the mousse berries and agar when its hot or do you wait for it to reach room temp? Im scared it would melt the bubbles away 🙂

- Melissa says
  
  August 04, 2017 at 3:50 pm
  
  While it's still warm. Adding the aquafaba a little at a time helps to temper it so it doesn't deflate.
  
Tanya says

October 17, 2017 at 12:32 pm

I made this cake for my daughter's first birthday. I only substituted the strawberries for mango and it turned out amazing. Thank you so much for this recipe!

Kate says

February 25, 2018 at 12:15 am

This is amazing. Everything turned out perfect! Thank you for a great recipe, i am sure my vegan guests will love it!

Emilia says

April 11, 2018 at 4:50 pm

How many people are this for?

- Melissa says
  
  April 24, 2018 at 4:16 pm
  
  Four
  
charlotte says

July 31, 2018 at 12:01 pm

Hi i love this recipe

Can i just check for this recipe you are using two tins - 10cm - did you just half everything to pour into your moulds?

If i use a 20cm tin can i just pour it all into that one?

- Melissa says
  
  August 06, 2018 at 11:09 am
  
  Yes, I think a larger tin would work.
  
Kristie says

November 12, 2018 at 11:01 am

Hi, this recipe looks beautiful. Do you have any suggestions for a substitute for the coconut cream? I have a friend who is allergic to all nuts (including coconut!!) and also seeds, while trying to be as vegan as possible. I would desperately love to find a vegan recipe that she can actually eat.

Jaime Serafim says

September 15, 2019 at 12:57 pm

Amazing recipe, I have done it twice, last time I had trouble on putting the second layer as it went underneath the mousse. Maybe I have to wait a little bit for the jelly to cool down before putting it over the mousse. Everybody loved it. This is really great inspiration to do more vegan puddings, thank you.

Chris Hilty says

November 09, 2019 at 9:12 pm

LOVE this so much! Turned out amazing and everybody devoured it 🙂

- Anita says
  
  December 19, 2019 at 11:38 pm
  
  Do you happen to have a video on this? It sounds confusing, and I 'm not even talking about converting from metric to standard.
  
- Tania says
  
  December 20, 2023 at 12:37 pm
  
  Hi,just came across this wonderful recipe, want to make it,can I use frozen fruit? Thanks

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