A blackberry mousse is a great way to enjoy summer berries. This blackberry mousse without gelatin uses agar-agar and eggless pastry cream for a vegetarian blackberry mousse. And, the classic version uses gelatin and pastry cream made with eggs. Both are decadently delicious. A perfect dessert that makes a pretty presentation to serve family and friends.
Did you know that the word mousse is an old French word for "froth"? A classic mousse is made with an egg-based custard and cream whipped to create a foamy texture that is light and airy. And, the more air you incorporate into the mousse the lighter and airier the texture.
One of my favorite desserts, besides cheesecakes, is mousse. And, I will attempt to make mousse with almost any fruit just because we love it SO much!! In addition, often, I will try to make an eggless or vegetarian instead of the classic. Therefore, I have so many different versions of the same recipe.
Global Foodies collaboration
Theme - Valentine's recipes from breakfast to dessert
This month of Valentine's is always so exciting, isn't it? Everyone is posting things Valentine's related, and things are all so pink and hearty. Love it! So, this month, my food blogger friends and I decided to bring you some Valentine's recipes from breakfast to dessert. And look at the cool choices we have here. Whether it's French toast for breakfast, shrimp pasta for lunch or cookies for tea. I will link all these recipes below the recipe card for you.
About this mousse
If you love blackberries, you must make this delicious blackberry mousse. The sweet slight tang of the blackberries is incredible. And, the wonderful color of the mousse really gets everyone excited. Perfect to entertain when you have guests over.
In fact, I like making this mousse or my chestnut mousse when I entertain. Why? Because everyone makes chocolate, strawberry or mango mousse. But, I like to give people a chance to try something different when they visit us. It's a great way to make dinner for your guests memorable.
There are 4 component to this mousse
- Making the blackberry puree - 5 mins
- Making the pastry cream - 10 mins
- Whip the cream and dissolve the gelatin - 5 min
- Assemble - Combine everything together - 10 mins
Ingredients and substitutes
- Blackberries - I always use frozen during the year because that's what I get. I do get fresh berries in summer, and yet they are quite expensive. So, I use them for garnish and still use frozen for the puree.
Please note - If you buy frozen blackberries that have been sweetened you may want to reduce the amount of sugar in the recipe. The frozen I get are not sweetened. - Agar-Agar/gelatin - I'm not a vegetarian, and yet often I prefer to use agar-agar instead of gelatin because it's plant-based, so a bit more healthy than gelatin. But, I have also made this on occasion with gelatin and both work beautifully.
- Vanilla pastry cream - You can use my decadent and delicious classic French vanilla pastry cream with eggs. But, you can also make an eggless vanilla pastry cream and no one will know the difference.
I have given you the ingredients and method for both here as well as on their individual post with progress pictures and videos.
Step by step instructions
Prepare blackberry puree
- Save a few blackberries for garnish.
- Blend the remaining blackberries in a blender with 60 ml (¼ cup) hot water. The hot water will ensure the seeds blend too.
- If the puree is very gritty, strain it through a sieve. Mine was just perfect.
- Set aside.
Classic pastry cream
- In a heavy-bottom saucepan combine sugar, cornstarch, egg yolks, vanilla, and salt.
- Slowly add the milk while whisking to prevent lumps.
- Place the saucepan on medium heat until the pastry cream thickens.
- You want the pastry cream to come to a boil so the cornstarch will thicken the mixture.
- Add the blackberry puree and stir well to combine.
- Sift through a sieve.
- Cover with the plastic wrap touching the surface of the cream.
- Set aside to cool completely.
Eggless pastry cream
- Pour ¼ cup milk in a bowl, stir in the cornstarch - and set aside.
- Pour remaining milk and sugar in a saucepan and bring it to almost boil.
- Add cornstarch mixture and stir until thick and creamy.
- Lastly, add the vanilla.
- The mixture should be thick enough to coat the back of the spoon.
- Stir in the blackberry puree.
- Cover with the plastic wrap touching the surface of the cream.
- Set aside to cool completely.
Whip the cream
- Whip the cream using a whisk attachment until soft peaks.
Dissolve the agar-agar or gelatin
- Place 2 tsp agar-agar or gelatin with the remaining 60 ml (¼ cup) water.
- Let sit for 3 minutes to dissolve.
- For the gelatin - gently warm the gelatin in a double boiler or microwave at 30-sec intervals until completely dissolved.
- For the agar-agar - boil the water for about 3 minutes on low heat.
- Set aside to cool slightly but still warm.
Assembly
- First, add just a couple of tbsp of cooled blackberry pastry cream to the agar-agar or gelatin and whisk well to avoid any lumps.
(we are tampering the agar-agar or gelatin so it won't seize) - Then add the agar-agar/gelatin mixture to the full batch of blackberry pastry cream.
- Next, fold in the whipped cream until well combined.
- Pour or pipe equal amounts into the desired bowl, cups or ramekins.
Chill until set
- Place the fill cup in the fridge for at least 3 hours to chill completely.
- The mousse will set in an hour or two but it tastes great if chilled for a couple of hours.
- Lastly, garnish with a blackberry when ready to serve.
- I also dusted with extra powdered sugar.
Frequently asked questions
Absolutely, you can use this as a blackberry mousse cake filling between cake layers. Just make sure to use a buttercream dam around the mousse to prevent the mousse from leaking thru.
Also, read - how to tort and fill a cake - Basic cake decorating.
Absolutely! Try raspberries, blueberries, strawberries or mixed berries. And, make sure to strain the puree when using berries to remove the seeds and thick skin.
