Those of you who know me well know that I am NOT a fan of Valentine's Day but I tolerate it. Mainly because chocolate is involved. And strawberries. What a great combination! These elegant Valentine's Day gluten free dairy free chocolate strawberry mousse cakes are a delicous treat!!
I love how these look just like a fancy dessert you would get in a restaurant. Except you CAN'T find them in a restaurant because restaurants in most places don't serve fancy elegant desserts like these that are allergy friendly.
They were really easy to make and I've frozen a few for Valentine's Day to enjoy. I'll let them thaw out and enjoy them on Valentine's night.
If they make it that long. it's chocolate and strawberries.
And did I mention this dessert is also refined sugar free? Woo hoo!! (Note to those who will email about this recipe and the sugar.) NO, I did not use cocount sugar in the mousse. I did not want a caramel flavor added to the strawberry mousse. And no I did not make it with keto type sugars. If you try any of these combinations, let me know how it comes out! I used raw organic cane sugar to get the full flavor of the strawberry to come out.
GLUTEN FREE DAIRY FREE CHOCOLATE STRAWBERRY MOUSSE CAKES
For the Chocolate Shells:
- 8 oz dairy free chocolate, melted
For the Strawberry Mousse:
- ¾ cup raw pure cane sugar (turbinado, etc)
- 3 egg whites
- ½ tsp cream of tartar or 1 tsp white vinegar if you have no cream of tartar
- ½ cup thinly diced strawberries
For the Cookie Bottom:
- ½ cup coconut oil, or dairy free butter, room temperature (do NOT melt the coconut oil or butter!!)
- ½ cup raw cane sugar or coconut sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 cup gluten free flour blend, keto flour, paleo flour...whatever you want to use!
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
For the Chocolate Covered Strawberries and Drizzle:
- 4 oz dairy free chocolate
- 8-12 small strawberries, washed
- Small piping bag (we used a Ziploc bag with a small corner cut off)
Directions:
To Make the Chocolate Shells:
Melt the chocolate. Fill each silicone cup about half way full with melted chocolate than swirl to fill the mold, then flip the mold over and allow excess to drip out.
Once you have finished filling all the cups, place the mold in the freezer while you prepare the cookies and mousse. Allow to freeze for at least 20 minutes and repeat the process if necessary if a thicker layer of chocolate is needed.
To Make the Mousse:
In a bowl above a pot of simmering water place the sugar, egg whites and cream of tartar or vinegar, heat the ingredients until they reach a temperature of 150 degrees. Use a thermometer if needed for doneness. This should be warm enough that the egg whites do not start to bake, and the sugar melts.
Pour the mixture into the stand mixer and beat on medium high for 10-15 minutes until the mousse is fluffy, pale in color and cooled. Add the diced strawberries the last five minutes of mixing time to incorporate.
Remove the silicone molds from the freezer, then fill the silicone chocolate molds with the mousse, smoothing the tops with a flat spatula or back of a knife. Set the mousse and molds back in the freezer to firm.
To Prepare the Cookies:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lighly grease or line cookie sheet with parchment paper or silicone mat.
In a mixer bowl, cream together the coconut oil or butter and sugar until light and fluffy (3-5 minutes on medium speed). Scrape the bowl if necessary.
Turn the mixer to low, add the egg and continue to mix until incorporated.
With the mixer on low, add the flour and cocoa powder. Mix until well blended.
Lightly sprinkle counter with additional cocoa powder or flour mix. Roll the cookie mixture out to a ¼ inch thickness. Cut out round cookie shapes just slighly bigger than the molds than place on cookie sheet. (We used a 2 inch cookie cutter)
Bake the cookie dough for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees until edges are slightly darker and cooked.
Remove cookies from oven and allow to cool completely before assembling.
To Make the Strawberries:
Melt additional four ounces of chocolate. Dip strawberries in the chocolate mixture, allowing excess to drip off before placing the strawberries on a sheet of waxed paper on a small cookie sheet. Place in freezer or fridge to allow chocolate to harden. Keep additional chocolate for drizzling and strawberry "glue."
To Assemble:
Remove mousse, chocolate molds and strawberries from freezer. On top of one of the cookies, pop out one of the silicone molds on top of the cookie. Pipe a little bit of chocolate onto the top of the mold and place a strawberry on top. Drizzle additional chocolate over the top. Serve immediately or allow to cool in the fridge until ready to serve.
Dessert may be frozen until ready to serve (up to one week) however consistency may change slightly.
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