Lemon Mousse Cake with Fresh Raspberries

Mise en place.  Everything in its place.  A completely brilliant cooking concept.  You set out all your ingredients (pre-measured is even better), so when you start to cook (or bake), you have everything at the ready and suddenly you're the Julia Child of the kitchen - whisking, pouring, mixing, blending - all effortless, efficient and ebullient.

Yeah. Right.

Don't get me wrong.  The obsessive organizer in me thinks that this is the cat's meow of kitchen practice.  It's logical.  It's rational.  It's neat and clean and meticulous.  And on occasion, it works.  But those occasions are few and far between.  Those occasions are when you have time to methodically put out all your ingredients, pull out all your bowls and measuring cups and spoons, your mixers and blenders and scales.  Your pans, skillets and potato mashers.  The times when you can painstakingly measure, sift, level, and zest.  And then, and only then, can you begin your culinary alchemy.  Such zen.  Such harmony.  Birds are tweeting.  Flowers are blooming.  The sun is, of course, shining.  And pigs are flying.  That's right.  Pigs.  In the sky.  Overhead.  Because unless you have minions in residence in your kitchen, no home cook has the luxury of a restaurant or tv show-inspired mise en place.  It's a beautiful dream.  But most of the time it's just not happening.  Most of the time there is no method to the madness.  Most of the time, the mixer is on while you're simulaneously dribbling in one ingredient, guesstimating a half cup's worth of the next, keeping an eye out on the cake already in the oven (because the timer went off like five minutes ago but it doesn't look quite ready yet), convincing a cat to back away from the cream you just poured and hoping like all get out that the recipe you just read on the fly did not say that there was chilling time of six hours.  Most of the time.... well, you get where I'm going with this.

 

But this was not one of those times.  Neither was this a bonafide flower-blooming, sun-shining, om-inducing time.  It was a Sunday afternoon, a little chilly, a little dark and a little dank.  Ingredients were haphazardly arranged on the counter, and the recipe was read over once.  The cat was sleeping under a bed and the cream was safe.  So maybe it was not as efficient, effortless and ebullient as a Julia Child tv appearance (actually, now that I think about it, things went sloshing and spilling and spattering on her show), but neither did chaos rein that afternoon.  Good thing.  Here's what I have to show for it.

 

Lemon Mousse Cake with Fresh Raspberries

make the cake....

preheat the oven to 325F

Grease the bottom of a 9x3 inch springform pan.  Dust the bottom of the pan with flour

Sift together the flour, 1/2 cup of the sugar, the baking powder and salt into a medium bowl.  Whisk to combine.

In the bowl of an electric mixer beat the egg yolks, vegetable oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, milk and vanilla extract at medium speed until blended.  Add the flour mixture one-quarter at a time, mixing until just blended.

Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar at medium speed until soft peaks form.

Using a rubber spatula, briskly fold about one-quarter of the whites into the cake batter.  Gently fold in the remaining whites.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.  Invert the cake onto the rack and let cool completely upside down.

 make the ginger syrup.....

In a small saucepan, combine the water and sugar and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Remove the pan from the heat and add the ginger slices.  .

make the mousse.....

Sprinkle the gelatin over the water and let soften for 5 minutes.

Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until blended.  Stir in the lemon juice, salt, and butter and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thicken.

Immediately strain the mixture through the sieve, pressing it through with a rubber spatula.

Beat the heavy cream at high speed until medium peaks form.

Set the bowl containing the lemon mixture in a large bowl filled about one-third of the way with ice water.

Fold a large spoonful of the whipped cream into the lemon mixture to lighten it.  Gently fold in the remaining cream.

assemble the cake.....

Cut the cake horizontally into 2 layers.

 

Sprinkle the syrup-coated raspberries over the mousse.  Top with the other cake layer, cut side up.  Sprinkle the remaining lemon mousse on top and spread it into an even layer.

 
Refrigerate the cake until the mousse is set, at least 3 hours.
(Good time to have a coffee.....)

