When it comes to spring flavor combinations there are few as iconic as strawberries and rhubarb. I think we can all agree that this pairing is simply the best!
The tangy taste of rhubarb always makes the perfect addition to the natural sweetness of strawberries.
Here the duo stars in a refreshing gluten-free mousse cake, completed by a mellow vanilla flavor and a light white chocolate aftertaste.
The recipe yields 6-8 portions, if using a Ø 18 cm x H 5 cm round silicone mould. I actually used this round silicone mould from Silikomart and lined the side of the mould with an acetate strip of 6 cm high, so that the final height of the cake is 6 cm. To make the hollow in the middle of the cake, first I closed the base of a stainless steel cake ring of Ø 16 cm x H 1 cm with a sheet of clingfilm, making sure that the clingfilm was well stretched and flat. I then placed the ring on the bottom and centrally of the silicone mould, ensuring that the clingfilm didn’t touch the silicone mould but, on the contrary, it was upwards.
This last step is, however, optional, and you can easily place the glazed domes directly on top of the smooth and flat surface of the cake once it is finished with the velvet spray. The DOT Ø 20 cm silicone mould from Silikomart also makes for a great alternative mould.
The recipe is also gluten-free, but feel free to substitute both the gluten-free flour and starch (in the recipe for the gluten-free white chocolate and vanilla sponge cake) with plain (All-purpose) flour with the ratio of 1:1.
The entremet shall consist of:
- Gluten-free Strawberry Inspiration croustillant
- Gluten-free caramelized white chocolate and vanilla sponge cake
- Rhubarb and strawberry compote
- Strawberry Inspiration and vanilla mousse
- White chocolate, mascarpone and vanilla mousse
- White chocolate velvet effect
If you make this recipe, don’t forget to leave a comment or tag me on Instagram. I’d be more than happy to hear from you all. Seeing your creations makes me the happiest person beyond everything!
And, of course, if you have any questions or doubts about this recipe and/or pastry techniques in general, feel very free to write me. I’ll do my best to respond you as quickly as possible ♡



Ingredienti
Gluten-free caramelized white chocolate and vanilla sponge cake
62 g Dulcey 35% blond chocolate
60 g heavy cream 35% fat
60 g mascarpone
50 g eggs, to room temperature
37 g cane sugar (or caster sugar)
½ vanilla bean
20 g sweet almonds oil (or the seeds oil of choice)
35 g millet flour (or rice flour)
26 g cornstarch
26 g white almonds flour
2 g gluten-free baking powder
1 g Maldon salt (or sea salt)
1,25 g (¼ tsp) vanilla powder
Gluten-free Strawberry Inspiration croustillant
30 g Strawberry Inspiration couverture (Valrhona)
65 g almonds praline paste 60% (Valrhona or homemade)
23 g chestnut flakes (o cornflakes or crêpe dentelle gavottes)
24 g gluten-free shortcrust pastry (for example, this recipe)
1 g Fleur de sel (or sea salt)
1,25 g (¼ tsp) Red Beet (natural food coloring)
Rhubarb and strawberry compote
450 g red rhubarb stalks
225 g strawberries
1 vanilla bean
45 g caster sugar (1)
45 g caster sugar (2)
13,5 g pectin NH
23 g lemon juice
2 g gelatin sheets, Gold strength (200 Bloom)
10 g cold water to soak the gelatin sheets
Strawberry Inspiration and vanilla mousse
2,2 g gelatin sheets, Gold strength (200 Bloom)
11 g cold water to soak the gelatin sheets
100 g strawberry puree
64 g Strawberry Inspiration couverture
118 g heavy cream 35% fat, cold
½ vanilla bean
White chocolate, mascarpone and vanilla mousse
2,4 g gelatin sheets, Gold strength (200 Bloom)
12 g cold water to soak the gelatin sheets
84 g semi-skimmed milk 2,7% fat
132 g mascarpone
138 g Waina 35% white chocolate (or the good quality white chocolate of choice)
252 g heavy cream 35% fat, cold
12 g lemon juice
2 vanilla beans
Opalys 33% white chocolate velvet effect
280 g Opalys 33% white chocolate (or the good quality white chocolate of choice)
120 g cocoa butter
Ruby chocolate mirror glaze
92 g semi-skimmed milk 2,7% fat
80 g caster sugar
92 g trehalose sugar (or caster sugar)