You can with the following substitutions to the recipe.
First, use eggless pastry cream made with almond or coconut milk instead of dairy milk. And, use whipped coconut cream instead of dairy whipping cream. With everything else remaining the same.
Yes, if you use the right substitute. For example, agar-agar is a kind natural gelatin made from seaweed.
Yes, you can. A mousse can stay in the freezer for up to a month at least. Then, thaw it in the fridge overnight not on the counter.
Having said that, mousse does not completely freeze and when it thaws it may separate.
This mousse will last in the fridge for 4 to 5 days. Having said that, mousse is made up of whipped cream, which starts to lose volume after about 2 days.
Absolutely, both white, as well as dark chocolate, are great options to add to mousse. And, the color of the mousse will determine the chocolate you use.
Also, if you use white chocolate I highly recommend using no more than 100 grams / 3 oz and reduce some sugar in the recipe since white chocolate is sweet.
And, if you use dark chocolate - again no more than 100 gram / 3 oz and note that the mousse will be chocolate color and
SAVE THIS RECIPE ON PINTEREST FOR LATER. TRIED MY RECIPE? SHARE IT WITH ME, PLEASE.
Share a picture of your work with me by uploading an image here below my image on this board. You can also find a collection of my tutorials and recipes here on Pinterest.
Blackberry Mousse Classic & Eggless
Print Pin RateDescription
Ingredients
CLASSIC BLACKBERRY MOUSSE
- 1 lb (450 g) Blackberries fresh or frozen
- ½ cup (120 ml) Boiling water
- ½ cup (100 g) Sugar
- 1 cup (240 ml) Milk full-fat
- 4 (4 ) Egg yolks
- 2 tbsp (2 tbsp) Cornstarch
- 1 tsp (1 tsp) Vanilla extract
- 1 cup (240 ml) Whipping cream
EGGLESS BLACKBERRY MOUSSE
- 1 lb (450 g) Blackberries fresh or frozen
- ½ cup (120 ml) Boiling water
- ½ cup (100 g) Sugar
- 1 cup (240 ml) Milk
- 2 tbsp (2 tbsp) Cornstarch
- 1 tsp (1 tsp) Vanilla extract
- 2 tsp (2 tsp) Agar-agar
- 1 cup (240 ml) Whipping cream
Instructions
PREPARE BLACKBERRY PUREE
- Save a few blackberries for garnish.
- Blend remaining blackberries in a blender with 60 ml (¼ cup) hot water. The hot water will ensure the seeds blend too.
- If the puree is very gritty, strain it thru a sieve. Mine was just perfect.
- Set aside.
CLASSIC VANILLA PASTRY CREAM
- In a heavy-bottom saucepan combine sugar, cornstarch, egg yolks, vanilla, and salt.
- Slowly add the milk while whisking to prevent lumps.
- Place the saucepan on medium heat until the pastry cream thickens.
- You want the pastry cream to come to a boil so the cornstarch will thicken the mixture.
- Add the blackberry puree and stir well to combine.
- Sift through a sieve.
- Cover with the plastic wrap touching the surface of the cream.
- Set aside to cool completely.
EGGLESS VANILLA PASTRY CREAM
- Pour ¼ cup milk in a bowl, stir in the cornstarch – and set aside.
- Pour remaining milk and sugar in a saucepan and bring to almost boil.
- Add cornstarch mixture and stir until thick and creamy.
- Lastly, add the vanilla.
- The mixture should be thick enough to coat the back of the spoon.
- Stir in the blackberry puree.
- Cover with the plastic wrap touching the surface of the cream.
- Set aside to cool completely.
WHIP THE CREAM
- Whip the cream using a whisk attachment until soft peaks.
DISSOLVE THE AGAR AGAR OR GELATIN
- Place 2 tsp agar-agar or gelatin with remaining 60 ml (¼ cup) water.
- Let sit for 3 minutes to dissolve.
- For the gelatin – gently warm the gelatin in a double boiler or microwave at 30-sec intervals until completely dissolved.
- For the agar-agar – boil the water for about 3 minutes on low.
- Set aside to cool slightly but still warm.
ASSEMBLY
- First, add just a couple of tbsp of cooled blackberry pastry cream to the agar-agar or gelatin and whisk well to avoid any lumps.
- (we are tampering the agar-agar or gelatin so it won’t seize)
- Then, add the agar-agar/gelatin mixture to the full batch of blackberry pastry cream.
- Next, fold in the whipped cream until well combined.
- Pour or pipe equal amounts into desired bowl, cups or ramekins
CHILL UNTIL SET
- Place the fill cup in the fridge for at least 3 hours to chill completely.
- The mousse will set in an hour or two but it tastes great if chilled for a couple of hours.
- Garnish with a blackberry when ready to serve.
- I dusted with extra powder sugar too.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
Here's is the list of recipes in the collage below for Valentine's Day Collaboration
- Strawberry Mimosa Recipe - by Arlene of Flour on my Face
- Stuffed French Toast with Ricotta and Berries by Kirsten, of Treat Your Self Sweeter
- Strawberry Chocolate Pancakes - by Sarah of The Fit Cookie
- Slow Braised Red Wine Lamb Stew with Moroccan Spices by Gloria of Homemade & Yummy
- Spicy Shrimp Pasta by Melisa and Greg by My Wife Can Cook
- Soft Almond Cookies by Julia of Imagelicious
- and of course Easy Blackberry Mousse Recipe by Me!!
