2011-08-17

Irregularities - Strawberry bavarian mousse/mirror cake

Final experiment running, data to be analysed, research articles to be massaged and finally a thesis should be generated. You heard me right? yes all these final stuffs has been keeping me occupied (no complaints, I'm happy with this phase) and also in such a state of mind that I kept adding sugar instead of salt to curry and was thinking huh this summer tomatoes are too sweet, hello excuse me in which world? Before I could realise the curry was almost a dessert! Wish to note down all these kinds of incidents, which makes me go fierce at that moment but it, would be a comic book for me in the future alas it will be a endless comic book! 

So lovely people kindly bear with me, you will see the regular irregularities of my presence in APL on the brighter side you are soon going to have some surprises stay tuned! 

This recipe is from my Japanese friend, Reiko, she made it as layer cake (green tea cake+ agar agar+ strawberry mousse) it was fantastic. I replicated only mousse part with thin eggless chocolate cake and strawberry jelly/mirror on top! The mousse is very special, not too sweet with tad bit of sourness, smooth and rich. If you all are wondering what is that leaf? I have no idea except for the fact it's edible. The name was written in Finnish which obviously I forgot to note it down! Basically used them to bring some contrast. Enjoy the cake till the blogger part in me wakes up again :) 









Eggless Chocolate Cake
(I wouldn't state it as world best eggless cake but it was just fine, it's first time i tried eggless version, it was not too fluffy but soft and moist, served the purpose of being good base!) 
Ingredients 
50 ml milk (i used 1.5% fat)
100 gram sugar
120 gram melted butter 
150 gram all purpose flour
30 gram cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder

Mix the dry ingredients first (flour + baking power + cocoa powder).
Melt butter, then add in sugar, then slowly mix flour and milk in steps till is uniformly mixed and required consistency is obtained. (If batter is too thick, adding milk in step of 10 ml till the required consistency is obtained). Pour the batter in greased 18 cm baking pan and bake in preheated oven at 180 C for about 30 to 40 minutes till tooth pick inserted comes out clean).

Let the cake cool aside, it definitely should be at room temperature; else it would melt the mousse. I let them cool over night. 

Bavarian Mousse
Ingredients
200 gram strawberries (room temperature) ( or 4 tbspn strawberry jam) 
60 gram sugar  
Lemon juice 1/2 tbspn
Water 50 ml
Gelatin 5 gram
Fresh cream 150 ml

Put strawberry + sugar+ lemon juice in blender and blend until smooth. Next filter the smoothie. Add gelatin in warm water in order for them to melt. Then sieve in gelatin into the smoothie, be quick and make sure your strawberry smoothie is at room temperature.
Next whip cream unil light and fluffy (single peaks are formed). Slowly incorporate cream to the strawberry smoothie and until it is uniformly mixed. Then place the bowl over the bowl of ice water, till the liquid gets viscous. 

Assembling  
Use a detachable cake pan and skillfully place cling foil to the inside sides of the cake pan.
Then place cooled chocolate cake and press with fingers so that cakes sits well to the bottom. As soon the mousse mixture gets viscous pour into the cake pan. Let it set in refrigerator for about 4 hrs. 

Once mousse sets next prepare the strawberry jelly or mirror part.
Strawberry juice
Strawberry 14 grams
100 ml water
50 gram sugar (add more if you want them sweet, try drinking the juice and check)
Blend together and filter the juice

For mirror
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tbspn water
3/4 tbspn gelatin powder
Few drop of red food color

In a small bowl pour lemon juice and water, sprinkle gelatin over the mixture and let it aside till soft. Next  pour strawberry juice in a sauce pan and bring to simmer and pour the juice to gelatin mixture. Stir till gelatin melts, next add food colour. then place the bowl over bowl of ice water till the liquid becomes syrupy, when its just beings to thicken pour it over the top of the cake and refrigerate until set. 

After the cake sets un-mold the cake pan, remove the cling foil and serve the cake cold!

61 comments:

chow and chatter August 17, 2011 at 12:44 AM  

wow this cake looks amazing and how exciting that you are nearly finished do you think you will stay in Finland?

Sarah-Jane - SiliconeMoulds.com August 17, 2011 at 2:02 AM  

So pretty Ananda. Love the layers. Perfection as always !

Satrupa August 17, 2011 at 2:32 AM  

Such a beautiful cake ...... I would have thought a hundred times to cut it :) But definitely love eating it :D

Sarah August 17, 2011 at 3:36 AM  

this mousse is gorgeous! what a treat to the senses!

aipi August 17, 2011 at 3:54 AM  

Wow that looks so nice and clean it almost looks plastic and I mean it in the best possible way. The vibrant red color is irresistible. If you put a slice of this among an assortment of cakes I am bound to pick this one.

USMasala

Chitra August 17, 2011 at 3:55 AM  

wowwwwwwwwww sure treat to eyes and tummy....yummy

Andrea the Kitchen Witch August 17, 2011 at 5:48 AM  

You are so talented!! The photos are awesome as always. I want to try this for sure, its such a stunning presentation. I love the leaf wrapped berries on top. Speaking of berries, those are absolutely gorgeous!!