172 g glucose syrup DE 35-40
10 g gelatin sheets, Gold strength (200 Bloom)
50 g cold water to soak the gelatin sheets
208 g Ruby chocolate
80 g Absolu Cristal (neutral gelatin) (it can be replaced with another brand of neutral gelatin specific for glazes)
2,5 g (½ tsp) Red Beet (natural food coloring)
2,5 g (½ tsp) Fuchsia Hibiscus (natural food coloring)
⅛ tsp titanium dioxide powder (white food coloring)
Assembly and decoration
3 Opalys 33% white chocolate flexible bands (H 4 cm / H 2 cm / H 0,8 cm)
edible flowers
Procedimento
Gluten-free caramelized white chocolate and vanilla sponge cake
- Preheat the oven to 170°C, static mode. Line a micro-perforated baking tray with Silpat mat. Wrap both the external edges and the bottom of a 20x20 stainless steel frame with a sheet of aluminium foil. The foil should come up over the external edges of the frame. This will assure that no batter escapes from the bottom of the frame during baking. Place the frame onto the prepared tray.
- Melt Dulcey chocolate in the microwave to 45°C.
- In a saucepan, heat the fresh cream together with mascarpone over moderate heat, stirring often with a rubber spatula, until the mascarpone is dissolved.
- Once the mascarpone si melted and the cream warm, pour this mixture over the melted chocolate in 2-3 times, stirring with a rubber spatula at each addition of liquids, to get a smooth, fluid and homogeneous ganache.
- Transfer the ganache into a mixing glass and emulsify with the immersion blender to stabilize the emulsion. Allow the ganache to cool down to 35-40°C.
- In a bowl, mix all the dry ingredients: millet flour, cornstarch, almonds flour, baking powder, salt and vanilla powder. Set it aside.
- Whip eggs, sugar and vanilla seeds, using an electric beater, until the eggs are pale and fluffy.
- Slowly add in the oil, while beating at medium speed.
- Once the oil is well incorporated, slowly add in the lukewarm white chocolate ganache, while beating at medium speed.
- Once the ganache is well incorporated, add gradually the dry ingredients, while beating at medium-low speed, until getting a smooth and creamy batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared frame and level it out, using a palette knife.
- Bake for approximatively 20 minutes, or until the sponge cake forms a golden skin on the outside and it is puffed, soft and dry to touch.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. It is better to place the baked and still warm sponge cake in the freezer for about 1h (or 30 minutes in the blast freezer), to stop its cooking and for better and easier cutting.
- Once the sponge cake has fully cooled down, carefully peel off the golden skin (crust) from the sponge cake, with the help of a serrated knife. Cut a disc with a Ø 16 cm cake ring and store it in the freezer until assembly.
Gluten-free Strawberry Inspiration croustillant
- Melt Strawberry Inspiration in the microwave to 45°C.
- Stir in the almond praline paste, to get a homogeneous mixture.
- Sift in the natural food coloring (it helps enhance the red color of the mixture) and stir with a rubber spatula until dissolved.
- Coarsely crush both the chestnut flakes and the shortcrust pastry into crumbs and place them into a bowl. Add in the salt and mix briefly with a spoon.
- Add the Strawberry Inspiration mixture to the crunchy mix and stir well with a rubber spatula.
- Spread all the croustillant into a ∅ 16 cm cake ring and press it well with the back of a spoon, to get an homogeneous and flat surface.
- Lift up the ring and place the disc of sponge cake on top of the croustillant, so that it adheres perfectly to the croustillant. Store in the freezer until assembly.
Rhubarb and strawberry compote
- In a saucepan, combine chopped rhubarb (cut into 1 cm slices) and strawberry (cut into quarters), the scraped vanilla bean, the vanilla seeds and 45 g sugar (1). Stir with a rubber spatula and bring to boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to simmer and cook for approximatively 5 minutes, stirring frequently with the spatula, until fruit is tender and soft.
