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The bake-off began last night (well, actually the night before) when I made this Amarula Mud Cake. The recipe made one large cake and 6 butterfly shaped cupcakes. Yes, I know there are only 4 in the picture but…the cake must be tested. All in the interest of science, you know ;o)

Now I know that chocolate isn’t everyones thing so I thought that I better provide a “healthier” alternative. That was when I decided to try another one of the mousses that IOL published last week. I’m starting to wonder if they test the recipes first because this “Strawberry Mousse” turned out to be more like Accidental Strawberry Ice-Cream. See the recipe below. I will continue my story underneath.

STRAWBERRY MOUSSE

Serves 6

1 x 80g packet of strawberry jelly

250ml boiling water

350ml fresh cream

250g strawberries, cleaned and hulled and chopped

Dissolve the jelly in the boiling water. Set aside to cool.

Whip the cream until just thick but not stiff, add the chopped strawberries and whip until stiff. Fold in the cooled jelly.

Transfer to six serving glasses and refrigerate for an hour to set.

Decorate with a strawberry if you like.

Everything went perfectly until the 2nd line of instructions. I disolved the jelly powder in water and allowed it to cool. I whipped the cream. After I chopped the strawberries, I scattered some castor sugar over them to draw out the juices and take away some of the tartness of the berries. The problem came in when I added the strawberries to the whipped cream. What a mess! Everytime the beaters hit a strawberry, the cream went everywhere. I persevered until I started wondering how much mixture I would have left by the end of the process. Then I started mixing the strawberries into the cream by hand and it just wasn’t getting stiffer. I eventually gave up, and folded in the cooled jelly. As a result, it did not set within an hour. In the end, I put it in the freezer for 2 hours and that is how I accidently ended up with strawberry ice-cream.

I think next time I will actually let the jelly get thick (not just cool) before adding it to the cream. I will add even more castor sugar to the chopped up strawberries and I will make the recipe in a food processor with a whisk attachment to minimize the amount of strawberries and cream mixture ends up all over my kitchen.

The next round of baking will include peppermint crisp tart, cupcakes and brownies (made with cocoa and buttermilk).