These beautiful mini mousse cakes are full of flavor – fresh and floral elderflower and sweet and juicy strawberry! The perfect cake for summer gatherings or dinner parties.
Some flavor pairings are just meant to be – and strawberry with elderflower is one of those! It’s the taste of June and July here in the Nordic countries, of warm sun on your face and walking barefoot through grass. When elderflowers are in bloom and the first sweet strawberries are ripe to pick, this is exactly the kind of dessert I crave.
Each mini mousse cake consists of five elements:
A crispy, buttery biscuit crust
A soft floral elderflower mousse
A sweet and creamy strawberry mousse
A glossy layer of strawberry jelly
And half a fresh strawberry on top
They are the perfect make-ahead dessert for summer gatherings — whether it’s a birthday party, a backyard dinner with friends, or just a sunny Sunday when you want to treat yourself in the sunshine. Each bite is sweet, tangy, creamy, and crunchy — with those beautiful layers that look impressive, but are surprisingly easy to make.
Why These Mousse Cakes are Ideal for Entertaining
You can make them ahead of time — even days in advance
They look impressive, but they’re actually pretty simple to make
They’re light, fruity, and not too sweet — exactly what you want after a bigger meal
Bonus: The feeling of serving something that looks like it’s from a fancy cake shop, but you made it from scratch!
The quality of the ingredients put into these mousse cakes is what really makes or breaks the flavor. Here are my recommendations for the key ingredients:
Graham crackers: They’re slightly sweet, a little salty, and make the perfect crumb crust. You’ll find these in most grocery stores. I use classic Digestive biscuits, but use whichever ones you like.
Elderflower cordial: This gives the elderflower mousse its floral, summery flavor. Homemade elderflower cordial is amazing and the best, but a good store-bought version works great too. Just make sure it’s the concentrated kind.
Strawberries: Frozen strawberries work perfectly for the strawberry mousse and jelly. For the garnish, grab a few fresh strawberries, organic local produce will have the most flavor!
Heavy cream: This is the base for both mousse layers. Use heavy cream with at least 36% fat for optimal results.
Gelatin sheets: These help the mousse and jelly set just right. You can substitute with powdered gelatin or use agar agar for a vegan version (see below).
Vegan Version of the Mousse Cakes
Want to make these mousse cakes plant based? Totally doable — here’s what to swap:
Biscuits: Use vegan-friendly graham crackers without dairy. Most are dairy free but remember to double check.
Butter: Replace with a firm vegan block substitute.
Heavy cream: Use a whippable plant based cream for desserts.
Gelatin: Swap for agar agar powder. Use ½ teaspoon agar per 3 sheets of gelatin. Just remember: agar has to be boiled in liquid to activate, and it sets more firmly and quickly than gelatin.
Shape Ideas and Mold Options
I made my mini mousse cakes as round cakes using 7 cm (2.75 inch) ring molds. as individual round mousse cakes using 7 cm (2.75-inch) ring molds — they’re the perfect single-serving size.
Here are alternative options:
Make one big round cake: Use a 20-22 cm (8- or 9-inch) round pan
Make one big square cake: A square 20×20 (8×8 inch) pan works well and slices neatly
Mini squares or rectangles: Use molds that are roughly 6×6 cm (2.5 x 2.5 inches) or 5×8 cm (2 x 3 inches) for a more elegant plated look
Step-By-Step: How to Make the Mousse Cakes
These mousse cakes are freezer friendly, which makes them great for prepping ahead. Just be sure to give each layer enough time to set before adding the next.
Step 1: Make the crust
Crush the graham crackers and mix them with melted butter. Press the mixture into the bottom of your molds or pan to form an even crust. Chill while you make the first mousse layer.
Step 2: Make the elderflower mousse
Simmer the elderflower cordial with lemon juice until it reduces, then stir in the softened gelatin. Let it cool to room temperature. Whip the heavy cream to soft peaks, and gently fold in the elderflower mixture. Pipe on top of the crust and chill until just set.
Step 3: Make the strawberry mousse
Cook strawberries and sugar until soft, then blend and strain to remove seeds. Stir in gelatin and let cool. Fold into lightly whipped cream and pipe on top of the elderflower layer. Chill again — this time until fully set (about 6 hours or overnight in the fridge, or 3 hours in the freezer).
Step 4: Finish with strawberry jelly
Cook strawberries and sugar until soft, then blend and strain to remove seeds. Stir in gelatin and let cool. Once it’s cooled to room temperature, pour it onto the mousse cakes. Let the cakes chill one final time.
Step 5: Unmold and garnish
Remove the molds and acetate, place each cake on a serving plate, and top with half a fresh strawberry. Ready to serve!
