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This raspberry mousse is smooth, fruity, and surprisingly sturdy. It’s the kind of filling that holds its shape in a layer cake but still feels light and luscious on the spoon. Made with real raspberries and rich mascarpone, it brings bold flavor without getting bogged down in heaviness.
You can swirl it into a trifle, spoon it into tart shells, or serve it solo in a pretty glass.
The recipe begins with a jam made from fresh raspberries that will leave you with plenty of extra for swirling onto the mousse or serving alongside another dessert, like this lemon raspberry parfait or our flourless chocolate cake.
Here’s Why This Raspberry Mousse Recipe Works
Real raspberries, no seeds: Cook down fresh or frozen berries, then strain out the seeds for a smooth texture.
Mascarpone for structure: Creamy and slightly tangy, it balances the fruit and helps the mousse hold its shape without feeling heavy.
A touch of gelatin: Just enough to keep things stable between cake layers. No rubbery texture here.
Whipped cream = airiness: Folding in whipped cream keeps it light and mousse-y instead of dense or stiff.
This raspberry mousse sets up firmly and is similar to our white chocolate mousse filling in that it’s perfect to pipe or spread between two fluffy cake layers.
We also have a raspberry white chocolate mousse recipe, but this recipe uses more raspberries and you can drizzle it with extra puree
Recipe Tips
Chill your tools: Cold cream, cold bowl, cold beaters. Whipped cream comes together faster and holds its peaks better when everything’s nice and chilly.
Gently dissolve the gelatin: Heat it in short bursts and stir often. If you overheat it, you’ll kill its thickening power.
Fold, don’t stir: Use a spatula and a light hand to fold the whipped cream into the mixture. Stirring deflates all that lovely air.
Strain the jam: Don’t skip it. Straining gives you that silky-smooth texture that makes the mousse feel polished and professional.
Measure the jam: Stick to 1 cup. Too much, and your mousse won’t set up properly.
Raspberry Mousse Filling
This raspberry mousse filling is smooth, sturdy, and full of real berry flavor. It holds its shape, works beautifully between cake layers, and comes together with simple, real ingredients.
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Raspberry Mousse
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Ingredients
Make the Raspberry Jam (or purchase jam)
- 24 ounces fresh or frozen raspberries
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
For the Raspberry Mousse
- 2 ½ teaspoons unflavored gelatin powder
- ¼ cup water
- ¾ cup mascarpone cheese, , chilled
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup heavy cream, chilled
Instructions
- Place a mixing bowl and whisk in the fridge to chill. You will use the chilled bowl when you whip the cream.
Make the Jam (or use 1 cup of store bought jam)
- Place the raspberries, sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, breaking it up with a fork or potato masher. Bring the mixture to a boil. Continue cooking for 15 to 20 minutes until thick.
- Place a strainer over a bowl and pour the raspberry mixture into the strainer. Push the mixture through the strainer. You should have 1¼ cups to 1⅓ cups of seedless jam. Toss out the seeds. Place the jam in the fridge to cool (If you are starting with store bought jam, pass 1⅓ cups through a strainer to remove the seeds).
Make the Mousse
- Add the mascarpone and the confectioners sugar to a large bowl. Stir by hand with a wide spatula to incorporate the sugar and smooth the mascarpone. Set aside.
- Place ¼ cup of water in a small microwavable bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin over the top of the water, give it a stir, and let it sit for 3 to 5 minutes. This will hydrate (or bloom) the gelatin.
- When the gelatin absorbs all the water, place the bowl in the microwave. Zap it for 10 to 20 seconds stopping to stir every 4 seconds until it is dissolved, liquified and slightly warm to the touch. Do not cook the gelatin mixture too much as high heat will destroy the thickening power of the gelatin.
- Pour the heavy cream into the chilled bowl and whip until soft peaks form (when you lift the whisk, the cream will form a peak then flop over on itself). Once the cream reaches the soft peaks stage, drizzle in the gelatin mixture and continue to whip until stiff peaks form.
- Fold ⅓ of the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture. Then fold in the rest of the whipped cream in 2 separate batches. Give the chilled raspberry jam a stir to loosen it up. Measure out 1 cup of jam and fold it into the whipped cream mixture.
- Keep chilled until time to serve. The mousse will thicken even more after 4 to 6 hours in the fridge. If you have leftover jam, you can thin it out with a splash of water and use it to swirl into the mousse or layer it in parfait glasses.
Notes
- Make sure the cream and mascarpone are chilled as well as the bowl.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The mousse will continue to firm up in the fridge.
- Nutrition based on ½ cup per serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
Hi
I was wondering if you could substitute the mascarpone for cream cheese? Would like to make this for a baby shower in November. BTW, I love your bio! Glad you’re pursuing your passion. Hope to do this full time myself one day. 😊
Thank you so much, I’m glad you enjoyed my bio, and I hope you get to pursue your passion full time soon!
Yes, you can definitely substitute cream cheese for mascarpone in the recipe. Just make sure to use a beater to whip the cream cheese until it’s smooth. Unlike mascarpone, you don’t have to worry about it curdling if you whip it for too long, so whip it up and get it nice and creamy.
I hope the dish turns out great for the baby shower.