Ingredients

Cake

• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 3/4 tbsp avocado oil (or oil of choice)
• 1 tsp strawberry extract
• 1-2 drops pink food coloring
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup cake flour
• Pinch of salt

Mousse

• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 1/2 gelatin packets
• 1/2 tbsp strawberry extract
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2/3 cup cream cheese (room temperature)
• Pink food coloring

Instructions

Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 356F
2. Separate the egg whites and egg yolks
3. Add a little bit of the granulated sugar to the egg yolks and mix it together
4. Slowly incorporate the oil into the egg yolk while whisking
5. Add the strawberry extract and pink food coloring to the milk
6. Mix the strawberry milk mixture into the egg yolks and mix until evenly combined
7. Sift the cake flour into the egg yolk mixture in batches until thoroughly combined in a thick mixture
8. Add the remaining sugar to the egg whites and beat until you have soft peaks
9. Add 1/3 of the egg whites into the flour batter and fold until evenly mixed
10. Now add all the batter into the egg whites and fold until evenly mixed. Make sure to scrape the bottom!
11. Pour the batter into an ungreased cake pan with a removable bottom. If you don’t have one, you can bake the cake on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and will need a mousse/cake ring
12. Bake the cake for 15 minutes
13. Take the cake out and immediately cool upside down on a cooling rack. This will help with preventing the cake from deflating

Mousse

1. Microwave the milk until hot (about 60 seconds)
2. Mix the gelatin into the hot milk until fully dissolved. If you still see chunks you can microwave the milk again in 10-15 minutes increments and continue mixing until it’s all dissolved
3. Add the warm water gelatin to the cream cheese and mix until evenly combined
4. Mix in the sugar and strawberry extract until it’s all dissolved. Optionally, for a smoother consistency filter the mixture through a sieve
5. Whip the heavy whipping cream until the surface has a texture, but is not fully thickened
6. Pour part of the cream cheese mixture into the cream and mix evenly. Then pour the rest of the cream cheese mixture in and mix
7. Separate the mousse into four bowls for the four different levels of coloring. The recommended batches from most concentrated to least is [1] 90g (1/3 cup), [2] 120g (1/2 cup), [3] 150g (2/3 cup), and [4] 150g (2/3 cup). You should have roughly 180g (3/4 cup) leftover that will not be colored.
8. Add 4 drops of food coloring in batch [1], 3 drops of food coloring in batch [2], 2 drops of food coloring in batch [3], and 1 drop of food coloring in batch [4] and mix them all until evenly incorporated. Additionally you can add some extra drops of strawberry extract if you want a stronger flavor

Assembly

1. In the cooled cake pan, pour the uncolored batch of mousse paste until it covers the cake. From lightest to darkest, pour each mousse paste batch in the center of the cake. ** The mousse paste should be relatively thin and each batch should have a similar consistency, otherwise it will not spread evenly on top of the cake. See notes for how to handle congealing mousse paste **
2. After all the mousse is poured, add any design you like or allow the mousse to stay in concentric circles, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours to allow the mousse to set (overnight preferred)
3. Remove from the refrigerator and slowly and evenly heat the edges of the cake pan with a hair dryer to loosen the sides
4. When the edges are warmed and the edges feel loosened, remove the cake from the mold. If you are using a springform, carefully loosen the spring clasp
5. Slice and enjoy!