- Meanwhile, soak the gelatin sheets in cold water.
- In a small bowl, mix 45 g sugar (2) and pectin NH, using a fine whisk or a spoon.
- Gradually add the mix of sugar-pectin to the warm fruit compote, while stirring constantly with the spatula to let the mix of sugar-pectin dissolve into the liquids.
- Cook the fruit for another minute, then remove the pan from the heat and remove the vanilla bean.
- Transfer the compote into a mixing glass, add in the soaked gelatin sheets, followed by the lemon juice, and blend until get a smoother and creamier consistency. If you use Bamix hand blender, I recommend to use the multi-purpose blade.
- Pour 200 g of compote into a round silicone mould of Ø 16 cm, so that the compote is approximatively 1 cm in thickness. Smooth it out, using a small palette knife, then freeze in a domestic freezer for about 2h (best overnight) or for bout 1h in a blast freezer.
- With the remaining compote, fill up the silicone dome moulds of different diameters. They will be glazed with the Ruby mirror glaze and then placed on top of the finished entremet.
Freeze the domes in a domestic freezer for about 2h (best overnight) or for about 1h in a blast freezer. Store the domes in the freezer until assembly.
Strawberry Inspiration and vanilla mousse
- Soak the gelatin sheets in cold water.
- Melt Strawberry Inspiration in the microwave to 45°C.
- Heat the strawberry puree in the microwave without bringing to boil and stir through the soaked gelatin sheets until melted.
- Add the strawberry puree to the melted couverture a little at time (in 3 times, ideally), stirring with a rubber spatula at each addition of liquids, in order to obtain a smooth and silky ganache.
- Transfer the ganache into a mixing glass and emulsify with the immersion blender to stabilize the emulsion and to obtain a silkier and smoother ganache.
- Transfer the ganache into a bowl and let it cool down to the temperature of 35-40°C.
- Semi-whip the cold heavy cream with vanilla seeds in a light and soft consistency (soft peaks). Check the temperature of the strawberry ganache: when it is 35-40°C, gently fold through the semi-whipped cream in 2-3 times, using a rubber spatula, in order to obtain a light, smooth and shiny mousse.
- Pour the mousse on top of the frozen rhubarb and strawberry compote, to obtain a layer of 1 cm in thickness. Freeze in a domestic freezer for approximatively 2 hours (best overnight) or in a blast freezer for about 1h. Store the insert in the freezer until assembly.
White chocolate, mascarpone and vanilla mousse
- Soak the gelatin sheets in cold water.
- Melt the white chocolate in the microwave to 45°C.
- In a saucepan, heat milk together with mascarpone to 50°C, stirring often with a rubber spatula, until the mascarpone is mostly melted.
- Stir through the soaked gelatin sheets until it is melted.
- Add the milk and mascarpone mixture to the melted chocolate a little at time (in 3 times, ideally), stirring with a rubber spatula at each addition of liquids, in order to obtain a smooth and fluid ganache.
- Transfer the ganache into a mixing glass and emulsify with the immersion blender to stabilize the emulsion and to obtain a silkier and smoother ganache.
- Add to wire the lemon juice, while blending.
- Pour the ganache into a bowl and let it cool down to the temperature of 40°C.
- Semi-whip the cold heavy cream with vanilla seeds in a light and soft consistency (soft peaks). Check the temperature of the white chocolate ganache: when it is 40°C, gently fold through the semi-whipped cream in 3 times, using a rubber spatula, in order to obtain a light, smooth and shiny mousse.
- Proceed with the assemblage of the entremet.
Close the base of a stainless steel cake ring of Ø 16 cm x H 1 cm with a sheet of clingfilm, making sure the clingfilm is well stretched and flat. Place the ring on the bottom and centrally of a Ø 18 cm x H 5 cm round silicone mould (Silikomart), ensuring that the clingfilm doesn't touch the silicone mould but, on the contrary, it is upwards. Line the side of the silicone mould with an acetate strip of 6 cm high. - Transfer the mousse into the mould, filling it approximatively for 1/3 and in order to cover both the ring and the clingfilm completely.
