"FANCY DANCY" RASPBERRY MOUSSE

I never used to mind making my cakes by hand in my pre-mixer days. I liked getting stuck in and it's also great exercise for your arms doing all that beating and whisking. One thing I used to hate however and therefore avoided at all costs was whipping cream. It takes ages to do by hand and baking is supposed to be fun, not laborious. But now that I have my mixer I can whip anything with the greatest of ease, like this delicious raspberry mousse, topped with fresh raspberries and served in a little tea cup. Super cute!

Raspberry Mousse

2 Leaves Of Gelatin
400g Raspberries
2 Tbsp Golden Caster Sugar
500ml Double Cream

1. Begin by placing the two gelatin leaves into a bowl of cold  water. Leave it be whilst you prepare the berries. 
2. Place your berries into a bowl (reserve around 12 to place on top of the mousse later) with the caster sugar and blend into a puree. Push the puree through a sieve to remove all the seeds. This will help you have a nice smooth mousse.
3. Heat two tbsp of the cream a sauce pan on a low heat. Remove the gelatin from the water and squeeze to rinse all the water out of the leaves. Once the cream is hot, add the gelatin and whisk until all the gelatin has dissolved. Add this to the sugared raspberry puree and mix together.
4. Whip the double cream until you can form soft peaks then pour in the raspberry puree and fold into the cream until everything is well combined.
5. Divide the mousse into 6 teacups (or in whatever you please) and place in the fridge for at least one hour to set. Place your reserved whole raspberries on top to serve.

Your done. Simple to make, this is a great pudding for preparing in advance if you are having guests round. It looks so dainty and elegant that it looks like a lot of effort been made. It hasn't, but don't tell them that.

Not a raspberry fan, swap them for any other berry that's about. Blueberries especially would work really well but this is a great recipe for using seasonal ingredients so see whats in and use the best ingredients available to you at the time.

Serve with a big homemade cookie and a glass of champagne and you have the best fancy dancy homemade afternoon tea that would be fit for the Queen!

Grab a spoon and dive it!