Shabitha Karthikeyan August 17, 2011 at 5:58 AM  

Super cool mirror cake. Never tried this.Looks so good !!

Vimitha Durai August 17, 2011 at 6:18 AM  

Perfectly done cake. Lovely clicks and presentation.

Hari Chandana P August 17, 2011 at 6:56 AM  

Wowwwwwwwwwww... looks simply awesome and tempting.. love the presentation too.. gr8 job dear :)
Indian Cuisine

? August 17, 2011 at 6:58 AM  

Ananda wish you the very best! This recipe sounds so far from Hyderabad!!:-) final few days here.

Prema August 17, 2011 at 7:47 AM  

wow loved this cutie...luks so perfect and the clicks are amazing...

chef and her kitchen August 17, 2011 at 10:48 AM  

looks superb..would love 2 grab a slice from d screen

Prathima Rao August 17, 2011 at 11:32 AM  

OMG!!! What a fab, gorgeous cake!!! Awesome presentation :) and eagerly waiting for the surprises!!
Prathima Rao
Prats Corner

My Kitchen Antics August 17, 2011 at 11:34 AM  

oh wow that looks like something out of a bakery...fancy!
btw i totally love that tea infuser..super cute

Ramya August 17, 2011 at 1:32 PM  

I am head over heals over this lovely treat:-) Looks perfect!!!

Indian Khana August 17, 2011 at 3:00 PM  

Treat to eyes and tummy ...looks just so gorgeous .....wonderful

Taste Melanger August 17, 2011 at 4:28 PM  

Its such a dainty & pretty cake..And that's when you are distracted. wonder what cake we will get to see when you are fully concentrated.

Anamika@Taste Junction

Cassia Bark August 17, 2011 at 5:48 PM  

What a cake girl!!!! Picture perfect...will definitely try this soon...All the best for the final phase :)...

Suja Manoj August 17, 2011 at 6:16 PM  

Real treat,so perfect and tempting..you rock dear..

Priya Suresh August 17, 2011 at 6:21 PM  

Omg, seriously i dont have words,u rock gal..

Tanvi@SinfullySpicy August 17, 2011 at 8:54 PM  

What a pretty pretty cake girl..that color makes me weak in the knees..I cant believe its eggless!! Thanks for sharing it..I have a little cousin who is allergic to eggs but love strawberries..so I ll forward this recipe to her mom!
The pictures of strawberries- STUNNING!

Ushnish Ghosh August 17, 2011 at 9:11 PM  

Dear Ananda
How are you? So you are approaching the famous final lunatic ( almost) phase of PhD completion!! I am sure you will come out with flying colors.
This is a pretty tough cake so I will not venture into making this one even if you gave a detailed recipe. ha ha. The photographs are awesome ( as usual) ! R U doing PhD in light or what?
Of course I will bear with your situation and will stay tuned for the surprise.
Have a great weekend and happy sweet curry and salted tea!!!

Unknown August 17, 2011 at 9:20 PM  

Good luck with your these, this bavarian cream chocolate cake looks absolutely to die for, it looks divine :)

KrithisKitchen August 17, 2011 at 10:34 PM  

Gorgeous!!
http://krithiskitchen.blogspot.com/

vegetarianirvana August 17, 2011 at 11:00 PM  

wow what a labor of love, that too admist all your PhD thesis work.Hats off to you.

kankana August 18, 2011 at 1:29 AM  

I have no clue how you manage a blog with all this work load in between. You rock my friend! And yes, I will stay tune for the surprise :)
This cake is looking just so pretty and reminds me of the strawberry mouse I had made recently.

Love II cook August 18, 2011 at 12:19 PM  

i shud certainly make this and link ur link to my post soon. set to favorites. visual delight... making soon to taste it too :)

Sanctified Spaces August 18, 2011 at 1:57 PM  

Absolutely gorgeous cake, and an eggless one too.

Saee Koranne-Khandekar August 18, 2011 at 2:59 PM  

That is jaw-droppingly awesome! Loved the colors and textures. The finish is very professional, and it does look like a "mirror"! Great work!

Sanjeeta kk August 18, 2011 at 3:11 PM  

Picture perfect recipe! Lovely color and beautiful texture for the mirror cake.

Unknown August 18, 2011 at 7:28 PM  

Pure Eye-Candy Ananda! Amazing pics!!!

Catherine August 18, 2011 at 7:38 PM  

Surprise eh? Oooh thats exciting, Ananda! The cake looks tremendous; so professional looking and pretty :) I love the leaf detail on each of the strawberries too :D good luck with the rest of you PhD... the end is nigh!

Radhika @ foodfor7stages August 18, 2011 at 9:50 PM  

Can't believe it is eggless. It is perfectly done.I love that bright colors and just want to dig in now.

