White Chocolate Lemon Mousse Cake
Here she is, the cover girl. I’ve been making a version of this cake for a long time, and it is the chosen birthday cake for Rob and two of my boys. The original recipe is made with limes and has a gingersnap crust. There seems to be many who claim ownership of it in an internet search, but my tattered copy was printed in 2000 and is credited to Addie’s, a restaurant in Rockville, Maryland. The flavor has just the right amount of lime which is complimented by the tangy gingersnap crust - look it up and make it!
I, however, was curious to see if it would translate well using lemon instead of lime. The idea of lemon and white chocolate seemed perfectly suited, but changes were needed accommodate the sweeter flavor of the lemon. I think vanilla wafers would be great, but once I decided to use mascarpone to replace some of the cream cheese, I thought ladyfingers were the way to go. I may still try it with vanilla wafers, because I LOVE THEM. The addition of pistachios in the crust just made sense with everything else.
I have to say that I really do enjoy the lighter flavor of the lemon. We were trying to come up with a way to describe it and the closest we got was ‘a whisper of lemon’ - but that just sounded insufferable. The latest test cake is chilling in the refrigerator now, and it just occurred to me that a swirl of lemon curd before chilling would have been fantastic….next time.
To make the crust, grind the ladyfingers in a food processor until fine.
Remove them and add the pistachios and grind to your liking.
Return the ground ladyfingers to the processor and add the sugar and melted butter - pulse until well combined.
Press the mixture into a 9 inch springform pan and chill while you make the filling.
(You may also put the crust into a 325 degree oven and bake for 15- 20 minutes if you prefer it to be golden and slightly toasted.)
Place lemon juice in a bowl and sprinkle with the gelatin.
Bring 1/2 cup cream to simmer in a saucepan and add chopped white chocolate - remove from heat and stir until smooth.
Stir in the gelatin mixture and cool.
Beat the mascarpone, cream cheese, grated lemon peel, and sugar in a large bowl using an electric mixer. Slowly beat the white chocolate mixture into the mascarpone mixture until it is incorporated
Using clean beaters, beat remaining 2 cups whipping cream to peaks in another large bowl.
Carefully fold the whipped cream into the white chocolate mix until no streaks of whipped cream remain.
Pour filling into prepared crust, and tap to release any air bubbles. Cover with plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate overnight.
Lemon Mousse Cake with Pistachio Ladyfinger Crust
Ingredients
Crust:
1 1/2 cups ground ladyfingers (I used 18 ladyfingers)
1/2 cup ground pistachios
2 tbls sugar
6 tbls butter, melter
Filling:
6 tbls fresh lemon juice
1 packet unflavored gelatin
2 1/2 cups chilled whipping cream
9 oz white chocolate
2 containers mascarpone cheese, 8 oz each
8 oz cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tbls grated lemon peel
To assemble the crust:
Finely grind the ladyfingers in a food processor, remove. Grind pistachios in a food processor to desired size (I like some to be a bit chunky). Return ground ladyfingers to the bowl of the food processor and briefly combine with the pistachios. Add 2 tbls sugar and the melted butter. Pulse until combined.
Press into the base of a 9 inch springform pan and refrigerate. (You may also put the crust into a 325 degree oven for 15 - 20 minutes until it is slightly golden and toasted.)
For the filling:
Put lemon juice in a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over the top to bloom.
Bring 1/2 cup cream to simmer in a medium saucepan. Add the broken pieces of white chocolate and remove from the heat. Stir until smooth. Carefully add the gelatin mixture and set aside to cool slightly.
In a large bowl, mix the mascarpone, cream cheese, grated lemon peel, and sugar with an electric mixer until well combined. Add the white chocolate mixture and slowly combine on low speed until it is incorporated.
Using clean beaters, beat the remaining 2 cups of whipping cream in a large bowl to stiff peaks. Carefully fold the whipped cream into the white chocolate mixture until no streaks of whipped cream remain. Pour filling into chilled crust and refrigerate overnight.
