From the beginning of the year I am willing to share with you a mirror cake and I am so glad I finally got the chance to prepare it. As strawberry season is here I prepared a strawberry and chocolate mirror cake, made with a soft dark chocolate cake at the bottom, followed by a white chocolate mousse, a strawberry jelly insert and a dark chocolate mirror glaze. This cake looks really impressive and tastes absolutely amazing.
Mirror cakes are not difficult at all to prepare and they look pretty stunning. But mirror cakes need a bit more organization than other desserts, and need to be made in advance, as mirror glazes can be poured only on chilled cakes.
If you want to try this recipe I suggest to make the strawberry jelly and chocolate cake in the morning, to let them time to cool and freeze. In the afternoon make the white chocolate mousse, assemble the cake and freeze overnight. The next day prepare the mirror glaze and once done refrigerate the cake for several hours to defrost completely before serving. Once the cake is defrosting you cam prepare the white chocolate curls if desired.
Hope you will try the recipe and let me know how it turns for you. Enjoy!
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Strawberry Chocolate Mirror Cake
Ingredients
Strawberry Jelly
- 10 oz (300g) fresh or frozen strawberries , cut into quarters
- 2 tbsp (30g) sugar
- 1/2 tbsp (5g) gelatin powder
- 2 tbsp (30ml) cold water
Chocolate Cake
- 3/4 cup (100g) flour
- 1/4 cup (30g) cocoa powder
- 3/4 tsp (5g) baking soda
- 1/2 tsp (2g) salt
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup (100g) sugar
- 1 tsp (5g) vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp (45g) oil
- 3.5 oz (100g) buttermilk
- 3.5 fl. oz. (100ml) boiling water
White Chocolate Mousse
- 8 oz (230g) white chocolate , cut in small pieces
- 2/3 cup (160g) whipping cream
- 1 â…” cup (400g) whipping cream (35% fat) , chilled
- 2 tsp (7g) gelatin powder
- 3 tbsp (45 ml) cold water
Chocolate Mirror Glaze
- 3.5 oz (100g) sweetened condensed milk
- 6 oz (175g) semisweet chocolate , cut in small pieces
- 3/4 cup (150g) sugar
- 3.5 fl. oz (100ml) water
- 1 tbsp (10g) gelatin powder
- 1/4 cup (60ml) cold water
- 3 tbsp (25g) unsweetened cocoa powder
Instructions
- Prepare the strawberry jelly. In a small bowl place the gelatin and cold water and let swell for 5-10 minutes.
- Meanwhile in a small saucepan place the strawberries and sugar and place over medium-low heat. Bring to a simmer, cook for about 5 minutes and remove from heat. Blend the mixture to make a smooth sauce. Pass through a strainer to remove the seeds.
- Dissolve gelatin over very low heat and mix with the strawberry puree.
- Line a 8 inch (20 cm) round pan with plastic wrap.
- Pour the strawberry puree into the pan and freeze for at least 4 hours or even overnight. Cover with plastic wrap after the first hour.
- Prepare the chocolate cake. Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Grease and line with parchment paper a 8 inch (20 cm) round cake pan.
- In a large bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
- In another bowl mix sugar with egg and oil until combined. Mix in buttermilk and vanilla extract. Incorporate flour mixture until well combined. Add hot water and mix to combine. The batter will have a runny consistency.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake for about 30 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with few crumbs attached.
- Let cool completely.
- Prepare the white chocolate mousse. In a heat proof bowl add the white chocolate and 2/3 cup (160g) whipping cream. Place the bowl over a saucepan with simmering water, over low heat until all the chocolate is melted. Meanwhile dissolve gelatin in cold water and let it swell for about 5 to 10 minutes. Place the gelatin over low heat just until the gelatin dissolves and pour it over the melted chocolate mixture. Let the chocolate mixture cool completely at room temperature.
- Whip the remaining 1 2/3 cup (400g) cold whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Add melted chocolate mixture and mix until well combined.
- Assemble the cake. Line with parchment paper a 9 inch (23 cm) pan. You can use a springform pan or a cakeware pan like the one I have from Delicake.
- Place the chocolate cake in the middle of the pan. Add half of the white chocolate mousse on top and fill the edges. Add the strawberry jelly in the middle, on top of the mousse. Add the remaining half of white chocolate mousse and spread evenly.
- Cover and place in the freezer overnight.
- Prepare chocolate mirror glaze. In a small bowl place the gelatin and 1/4 cup (50ml) cold water and let swell for 5-10 minutes. Place the chocolate in a bowl and set aside.