MaryMoh August 19, 2011 at 11:38 AM  

Wow...that's such a beautiful cake! I'm sure it will wipe off all stress from all the assignments and deadlines to meet :D I really admire how you can cook, bake, blog and study at the same time. If I were you, my food will be burnt, I will miss deadlines, my blogging will be a few sentences and my face will probably be long like a papaya...haha. All the best and hope you have a wonderful day! :D

Suman Singh August 19, 2011 at 3:58 PM  

That might be the prettiest cake I've ever seen..It looks spectacular..I would love to taste it. Gonna have to put on my list of things to bake..thanks for sharing! Have a nice weekend dear..take care!

Cheah August 20, 2011 at 4:19 AM  

Ananda, this is just too beautiful!

Magic of Spice August 20, 2011 at 5:03 AM  

That must have been some curry ;) This is a gorgeous cake, the decoration is so sleek and simple (in a good way)...lovely

Plateful August 22, 2011 at 2:21 PM  

Hey this looks like the work of an artist, trust me. I got a similar strawberry mini-cake for my boys b'day. You can actually see the picture on my recent post, if you are interested. Hope to see ya back in full swing once you're done with your pressing engagements. And yep, we're ready for the surprises.. ! :)

Roxana GreenGirl August 22, 2011 at 4:53 PM  

ha ha ha, I put once sugar in soup and kept putting, the more I put the unsalted it tasted and took me a while to realize why :))
the cake looks amazing, and mousse, mmmm, yes please!!

Mary Bergfeld August 22, 2011 at 4:58 PM  

What a beautiful cake.That you would attempt anything so involved when you are so busy amazes me. This is my first visit to your blog but I plan to return. You have created a lovely spot for your readers to visit and I really enjoyed the time I spent here. I really like the food and recipes you feature here. I'll definitely be back. I hope you have a great day. Blessings...Mary

Reem August 22, 2011 at 10:40 PM  

All I can say is BEAUTIFUL..... this looks delicious, wonderful pictures.

Sobha Shyam August 22, 2011 at 10:57 PM  

wow,simply awesome dear, simple and beautiful presentation..

Torviewtoronto August 23, 2011 at 12:35 AM  

Appealing beautiful cake
Ananda loved the pictures from your trip lovely scenery and colours

www.you-made-that.com August 23, 2011 at 8:02 PM  

Your photos really make me want to dive into this cake. Looks quite delicious. All your photos are eye candy, just beautiful :)

Sarah @ ExPat Bride August 23, 2011 at 8:03 PM  

Your photos are stunning! Love your attention to detail, and the fact you drink loose leaf tea <3

my life and spice August 23, 2011 at 8:12 PM  

This is so amazing...and to think that you made it with so much on your mind- awesome!

Treat and Trick August 23, 2011 at 8:25 PM  

It's a stunner and irresistible! Your clicks are getting fabulous day by day...Awaiting for the surprise dear..

Anonymous August 23, 2011 at 11:23 PM  

this is not cake..but a piece of art..strawberry pink is too irresistable and loved the flavour as well

Nami | Just One Cookbook August 24, 2011 at 8:29 PM  

Wow! Not only you impressed me with gorgeous photos (very obvious part! ;-) ), but your mousse looks super delicious and delicate. I miss having this kind of sophisticated dessert. As I don't bake, I rely on our source...but unlike Japan, it's so hard to find a good bakery here who bakes cake like this!!! And I know it's not related, but I love your tea strainer...with pink polka dot cup!! I fell in love...

Vijitha August 24, 2011 at 9:27 PM  

Gorgeous clicks! And the cake looks fantastic

Victor August 25, 2011 at 4:40 PM  

I know what you mean. Research, analysis, and papers to be published asap. I'm going through same phase as you right now, except for the thesis that I still have 2 more years to go...

I probably miss your past posts. What is exactly your field of research? Are you heading for a post-doc next year?

I love all your colorful pics, strawberry mousse, that's something I want to try out.

Ameena August 25, 2011 at 5:58 PM  

Not only is this a beautiful dessert but your photo shoot is gorgeously arranged. You are quite talented!

Priya Sreeram August 25, 2011 at 6:26 PM  

ananda what can I say--looks delectable gal- totally loved it and hey best wishes to ur thesis/experiments-

alpana August 31, 2011 at 9:33 PM  

Hi,

Came across your blog today......very nice clicks. Will follow u now.
Do visit me at smart-snacks.blogspot.com

Ashwini Nishil September 5, 2011 at 3:40 PM  

Thanks a lot for visiting my space and leaving a comment.
Your strawberry mirror cake looks too perfect and yumm! Pictures are excellent!

Megha September 5, 2011 at 4:51 PM  

omg cake
-Megha
Cupidspeaks.com

Choclette September 12, 2011 at 4:30 PM  

Ananda, good to hear you are close to finishing. Good Luck.

The mousse cake looks delicious and pretty as always.

munchmunchcrunchcrunch September 12, 2011 at 6:38 PM  

love the colors and perfectly layered...first time here and following you now

Niru September 28, 2011 at 2:12 AM  

very pretty...wat an amazing colours...

Nippon Nin October 8, 2011 at 10:29 PM  

What a beautiful cake! It looks like one I had last year from famous cake shop in Japan. Photos and presentation are perfect!

 
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