Lemon mousse cake

Lemon mousse cake

1 h
Prepare to be amazed by this culinary masterpiece with a crisp almond base carrying a pistachio cake base with marzipan encompassed by a soft, tangy lemon mousse. And the grand finale? A brilliant yellow mirror glaze decorated with edible flowers, white chocolate, and pistachios.
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Instructions

Overview of the steps
  • Bake the cake base with pistachios and marzipan.
  • Make the lemon mousse and freeze it with the pistachio base.
  • Bake the crispy almond shortcrust base for the cake's bottom layer.
  • Prepare the glaze and pour it over the frozen cake.
  • Decorate the mousse cake and serve.
Pistachio base
  • Preheat the oven to 175°C (conventional oven).
  • Finely blend pistachios. Knead marzipan and sugar in a bowl and mix in the pistachios.
  • Add butter and whisk until airy. Add eggs one at a time, whisking until the batter is smooth.
  • Stir in flour and salt.
  • Line a springform pan (approx. 18 cm in diameter) with baking paper. Pour the batter into the pan and bake in the oven for about 30 minutes.
  • Let it cool in the pan, then release the cake from the springform pan.
Lemon mousse
  • Soak gelatine leaves in cold water for about 5 minutes.
  • Whisk eggs and sugar into a light, fluffy mixture, and fold in lemon zest.
  • Heat lemon juice to just below boiling and remove from the heat. Dissolve the gelatine in the lemon juice.
  • Cool the gelatine mixture with some of the egg mixture, then fold in the rest.
  • Whip double cream to soft peaks and gently fold into the lightly set egg mixture.
  • Pour the lemon mousse into a smooth silicone mould (approx. 20 cm in diameter and 7 cm tall), leaving about 1 cm to the top edge.
  • Carefully place the pistachio base on the slightly set mousse and gently press down. Cover and freeze for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
Almond shortcrust pastry
  • Mix flour, icing sugar, and almond flour in a bowl.
  • Crumble in butter.
  • Add water and quickly form the dough.
  • Roll out the dough thinly (about ½ cm) between two pieces of baking paper. Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
  • Remove the top piece of paper and cut out a circle (22-24 cm in diameter). Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes until golden. Let cool on a wire rack.
Glaze
  • Soak gelatine leaves in cold water for about 5 minutes.
  • Boil sugar, milk, and glucose syrup in a saucepan, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat.
  • Dissolve gelatine in the milk mixture.
  • Place white chocolate in a tall jug, then add food colouring and the hot gelatine mixture. Let it sit for about 1 minute until the chocolate melts.
  • Tilt the jug and carefully place a hand blender in the glaze. Blend until smooth, keeping the blender immersed to avoid air bubbles.
  • Tap the jug on the countertop to release air bubbles and strain the glaze through a fine sieve into a jug or container with a pouring spout. Remove any air bubbles with a spoon. Cover the glaze with cling film, ensuring the film touches the surface of the glaze. Let the glaze cool to about 35°C, checking the temperature occasionally with a sugar thermometer.
  • Meanwhile, remove the lemon mousse cake from the freezer and release it from the silicone mould. Place the frozen cake, pistachio base side down, on a wire rack set over a clean tray to catch excess glaze. Gently pour the glaze over the cake, allowing the excess glaze to drip off for 1-2 minutes.
  • Place the shortcrust pastry base on a flat serving plate. Carefully transfer the mousse cake onto the crispy base using, for example, two palette knives. Let the cake thaw at room temperature for about 1½ hours or in the refrigerator for 6-8 hours.
Decoration
  • Decorate with edible flowers, white chocolate shavings, and finely chopped unsalted pistachios just before serving.
Enjoy!
Tips

Use a silicone mould or a plastic cake collar in a springform pan to ensure smooth sides. The best and easiest is to use a silicone mould. If you use a regular springform pan without a cake collar, it is difficult to achieve a smooth look and to release the frozen cake from the pan. Silicone moulds come in many sizes, and some are not as tall. In that case, make the cake in a slightly larger diameter form, for example, 22 cm. Then, the silicone mould does not need to be higher than 5 cm.

Tips

It is important to be precise with the measurements and temperature of the glaze. If the glaze is too warm, it will run off the cake too quickly. If this happens, you can pour the run-off glaze over the cake again, so you have two layers of glaze.

