Dragon Fruit & Raspberry White Chocolate Mousse Cake
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 60 minutes
Cooking time: 60 minutes
Chocolate sponge cake:
- 4 eggs, at room temperature
- 165g/6ozs. caster sugar
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup plain all purpose flour
Dragonfruit & Raspberry Jelly:
- Oil spray for greasing
- 1.5 leaves titanium gelatine
- 1/2 cup red dragonfruit puree
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- Raspberry essence
Dragonfruit and Raspberry White Chocolate Coconut Mousse:
- 2 egg whites
- 1/2 cup sugar, divided in half
- 400ml/14ozs. cream
- 100ml/3.5ozs coconut cream
- 1/2 cup pureed dragon fruit (a mix of mostly white and a very little red, it is strong in colour!)
- 2 leaves titanium gelatine
- Raspberry essence
- 100g/3.5ozs. white chocolate, melted
To decorate:
- 1 red and 1 white dragon fruit
Step 1 - First make the sponge layers. Preheat oven to 210C/410F. Grease the base and sides of 2x20cm/8inch round tins. Whisk the eggs and caster sugar until tripled in size. Sift in the cocoa and flour and fold until well combined. Divide among the two cake tins and bake for 12-15 minutes until the centre springs back to the touch. Cool and wrap until needed. You can make these a day or two ahead.
Step 2 - Make the jelly next. Grease a 10 or 12cm tin. Soak gelatine leaf in cold water for 5 minutes. Heat the dragon fruit puree with the sugar, water and raspberry essence. Squeeze the gelatine leaf and add to the mixture and stir through well. Pour into the greased tin and cool. Refrigerate until set.
Step 3 - Start assembling the cake. Place the cooled sponge layer on the base of a line springform cake tin. I trimmed mine a little but you don't have to do that.
Step 4 - Make the filling. First soak the 2 gelatine leaves in cold water for 5 minutes. Then place the dragon fruit puree in a saucepan with 1/4 cup of the sugar and cook for a few minutes reducing it so that it is syrup. Add the raspberry essence and then squeeze the gelatine sheets and add it in stirring well. Set aside to cool slightly but not long enough so that it sets.
Step 5 - Whisk the egg whites until you get soft peaks. Then add 1/4 cup of the caster sugar and whisk until you get stiff peaks. Place in another bowl and set aside. Then whisk the cream and coconut together until thick and fluffy. Whisk in the melted but cooled white chocolate. Then using a spatula, fold in the egg white meringue and the cooled but not set dragon fruit puree. Spoon half of this on the base on the cake. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Step 6 - Place the jelly insert on top of this and then spoon the rest of the mousse on top. Allow to set in the fridge and then place the other chocolate sponge on top.
Step 7 - To decorate, slice the dragon fruit in half and remove the skin. Do the white dragon fruit first as the red one is very bright in colour and can stain. Slice thinly and cut off round edges. Cut into triangles, rectangles, squares and rods and then place the red and white dragon fruit in position, like a puzzle. Again I do the white dragon fruit pieces first and then the rest.