Decoration ideas
You don’t need much — the glossy jelly and half a strawberry already look beautiful. But here are a few other ideas if you want to dress them up:
Fresh summer berries, such as raspberries, blueberries, blackberries
Strawberry slices fanned out in a circle
White chocolate curls or shavings
Edible gold leaf or mint leaves
A swirl of strawberry coulis on the plate
Tips for Perfect Layers and a Flawless Finish
These strawberry elderflower mousse cakes are easy to make, but a few extra tips can take your presentation from good to stunning:
Use acetate: Lining your molds makes it much easier to remove the cakes cleanly and gives the mousse a smooth, professional edge.
Stick to the measurements: The amounts in the recipe are carefully balanced for the right texture and structure — don’t eyeball it.
Whip the heavy cream lightly: You want soft peaks, not stiff whipped cream like you’d put on hot chocolate.
Fold gently: When mixing the mousse base into the whipped cream, fold slowly and carefully to avoid knocking out the air.
Use a piping bag: Piping the mousse into the molds gives a smoother, more even layer than spooning.
Let each layer set fully: Be patient — don’t remove the molds until the cakes are completely set.
Tidy the surface: If you spot any crumbs or imperfections once unmolded, gently scrape them away with a sharp knife.
Typiske spørgsmål til opskriften
Can I make these mousse cakes ahead of time?
Yes! You can freeze the cakes (without the jelly and garnish) for up to 1 month. Let them thaw in the fridge for 4–5 hours before serving. Add the jelly and strawberry on the day of.
Can I make one big cake instead?
Absolutely. I have described alternative pan sizes further up in the post.
Can I make them vegan?
Yes! Check the vegan substitutions part in the Ingredients section above. You’ll need plant-based cream, vegan butter, biscuits, and agar agar.
How long do they keep?
They’re best on the day they’re assembled, but leftovers can be stored in the fridge and enjoyed the next day.
My mousse is splitting — what went wrong?
That usually means your fruit or elderflower mixture was too warm when you added it to the cream, or your cream was over-whipped. Next time, let the mixture cool fully and only whip the cream to soft peaks.
My mousse is watery — what happened?
Most likely, the mousse didn’t have enough time to set or you used too little gelatin. Chill longer and double-check your measurements next time.
Place ring molds on a baking tray lined with parchment. Line the inside of each mold with acetate strips.
Crust:
Crush the biscuits in a plastic bag using a rolling pin. Melt the butter and mix it with the crumbs. Press the mixture into the bottom of each mold to form a flat crust. Chill while making the mousse.
175 g graham crackers, 100 g butter
Elderflower mousse:
Soak gelatin in cold water for 10 minutes.
3 sheets gelatin
Simmer elderflower cordial with lemon juice for 10–15 minutes until reduced by half. You should have 1 dl (0.4 cup). Remove from heat. Squeeze excess water from the gelatin and stir into the warm cordial until dissolved. Cool to room temperature.
200 ml elderflower cordial, 1 tbsp lemon juice
Whip the cream to soft peaks. Gently fold in the cooled elderflower mixture in batches. Transfer to a piping bag and pipe a 2 cm layer onto each crust. Tap gently to level. Chill until surface is set (30 minutes in the freezer or 1 hour in the fridge).
250 ml heavy cream
Strawberry mousse:
Soak gelatin in cold water for 10 minutes.
2½ sheets gelatin
In a small saucepan, cook strawberries and sugar until soft (about 5 minutes). Blend and strain to remove seeds. Stir in the squeezed gelatin until dissolved. Cool to room temperature.
300 g frozen strawberries, 3 tbsp sugar
Whip cream to soft peaks. Fold in the cooled strawberry mixture. Pipe a 2 cm layer over the elderflower mousse. Chill until fully set (6–8 hours in the fridge or 3–4 hours in the freezer).
250 ml heavy cream
Strawberry jelly:
Soak gelatin in cold water for 10 minutes.
2½ sheets gelatin
Cook strawberries and sugar until soft. Blend and strain. Stir in the gelatin. Cool to room temperature. Pour a thin layer of gelée over each mousse cake. Chill for 1 hour until set.
200 g frozen strawberries, 100 g sugar
To serve:
Carefully remove the molds and acetate. Transfer each cake to a plate using a palette knife. Top with half a fresh strawberry and serve.
4 fresh strawberries
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Hi, I’m Trine – home baker from Copenhagen, Denmark. “Bageglad” means happy to bake in Danish and I have been spreading this happiness on the blog since 2012. Today, it reaches more home bakers worldwide than I could ever have dreamed of! Thank you for visiting!
Hi, I’m Trine – home baker from Copenhagen, Denmark. “Bageglad” means happy to bake in Danish and I have been spreading this happiness on the blog since 2012. Today, it reaches more home bakers worldwide than I could ever have dreamed of! Thank you for visiting!
Time: 8 hours 
Difficulty: Moderate
Yield: 8 servings
