There’s nothing quite like a refreshing dessert with a fruity, citrusy flavor. Sure, chocolate cake or freshly baked cookies taste great, but sometimes you want something more original from your dessert. This lemon mousse bomb is just the sweet treat you’ve been searching for! It’s jam-packed with all things lemon, from its homemade lemon curd interior to its light lemon mousse filling, its lemon sponge cake layer to its fun, lemon-themed design. You can’t get any more lemony than this! Zesty, tangy, sweet, and citrusy – this lemon mousse bomb will give you a dining experience that you and your guests will never forget. It looks like life just gave you lemons, so now it’s time to make this tantalizing treat!
Yield: 3
Prep Time: 135 minutes
Cooking Time: 45 minutes
Inactive Time: 2 hours
Difficulty Level: Advanced
You’ll Need:
For the lemon cake:
- ¾ stick butter, softened
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- juice & zest of 1 lemon
- ¾ cup flour
- ¼ cup corn starch
- 1 tsp baking powder
For the lemon mousse:
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ⅓ cup water
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ oz unflavored gelatin (1 tbsp unflavored gelatin powder or 4 gelatin sheets)
- 1⅔ cups heavy cream, whipped
For the lemon curd:
- ½ stick butter
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp corn starch
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 1 egg
For the lemon bursts:
- ⅓ cup lemon marmalade
- 2 tbsp water
For the lemon meringue:
- 3 egg whites
- 2 tbsp powdered sugar
- 2 tsp lemon marmalade
For the decoration:
- yellow Candy Melts + vegetable oil
- lemon zest
- fresh mint
Extra:
- 1-inch half sphere silicone mold
- 2-inch half sphere silicone mold
- culinary torch
- piping bag + round nozzle
- 2 clothespins
Here’s How:
1. For the lemon cake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Beat together the softened butter and sugar until smooth and creamy, then gradually add in the egg and egg yolk. Continue beating and add in the salt, vanilla extract, and the zest & juice of 1 lemon. In a separate mixing bowl, stir together the flour, corn starch, and baking powder, then pass it through a sieve directly into the bowl containing the wet ingredients. Stir everything together until combined, then pour the batter into a 9 x 5-inch cake pan. Transfer the cake pan to the oven and bake the lemon cake at 350°F for 20 minutes. Once it’s done baking, remove the cake from the oven and let it cool down to room temperature. Cut 3 circles out of the lemon cake using a round cookie cutter that’s about 2 inches in diameter. For the lemon mousse, heat the lemon juice and sugar to 160°F, then let the mixture cool down to 115°F. If you’re using gelatin sheets, soak them in cold water, then wring them out. Add either the gelatin sheets or unflavored gelatin powder to the lemon juice mixture. Add in the water and stir until the mixture cools down to 80°F. Whip the heavy cream, then gradually fold it into the lemon juice mixture. Once everything is combined, transfer the lemon mousse to a piping bag.
2. For the lemon curd, heat the butter, egg yolk, corn starch, sugar, and lemon juice in a saucepan until a thick cream forms. Strain the lemon curd through a fine sieve, then pour it into 5 of the wells in the 1-inch half sphere silicone mold.
3. For the lemon bursts, heat the lemon marmalade and water in a saucepan until the mixture becomes liquified. Fill the remaining 5 wells in the 1-inch half sphere silicone mold with the lemon burst mixture, transfer the silicone mold to the freezer, and freeze the lemon fillings.
4. Pipe ½ of the lemon mousse into the wells of the 2-inch half sphere silicone mold. Remove the lemon fillings from the freezer and place 1 frozen lemon burst in 3 of the filled spheres, making sure they’re all placed in the same row. Place the frozen lemon curd in the other 3 spheres. Pipe some additional lemon mousse into each well, then top off 1 row with the circular pieces of lemon cake.
5. Fold the silicone mold over, secure it in place with clothespins, then transfer it to the freezer and freeze for 1 hour.
6. After 1 hour, carefully remove the lemon mousse bombs from the silicone mold and place them on an oven rack positioned over a baking tray. If the exterior of the lemon mousse bombs isn’t smooth, use your hand to gently smooth out their surface. Melt the yellow Candy Melts over a double boiler and add in a little vegetable oil. Once the Candy Melts have melted, pour the yellow chocolate over the lemon mousse bombs, then let the chocolate coating set.
7. For the lemon meringue, beat the egg whites until they’re stiff, then add in the powdered sugar. Beat the mixture until the sugar has dissolved completely, then add in the lemon marmalade and continue beating until combined. Transfer the mixture to a piping bag with a round nozzle and pipe small dots of meringue onto the lemon mousse bombs, leaving at least ½-inch gaps between the dots. Use a culinary torch to heat the lemon meringue dots until golden brown, then pipe some additional lemon meringue dots in the gaps left between the toasted ones.
8. Decorate the lemon mousse bombs with fresh mint and lemon zest.
This is the perfect dessert for anyone who loves lemon. From its creamy lemon mousse to its tangy lemon fillings, it’s makes a yummy, refreshing dessert, great any time of year!
Get the recipe for the Lemon Meringue Shells featured in the bonus video.