This strawberry mousse recipe gives you three different ways to make it, each with its own special strawberry flavor. You can choose from:

Roasted Strawberry Purée: Roasting strawberries is a great way to bring out a stronger, more delicious strawberry flavor. 

Reduced Strawberry Purée: Blend fresh strawberries and then cook the mixture on the stove to make the strawberry flavor even richer and more pronounced.

Roasted Strawberries (Option 1)

• Heat your oven to 190°C (375°F).
   
• Choose bright red strawberries, ideally picked in summer, for their sweetness and bright color. This ensures your strawberry mousse has a deep strawberry flavor and looks pretty in pink. The ripest strawberries give the best taste.
   
• Prepare 350 grams of strawberries by removing the stems and cutting them in half. Arrange them in a baking dish that´s deep enough to catch all the juices.
   
• Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of sugar and a pinch of salt to bring out the flavors.
   
• Bake for 30 minutes at the center of your oven, stirring every 10 minutes to cook evenly and prevent the juices from caramelizing or burning.
   
• Cool slightly afterward then blend the strawberries in your blender , strain to remove seeds, and chill until cold

Reduced Strawberries ( option 2)
 

• Baker's Note: When strawberry season arrives and those vibrant, ruby-red strawberries are available, make the most of their natural sweetness and flavor. If you're lucky enough to have in-season, ruby-red strawberries, their flavor is so intense that reducing the strawberry purée isn't necessary, 125 grams of pure seedless strawberry purée is enough for this strawberry mousse. This method works especially well with ruby red strawberries, known for their vibrant color and exceptional flavor. During strawberry season, I often prepare large batches of purée from peak-season strawberries and freeze it in small containers. This way, I always have high-quality strawberry purée on hand all year around. The intense flavor of these strawberries is so perfect, there's no need to reduce the purée at all.

• To reduce strawberries: Take 400 grams of fresh strawberries, the redder and more in-season, the better. After blending them smooth and straining out the seeds, put the purée in a saucepan on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until it reaches the consistency of ketchup. The main thing here is to focus on the taste. Start with a taste test before you heat it, and keep trying it as it simmers. You’re looking for that point where the flavor just pops and tastes way better than at the start. Strawberries aren’t all the same; some have more water, some less. So, while you’re aiming to cook off some of that water to concentrate the flavor, don’t get too hung up on getting it exactly as thick as ketchup. It might be a bit thinner, and that’s okay. The goal is a purée that tastes amazing – more strawberry, less water. My batch was done in just over 20 minutes.
   
• Allow the reduced strawberry puree to cool, then chill it in the refrigerator until needed.
   
•  Your strawberry reduction can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Ensure it's in a tightly sealed container to maintain freshness and prevent it from absorbing other flavors from the fridge.

Strawberry Mousse
 

• Bakers Note: Use only heavy cream (or heavy whipping cream) with a 40% fat content. This higher fat content is key for whipping up a cream that's both thick and stable, providing the perfect base for your frosting. Ensure the cream is very cold for optimal whipping; placing the cream in the freezer for about 15 minutes before use can enhance the whipping process.
   
• Opt for a full-fat, natural Greek-style yogurt with a 10% fat content. The thick consistency of Greek yogurt, achieved by straining out the whey, makes it an ideal choice for creating a rich and creamy strawberry mousse. Avoid low-fat or fat-free yogurts, as their higher water content can result in a frosting that's too runny for your liking. Your Greek Yogurt should be notably thick. If you find the yogurt too watery, a simple fix involves straining it through a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl, covered with plastic wrap, and left to drain in the fridge for a few hours or, ideally, overnight. This step is crucial to ensure your strawberry mousse achieves the perfect consistency, avoiding a watery outcome that could compromise your frosting's structure.
   
• In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine 100 grams of powdered sugar, 350 grams of cold Greek yogurt (10% fat), the finely grated zest of 1 lemon, 350 grams of cold heavy whipping cream (40% fat), and one or two teaspoons of vanilla bean paste, or the seeds scraped from one vanilla bean. Whip this mixture on low speed for one minute, then increase to medium-high speed. Continue whipping until it becomes thick, fluffy, and holds its shape, which should take about 1 to 3 minutes. Be cautious to avoid overmixing, as the whipped yogurt frosting will soften and lose stability if beaten for too long.
   
• After the mixture has reached its desired thickness, add 125 grams of very cold strawberry purée, or 125 grams of reduced strawberry directly to the mixer. Whip the mixture again on medium speed just until the strawberry component is fully combined, about 10 to 20 seconds. This process ensures the strawberry flavor is evenly distributed throughout the mousse while maintaining its light and airy texture.
   
• The strawberry mousse should be slightly thicker than whipped cream and firm enough ( as long as you have used a cream with 40% fat and everything was super cold) to fill your cakes and will firm up more when inside your cake.
   
• Baker's Note: Adding Greek yogurt to the mixture of whipped cream and strawberry not only enriches the flavor but also contributes significantly to the mousse's texture. The Greek yogurt's thicker consistency plays a crucial role in how the strawberry mousse sets, especially when chilled. This combination ensures that while the strawberry mousse may initially resemble the lightness of whipped cream, it gains firmness and body as it cools in the fridge. So, if your mousse seems a bit loose right after mixing, rest assured. The addition of Greek yogurt will help it firm up beautifully, creating the perfect texture for your cake filling. Remember, patience is key—it will set perfectly inside the fridge.