And here it is.....

Lemon Mousse Cake with Fresh Raspberries
(adapted from The Cake Book)

Lemon Chiffon Cake
1 cup cake flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1/3 cup safflower or other neutral vegetable oil
1 teasapoon finely grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons whole milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Ginger Syrup
2/3 cup water
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced

Lemon Mousse
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon powdered gelatin
8 large egg yolks
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
2/3 c freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons (1 1/4sticks) butter
1 cup heavy cream

one 6-ounce container fresh raspberries

Make the Cake:
1. Position a rack in the centre of the oven and preheat the oven to 325F. Grease the bottom of a 9x3 inch springform pan.  Dust the bottom of the pan with flour.
2. Sift together the flour, 1/2 cup of the sugar, the baking powder and salt into a medium bowl.  Whisk to combine.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the egg yolks, vegetable oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, milk and vanilla extract at medium speed until blended.  Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture one-quarter at a time, mixing until just blended.
4. In a clean mixer bowl, using the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar at medium speed until soft peaks form.  Gradually beat in the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, then increase the speed to high and beat until the whites are stiff but not dry.  Using a rubber spatula, briskly fold about one-quarter of the whites into the cake batter.  Gently fold in the remaining whites.  Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
5. Bake the cake for 22 to 28 minutes until it is golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
6. Invert the cake onto the rack and let cool completely upside down.

Make the Syrup

7. In a small saucepan, combine the water and sugar and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar.  Remove the pan from the heat and add the ginger slices.  Set aside at room temperature.

Make the Mousse

8. Place the water in a small heatproof cup.  Sprinkle the gelatin over the water and let soften for 5 minutes.

9. Set the cup of gelatin in a pan of simmering water for a few minutes, stirring occasionally until the gelatin is dissolved and the mixture is clear.  Remove from the heat but leave the cup of gelatin in the hot water.

10. Set a fine-mesh sieve over a medium bowl; set aside.  In a medium heavy nonreactive saucepan, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until blended.  Stir in the lemon juice, salt, and butter and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, 7 to 10 minutes (do not let the mixture boil otherwise it will curdle).  The mixture should leave a path on the back of a wooden spoon when you draw a finger across it.  Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the warm gelatin mixture.  Immediately strain the mixture through the sieve, pressing it through with a rubber spatula.  Set aside while you whip the cream.

11. In the bowl of an electric mixer, with the whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream at high speed until medium peaks form.  Place the whipped cream in the refrigerator.

12. Set the bowl containing the lemon mixture in a large bowl filled about one-third of the way with ice water (be careful that the water doesnèt splash into the lemon mixture).  Stir the lemon mixture frequently until it is slightly cooler than room temperature, about 10 minutes.

13. Fold a large spoonful of the whipped cream into the lemon mixture to lighten it.  Gently fold in the remaining cream.

Assemble the Cake

14. Release the cake from the cake pan.  Invert the cake, then turn it right side up.  Using a long serrated knife, cut the cake horizontally into 2 layers.  Place the top layer cut side up in the bottom of a 9x3-inch springform pan.  Set aside.

15. Remove the ginger slices from the syrup and discard.  In a small bowl combine 2/3 cup of the raspberries with 1 tablespoon of the syrup; set aside.  Using a pastry brush, saturate the top of the cake layer in the pan with about half of the remaining syrup.  Scrape about 2 1/4 cup of the lemon mousse onto the cake.  Using a small offset metal spatula, spread it into an even layer.  Sprinkle the syrup-coated raspberries (without excess syrup) over the mousse, distributing them evenly.  Top with the other cake layer, cut side up.  Brush the cake with the remaining ginger syrup.  Sprinkle the remaining lemon mousse on top and spread it into an even layer, filling in the gap between the cake and the side of the pan.

16. Refrigerate the cake until the mousse is set, at least 3 hours.

17. Run a thin-bladed knife between the cake and the side of the pan, remove the side of the pan.