Ingredients

Pistachio base
Unsalted pistachios
50 g
Marzipan
75 g
Sugar
75 g
Soft butter
75 g
Eggs
2
Wheat flour
2 tbsp
Coarse salt
¼ tsp
Lemon mousse
Gelatine leaves
6
Eggs
5
Sugar
150 g
Lemon zest (unsprayed), finely grated
1½ tsp
Lemon juice, freshly squeezed
75 ml
Double cream
400 ml
Almond shortcrust base
Wheat flour
100 g
Icing sugar
50 g
Almond flour
25 g
Cold butter, cubed
50 g
Water
1 tbsp
Glaze
Gelatine leaves
3
Sugar
150 g
Arla Cravendale Semi-skimmed milk
125 ml
Glucose syrup
30 g
White chocolate, finely chopped
150 g
Yellow food colourings
¼ tsp
Decoration
Edible flowers
White chocolate
Unsalted pistachios, finely chopped
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Present a beautiful lemon mousse cake

This lemon mousse cake offers a symphony of textures and flavours. It starts with a crisp almond flour base, constituting a sweet, nutty foundation that contrasts with the light, citrusy mousse. Hidden inside is a moist pistachio and marzipan cake base with a tender crumb, complemented by crunchy pistachios. The lemon mousse is the star of the show with a balance of tangy and sweet flavours, offering a velvety, airy texture. A yellow mirror glaze adds elegance and creates a harmonious look. It is topped with beautiful edible flowers, white chocolate shavings, and pistachios.

Served on a crisp base with almond flour

For an extra touch of sweetness, the lemon mousse cake is served on top of a crisp shortcrust pastry base. Unlike a classic shortcrust pastry, this one contains almond flour, adding a unique, nutty flavour and a tender yet firm texture that complements the airy lemon mousse. The almond flour also makes for a more refined taste, enhancing the overall dessert experience.

A delicious pistachio surprise hidden inside

Hidden within the mousse is a moist pistachio cake base. The combination of marzipan and butter gives it a slightly dense yet tender crumb, while the pistachios add a pleasant crunch. It offers a balance of nutty flavours and a satisfying bite, balancing the creamy lemon mousse surrounding it. And, because of the pistachios, it has a beautiful bright green colour, making for an even bigger visual surprise when you cut into the cake.

Refreshing lemon mousse as the main element

All the elements in this cake are delicious, but as it is a lemon mousse cake, naturally, the mousse takes centre stage. Made with both lemon zest and juice, it has a piercing lemon flavour balanced by the sweet pistachio and marzipan cake base. The mousse is soft and velvety, making for a delicious mouthfeel, and it is fluffy and airy, so it feels heavenly to eat. The best thing about this lemon mousse is the harmony of flavours, highlighting how complex flavours you can get from simple ingredients. And even though it has a lot of lemon flavour, you will still get a mellow, sweet, and slightly tangy overall flavour. It is simply irresistible.

Covered in yellow glaze for an elegant appearance

The finishing touch is a bright-coloured mirror glaze, creating a gleaming look. It is easy to make and pour over the cake and made with yellow food colouring, it mirrors the inside of the cake perfectly. It creates a harmonious look that encapsulates the lemon mousse and makes for a beautiful base for the toppings; the edible flowers, delicate white chocolate shavings, and finely chopped bright green pistachios.

An elegant mousse cake brimming with spring vibes

The arrival of spring is perfectly represented in this lemon mousse cake. Its bright colours are a reminder of warmer days and blooming flowers, and its fresh and tangy flavour is ideal for different occasions, for example, an Easter celebration. Easter is the perfect occasion to spend extra time in the kitchen and pamper your loved ones with tasty dishes followed by exquisite cakes like this velvety and flavourful mousse cake with bright yellow mirror glaze. Are you looking for other cakes or desserts for your Easter table? Try our biscuits with lemon curd and meringue, layered meringue cake with raspberries, or carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and walnuts.

Add your own touch

Instead of pistachio, try using a different nut like hazelnuts or almonds for the cake base. It will alter the flavour significantly, offering the chance to shake things up. Hazelnuts have a rich, earthy flavour with a slightly sweet and intense nutty flavour, adding a deeper, more aromatic quality to the cake. Almonds, on the other hand, offer a lighter, slightly sweet, and versatile flavour. They are less intense than hazelnuts but provide a delicate nuttiness. To add more colour to the cake and a pop of juicy flavour in the middle, consider adding fresh raspberries to the mousse. Add 250-350 ml raspberries, depending on their size. After pouring the mousse into the silicone mould, gently press each raspberry slightly into the mousse, then top with the pistachio base. This way, the berries are captured between the mousse and the pistachio base, providing a juicy burst of flavour in each slice.

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