- Place water, sugar, condensed milk and cocoa powder in a saucepan. Bring it just to a boil and remove from heat. Stir in the bloomed gelatin until it is dissolved.
- Pour the hot cocoa mixture over chocolate. Let sit for about 5 minutes until the chocolate is melted. Use an immersion blender and blend until smooth. Sieve the glaze and let it cool to 90-95F (32-35C) before pouring over the frozen cake.
- Take the cake out of the freezer and use a hair dryer to defrost the edges. Remove the cake from the pan and place it over a rack or simply on a bowl placed over a parchment paper lined baking sheet to collect the excess.
- Pour the glaze on top and edges of the cake. Use an offset spatula to remove the drips and decorate the bottom of the cake with grated chocolate. Transfer the cake to a serving platter and refrigerate for several hours to defrost the cake and set the glaze.
- Before serving decorate the cake with fresh strawberries and white chocolate curls if desired.
Video
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @homecookingadventure on Instagram and hashtag it #homecookingadventure.
can I use vanilla cream instead of strawberry?
This looks fantastic! I always make a cke for my friend and neighbour every year for her birthday, and this year it’s going to be this one! Here in the Netherlands I have only ever seen leaf gelatine, any idea how much I would need for the recipe?
Thanks a million for sharing this awesome cake recepi. I made it for hub’s birthday on the 6th n it turned out perfectly n was a big hit! This recepi is a keeper
Can you frost a day ahead? Does it have to remain in the
refrigerator to keep the moose from melting?
Can we substitute strawberries for another fruit? Like raspberry, kiwi? Thanks
Definitely.. raspberries, blueberries, cherries are good substitutes.
in the chocolate cake recipe part, you state 100 grams of buttermilk and 100 ml. of boiling water, do you mean 100 ml. of buttermilk or grams? This looks like a fun to make, and I am always looking for a challenge, and you do post great recipes!
Hi Janet.
100g of buttermilk
Any difference of your whipping cream and whipping cream (35% fat) to make the white chocolat mousse?
Hi Maryanne.
I use whipping cream of 35% fat.
Hi there,
I just saw your amazing strawberry chocolate mirror cake video. I was so impressed, I purchased a TRM from Delicake. I don’t know if you get an affiliate fee, but I made sure to choose Home Cooking Adventure as the place where I found out about the cake form. I hope in gets here (I am from Canada) so I have enough time to make something for Christmas! I can’t wait! I am so glad you posted your video.
Hey,
Is there any way to replace the condensed milk in the glaze?
thank you!! 🙂
Hi Stav.
To make sure it works it might be good to follow the recipe.
How many hours does the cake take to defrost?
Hi Meghna.
A couple of hours at the room temperature, or keep it overnight in the fridge.
Will the glaze get crappy looking if it goes in the freezer, as in having it totally assembled for the next day?
Hi Krista.
You can finish the cake and keep it in the fridge one day before serving and it will be look fine.
Can you please tell me where you purchased the see-through mold for this projeft? thank you.
Hi Berly.
I have this mold from Delicake Australia.
Hi,
We don’t have buttermilk where i live. Could i use something else instead?
Hi Martin.
You can use 3/4 yogurt and 1/4 milk.
Hi Ella,
Can I use vanilla cake with dark chocolate mousse and follow your glaze recipe would it work well
Can I skip the strawberry jello step …totally
thanks in advance.
Hi Veena.
Yes, you can use vanilla cake with dark chocolate and you can skip the strawberry jello step.
Hi, How far in advance can the strawberry jelly be made and frozen? I wanted to save time and money (fresh strawberries are on sale today but I wouldn’t need the cake until the weekend). I was also thinking of using my own chocolate cake recipe and adding an extra cake layer if it will fit in my springform pan (to sub for the mold). How much more mousse and chocolate glaze will I need? Would you recommend 1 1/2 recipes or should I double it?
yes.. you can make it few weeks in advance and keep it frozen until ready to use. should be just fine 🙂 1 1/2 mousse recipe of the mousse should be just fine.. as it is quite rich
Hi, my oven is fan forced, do i still bake the chocolate cake at 180C or a bit lower?
Thank you for your help.
Tim
Hi Tim.
Try to bake the cake at 160 C.
