Go Back

Lemon Cloud Mousse cake (lemon bavarois)

Cliquez sur les étoiles pour voter
Lemon meringue cloud cake, a delicious light dessert made with lemon mousse, sponge cake and crispy praline, reminiscent of lemon meringue pie. A very easy dessert to make.
TOTAL TIME1 hour 20 minutes
PRINT PIN SAVE
Course: Dessert, entremets
Cuisine: French
Keyword: lemon recipe
Author: Rachida

EQUIPEMENTS

INGREDIENTS
 

  • For a Bavarois cake measuring 24 cm in diameter and 5 cm in height ( 9.5 x 2 inches )

Sponge Cake

  • For a 24 cm disk ( 9.5 inches )
  • 2 eggs
  • 60 g sugar (2.12 oz)
  • 60 g flour (2.12 oz)

Praline Crunch

  • 100 g praline (3.53 oz)
  • 47 g feuilletine or crushed crêpes gavotte (1.66 oz)
  • 34 g milk chocolate (1.20 oz)

Lemon Bavarian Cream

  • 6 egg yolks
  • 180 g granulated sugar (6.35 oz)
  • 40 g cornstarch (1.41 oz)
  • 300 ml milk (10.14 fl oz)
  • Zest of one lemon
  • 100 ml lemon juice (3.38 fl oz)
  • 6 sheets of gelatin 2 g per sheet for 200 blooms or 3 g per sheet for 150 blooms
  • 400 ml heavy cream >30% fat (13.52 fl oz)

Italian Meringue

  • 60 g egg whites from 2 small eggs (2.12 oz)
  • 20 g sugar for stiffening egg whites (0.71 oz)
  • 100 g sugar for syrup (3.53 oz)
  • 30 ml water ( 1.fl oz )

PREPARATION

Sponge Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F).
  • Beat the eggs and sugar in a double boiler off the heat. The mixture should be slightly warm and triple in volume.
  • Gently fold in the flour using a spatula.
  • Transfer the mixture into a piping bag and spread it onto a greased baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. The sponge should remain soft and be lightly golden.
  • Turn it over onto a towel, remove the parchment paper, and cover it with the towel. Let it cool until ready to use.
  • Cut the sponge to fit the 24 cm (9.5 inches) ring. Place the ring on a flat baking sheet and line the inside with a strip of acetate (rhodoid). This will make unmolding easier (you can see this in the video).
  • Place the sponge inside the ring and spread the praline crisp over it, which you will prepare below.

Praline Crunch

  • Melt the chocolate in a double boiler and add the praline. Mix well to liquefy.
  • Off the heat, add the feuilletine and mix thoroughly.
  • Immediately spread it over the sponge cake.
  • Place in the refrigerator or freezer to harden. You can prepare the sponge and praline crisp the day before or even several days in advance and keep them in the freezer.

Lemon Bavarois

  • Soak the gelatin sheets in cold water for 10 to 15 minutes. If using powdered gelatin, rehydrate it in 6 times its weight in water and let it swell in the refrigerator.
  • Whiten the egg yolks and sugar together to dissolve the sugar.
  • Add the cornstarch and the zest of one lemon. Mix well.
  • Bring the milk to a boil.
  • Pour it over the blanched mixture in two additions while whisking to mix and obtain a homogeneous preparation.
  • Transfer everything back to the saucepan.
  • Heat over low heat to thicken the custard. Stir continuously in a figure-eight motion with a spatula until the custard coats the spatula well.
  • If you run your finger over it, it should leave a clear line. If you have a thermometer, remove the custard at 83-84°C (181-183°F). Be careful not to let the custard boil.
  • If you are afraid the custard will curdle and become grainy, remove it from the heat several times while stirring constantly or cook it in a double boiler.
  • Off the heat, add the drained gelatin and mix well. Add the lemon juice, mix, and then strain through a sieve to remove the lemon zest and any residue.
  • Cool quickly, stirring occasionally. You can speed up cooling by placing the bowl on a container with ice cubes.
  • Let cool to 30°C (86°F) before incorporating the whipped cream. If you don't have a thermometer, it's fine; just let the custard cool well without letting it set. It should still be liquid to mix easily with the cream.
  • Whip the cold cream until quite firm but not too stiff.
  • Incorporate the custard into the whipped cream in three additions, mixing with a spatula from bottom to top. In many recipes, you can see the whipped cream added to the custard. (See note below)
  • Take the ring with the sponge and praline crisp and pour the lemon bavarois into it.
  • Gently shake the ring to smooth the mousse.
  • Let it set a bit on the work surface, then place it in the freezer until the next day. The next day, prepare the Italian meringue.

Italian Meringue

  • Place the water in a saucepan and add the sugar. You can stir to help dissolve the sugar, but be careful not to splash any onto the sides of the pan. If any sugar does get on the sides, use a damp brush to clean it off.
  • Throughout the syrup cooking process, keep a damp brush handy and clean it after each use. Any sugar splashes should be cleaned immediately to prevent burning.
  • Place the thermometer probe in the mixture and heat over medium heat.
  • Place the egg whites in the stand mixer bowl. Start whipping them when the syrup reaches 70°C (158°F).
  • If using an electric hand mixer, start beating the egg whites when the syrup reaches 90-100°C (194-212°F).
  • Beat at speed 8 on the KitchenAid. When the whites start to foam, lower the mixer speed, add half the sugar, and increase the speed to 6. The KitchenAid mixer goes up to speed 10.
  • Once the whites are half-whipped, white, and starting to look like shaving foam, lower the mixer speed and add the remaining sugar to stiffen them.
  • Continue beating at medium speed to keep the whites like shaving foam while the syrup reaches 118-119°C (244-246°F).
  • Remove the syrup from the heat at 118°C (244°F) and let it sit for a few seconds to cool slightly (optional).
  • Pour the cooked sugar syrup in a thin stream over the egg whites, between the bowl's side and the whisk.
  • Once all the syrup is added, let the mixer run for a few seconds to distribute the heat throughout the meringue, then increase the speed to maximum.
  • Whip at full speed until the meringue is completely cooled or just slightly warm. The bowl should feel cool to the touch. The meringue will become dense and shiny.
  • Place the meringue in a piping bag with a nozzle of your choice and use immediately. I used the Wilton 1M nozzle, which is excellent. The Wilton 2D nozzle is also great. These two nozzles create beautiful roses and rosettes.

Decoration

  • Remove the lemon cloud from the freezer, take it out of the ring mold, and place it on a serving dish or a gold cake board. Remove the acetate strip and pipe the Italian meringue on top.
  • Toast the meringue with a blowtorch or leave it white.
  • Decorate with raspberries, cherries, and a few lemon zest curls made with a peeler.
  • Let it thaw in the refrigerator for 4-6 hours and serve.

Notes

In many recipes, you might see whipped cream being added to the custard (crème anglaise) rather than the other way around, which I do in this recipe.
While you can do it this way, the custard should be slightly thickened for the whipped cream to incorporate easily without forming lumps.
I prefer adding the custard to the whipped cream, keeping the custard quite liquid. This prevents lumps and eliminates the need to whisk the mousse.
For desserts like entremets or charlottes cake, I let the custard cool further. I incorporate it into the whipped cream when it's smooth and creamy. This results in a light, airy mousse with good structure. You can see this method in the Bavarian cream recipe.