Easy three-ingredient white chocolate mousse topped with vanilla-macerated strawberries.
Valentine’s Day is coming up—or at least that’s what the internet keeps saying. Whether you’re celebrating with a partner, friends, or your cat, this dessert is ideal when you want something special that’s also quick and effortless.
This recipe could have been called “White Chocolate Mousse with Vanilla Macerated Strawberries,” but that sounds fancier than necessary. It’s basically an ultra-simple white chocolate mousse topped with chopped strawberries tossed with a little sugar, lemon and vanilla. Let them sit in the fridge until they release their juices to become a glossy strawberry-vanilla syrup that the fruit soaks up.
I’m calling it “White Chocolate and Strawberry Mousse.” No pretension—just delicious, easy dessert.
It’s the perfect lazy lovers’ dessert: minimal steps, with downtime for chilling that gives you time to relax (or Netflix and chill). Your Valentine will never guess how little effort it took, so you’ll score some brownie points—well, mousse points.
If you want to dress it up a little, you can decorate the serving glasses with thin strawberry slices. I used a super-sharp knife to slice a few attractive strawberries into 1–2mm slices. The thinner the slices, the better they cling to the glass. I piped a layer of mousse into the bottom of each glass, pressed the slices around the inside so the berry juices helped them stick, then piped more mousse and spooned the macerated strawberries on top. If that sounds like too much fuss, simply layer the mousse and strawberries parfait-style.
The strawberry mixture makes enough to layer the dessert, but if you only want to use it as a topping you can halve the strawberry quantities. Or make the full amount and use the vanilla-speckled strawberries on pancakes, yogurt, or ice cream.
The recipe yields four servings; if you’re cooking for two you can halve it—or keep the leftovers for breakfast like I do. Strawberries plus cream plus white chocolate equals happiness and balance (a completely subjective observation).
If you prefer darker chocolate, you can make the same mousse with dark or milk chocolate instead.
White Chocolate and Strawberry Mousse
Ingredients
For the mousse:
- 500 g whipping cream (see notes)
- 300 g white chocolate chopped
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the strawberries:
- 250 g fresh strawberries
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons icing sugar (confectioner’s sugar)
- 3-4 extra strawberries to decorate, optional
Instructions
Make the mousse:
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Chop the white chocolate and place it in a large heatproof bowl.
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Heat half of the cream in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until bubbles form around the edges.
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Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and leave for a minute or two to melt. Whisk until smooth. Whisk in the remaining cream and the vanilla extract. If the mousse tastes too sweet, add a pinch of salt to balance it.
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Chill the mixture until very cold—several hours or overnight is best, up to two days. To speed this up, you can place the bowl in the freezer for about an hour, stirring every 10–15 minutes to avoid freezing.
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If you plan to decorate glasses with thin strawberry slices, slice the extra strawberries lengthwise into 1–2mm pieces just before whipping the mousse.
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On the day you serve, whip the chilled mixture with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Don’t overwhip.
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Transfer the whipped mousse to a piping bag fitted with a plain tip, or spoon it into glasses. Pipe or spoon a layer into each glass, press strawberry slices against the inside if using, then fill with more mousse. Cover and chill at least 30 minutes before serving.
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Serve topped with a generous spoonful of the macerated strawberries.
Macerated strawberries
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Up to two hours before serving, chop the strawberries into roughly 1cm pieces. Toss them with the vanilla paste (or scraped vanilla seeds), lemon juice and icing sugar. Mix, cover and refrigerate until serving. The longer they sit, the more juice they release; shorten the time if you prefer firmer fruit.
Notes
Chocolate — Use good-quality white chocolate, preferably from a block. Only use chocolate chips if the package says they are suitable for melting; many baking chips have a coating that prevents them from melting smoothly.
Leftover mousse will keep for several days in the refrigerator. The macerated strawberries will keep for a couple of days, though they will soften further and lose some of their fresh appearance.
Nutritional Disclaimer: Any nutritional information provided is a computer generated estimate and is intended as a guide only.
Whichever variation you choose and whatever time of year you make this, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
So tell me, what is your favourite Valentine’s dessert?
~Natalie
xx