Lavender and Limoncello Mousse Cake

For a few weeks now I have been experimenting with Limoncello in recipes, where though outcomes have been tasty they are not the amazing outcome I have been looking for.

I realized that Limoncello as the sole hero ingredient was producing cakes that were not really special.

To tackle this I looked at pairing the Limoncello up with flavors that tend to go well with Lemon but weren’t too sweet (as Limoncello is a lot sweeter than Lemons).

After playing around with Limoncello & Almond, Limoncello & Blueberry and Limoncello & Lavender it was the latter pairing that made the best flavor combination.

To allow for the strongest Limoncello flavor I decided on a mousse to hero the liquor as I could have a heavy hand and would not jeopardize the texture of the cake.

As ground lavender will have limited effect on the cakes texture I opted for my never fail plain vanilla cake recipe with the inclusion of the lavender.

The outcome was a beautiful light and soft lavender cake topped with a smooth and fluffy white chocolate based Limoncello mousse.

A moreish and exquisite cake outcome.

Ingredients:

Cake:

160g flour
1 + ¼ tsn baking powder
½ tsn baking soda
½ tsn salt
2 + 1/2 tsn ground lavender
2 eggs
120g sugar
120ml vegetable oil
60ml limoncello
60ml buttermilk

Mousse:

300g white chocolate
470ml thickened cream
45g icing sugar
95ml limoncello
1 tbsn lemon zest
2 tbsn water
1 tbsn gelatin

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 175c degrees and line a 25cm spring form cake tin with baking paper.
Place the lavender into a mortar and pestle and ground into a powder texture.
Place the flour, powder, soda, salt and ground lavender into a bowl and stir until combine, set aside.
With electric beaters whisk the eggs and sugar until thick and creamy.
Add the oil in a steady stream, then the limoncello then buttermilk until well combined.
Add the flour mix and beat until just combine.
Pour into the cake tin and bake in the oven for 35 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
Turn the cake out of the tin onto a cooling rack.
Meanwhile make the mousse by placing 200ml of the cream in a saucepan with the white chocolate and stir on a low heat until the mix is creamy and smooth. Set aside to cool completely.
Place the remaining 270ml of cream into a bowl with the icing sugar and using electric beaters whisk on high until peaks form.
Add the limoncello and lemon zest to the cream mix and beat on low until combine.
Place the water and gelatin into a bowl and stir until combine then heat in the microwave until warm and the mix is smooth.
Add the gelatin mix to the cream mix and whisk with the electric beaters on low for 5 seconds or until combine.
Place 2 pieces of plastic wrap over the cake tin and place the cooled cake into the tin.
Pull the overhanging plastic wrap to the sides of the tin.
Pour the mousse mix over the top of the cake and place the tin in the freezer for 4 hours to completely set.
To serve the cake pull the plastic wrap on the sides until the cake comes out clean.
Place the cake on a plate with the mousse on the top and durst with icing sugar and in desired some additional lemon zest and ground lavender.
Enjoy.