- Set inside the frozen insert composed from rhubarb and strawberry compote + Strawberry Inspiration mousse (with the Strawberry Inspiration mousse facing down, touching the mousse, and the compote upwards) and press it gently and slightly down, so it is almost submerged in the mousse. Cover with another layer of mousse, ensuring you leave a gap to place the sponge cake + croustillant. Insert the sponge cake + croustillant insert (with the sponge cake touching the mousse) on top of the mousse and press it down gently so that the croustillant sits flush with the mould. Remove any excess mousse and freeze overnight in a domestic freezer or for about 3h in a blast freezer.
- Once the cake is perfectly frozen, remove it from the silicone mould and leave the acetate strip on the side of the cake. Then remove the ring nestled in the top of the entremet. Slightly warm up the inner circumference of the ring with your fingers. Once removing the ring, peel off the clingfilm from the top of the entremet and place the entremet in the freezer until spraying with the velvet effect.
White chocolate velvet effect
- Before starting, it's important to get a cabin to protect surfaces from the chocolate spray. You can buy it online or use a cardboard box/plastic panels.
- Combine the white chocolate and cocoa butter and heat in the microwave until melted (around the temperature of 45°C). Transfer the prepared mixture to the cup of a spray gun, passing the mixture through a sieve to remove any possible lumps.
- Remove the frozen entremet from the freezer and peel off the acetate strip from the side of the cake. Place the entremet on top of a rotating cake stand, previously covered with sheets of clingfilm to protect.
- Holding the gun approximatively 30 cm away from the frozen entremet, spray an even coat while rotating the plate of the cake stand.
- Transfer the cake on a plate and place in the fridge for at least 4-6 hours to defrost.
Ruby chocolate mirror glaze
- Soak the gelatin sheets in 50 g cold water for at least 10 minutes.
- Place Ruby chocolate into a mixing glass.
- Heat milk, caster sugar, trehalose sugar and glucose syrup in a saucepan to 104°C.
- Once it has reached the temperature of 104°C, remove the saucepan from the heat and pour over the chocolate. Using an immersione blender, emulsify the mixture until a smooth and shiny glaze is formed. Make sure to keep the blend cage in the middle of the liquid, so that any air bubbles could be formed.
- Add in the soaked gelatin sheets along with its soaking water and emulsify once again.
- Heat the Absolu Cristal in the microwave to 65°C, then add into the glaze and emulsify once more.
- Sift in the food colorings and emulsify once more.
- Strain the glaze directly into a flat container, cover with clingfilm pressed on top of the glaze and chill in the fridge for at least 12h (overnight).
- Heat up the glaze in the microwave until it's around 40°C, then transfer the glaze into a mixing glass or a jug. Re-emulsify the glaze, using the hand blender, until you get a smoother consistency and a shiny look. If you use Bamix hand blender, I recommend to use the multi-purpose blade.
- Place clingfilm on the surface of the glaze and let it cool to 32-35°C, placing the jug in the fridge or taking it at room temperature.
- Once the glaze is 32-35°C, remove the domes from the mould and pierce the top of each frozen dome with a toothpick and dip the dome entirely into the mirror glaze. Gently scrape the bottom of the dome on a silicone baking sheet to remove any excess glaze. Place the dome on top of the entremet. Gently twist the toothpick to remove.
- The excess glaze you scrape up can be re-heated and re-used for other recipes. The glaze can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 weeks or freezer for 2 months and re-heated and adjusted with water if needed.
Assembly and decoration
- Temper the white chocolate, following this tempering curve: 45°C (melting chocolate in the microwave or in water-bath) - 26/27°C (cooling 2/3 of chocolate over a marble table or granite table) - 28/29°C (the chocolate is ready to use). Tempering chocolate is an essential step for making smooth and glossy chocolate decors. The tempering process takes chocolate through a temperature curve, a process which aligns the cocoa butter's crystals to make the chocolate look smooth, silky and glossy an to prevent the chocolate to get a dull and grayish color.
- Make the chocolate flexible bands as described here.
- The next day, wrap the chocolate flexible bands around the entremet. Garnish with some edible flowers.