I attempted to make this, but unfortunately it was an absolute disaster. I had issues with the cream, i whipped it and poured the chocolate into it but it literally turned into soup. i tried it a second time and let the chocolate cool, but it still was too liquid. what am i doing wrong?
you probably didn't whip the cream enough before adding the chocolate ? For better results you need to chill the cream overnight before preparing the mousse, in order to whip well… and yes, it is essential for the chocolate mixture to be cooled…
Hi , i was wondering if the amount of agar agar is equal to the amount of gelatin you use in the video ? because i’d like to use agar agar instead of gelatin for health purposes .
thank you in advance for your answer , and by the way your job is just a master piece.
from what I have read you usually hae to use same amount of agar agar instead of gelatin.. the only problem is that I have tried only once using agar agar and it didn't work as expected for me. probably I did something wrong.. if you get better results let me know the way you proceeded..
Made this recipe several times and it is amazing! This is the most delicious and complex cake I’ve ever made. It was a great hit at birthday parties and holiday celebrations; even the people who hates cake absolutely loved this recipe. Thank you so much and I can’t wait to use different flavors for this recipe.
I don’t know what I am doing wrong but my mouse came out lumpy after I added the melted ingredients to the whipping cream. Can you give me some guidance?
Hi Ella,
I have make this recipe couple of weeks ago and it was a big hits for our family. But only problem I had was the strawberry jelly wasn’t hard enough after it has been defrosted. It was a bit runny and doesn’t stay in the layer of the cake. Do you know what could it go wrong with this? Thank you in advance for your reply.
Can I make a milk chocolate mousse instead of white chocolate mousse?
Hi,
Can we freeze mirror glazed cake? Thanks
hi! I was wondering if there was anything I could substitute the white chocolate with?
Hi, All went well until I poured the white chocolate nto the whip cream, it separated. Horribly. Like scrambled eggs. I used heavy whipping cream that was chilled and a bowl that was chilled in the freezer. I’ve been making whip cream for 20 years. The only alteration was a little vanilla extract. I cooled the chocolate to room temperature, but room temperature was a little warmer than normal. Can you please tell me what you think it was. I need to finish the cake for my twins 21st birthday today. Thank you
Hi,
I can taste it from the video! Looks wonderful.
I have a concern though, would it be possible that when defrosting, the jelly and mousse give water and the cake would be too liquid?
Thanks
I tried thos cake today.it was delicious.thank you so much for the detail.recipie and
Recipe.since all the steps were given clearly inwas able.to Make
So happy with the mirror glaze.it was my first attempt
Hey,
You mentioned cocoa powder for the cake and then unsweetened cocoa powder later on in the recipe. Are they the same?
yes.. same thing.. always unsweetened cocoa powder
Hi, thank you for the recipe looks amazing. I have attempted it and it was a failure but I think I need more practice but what’s puzzling me it’s a chocolate sponge which by now I attempted 4 times following recipe exact then adjusting it abit by trying no to over mix etc but always same result it’s raising nicely while in the oven and once out deflates and the texture becomes gooyiii more like a brownie and very delicious but caky at all…. how do you think I can improve and where I go wrong?
Hello,
Thank you for this wonderful recipe. I’ve made this cake twice before and it came out wonderfully. I’m unable to find powdered gelatin these days but I have I have gelatin sheets. Would I be able to use those instead of powder? If so, do you happen to know the equivalency between powder – sheets?
I would greatly appreciate your help as I plan to make this cake in 2 days.
Thank you so much and best regards
Thank you I made this with a live FB feed
Hi, Can I use gelatin sticks instead of powder? Thanks
Hi.it was the first time I tried this cake.it took me a lot of time ,about 3 days and I shared it with my grandfather too.here in my town Salmas it is alittle rare to find this kind of pastry in confectionary , so every one liked it alot.the problems with it were that I didnot like baking soda and next time I am going to replace baking powder olso I will let it stay more than 6 or 7 hours in fridge to have better combination of tastes.
Hello, Ella!
I showed you a gorgeous cake, which I really liked! There was a case in my family for which I prepared this fantastic cake, following absolutely all the steps, and using good products. It turned out to be a wonderful cake, I am very happy, but mostly those who tried it, I received their applause. The cake is not heavy, it is light and fine in taste and is very suitable for any holiday. Thanks for another wonderful recipe! Best regards! Maria
Hi Ella,
I have made 10+ of your recipes in the past few months. Thanks for posting and for the excellent presentation and printable recipes – they are very professional and clearly designed to maximise the success of those who follow them. I have one question though – when you give an oven temperature in your recipes you usually do not mention whether whether it is for fan assisted ovens or not. If it is not mentioned should I assume that it is for regular (non convection) ovens. And oven type do you use for these recipes?
Many thanks.
Perfect Recipe. I replaced the strawberry jelly with a red wine jelly. It makes a wonderful dessert for a dinner party.
Can you use cherries instead of strawberries to make the jelly?
Sure.. use same amount of cherries