Triple-Citrus Mousse Cake / Torta Agli Agrumi #TheCakeSliceBakers

So, I am new to The Cake Slice Bakers group which I stumbled across after drooling over Karen of Karen's Kitchen Stories' post about last month's selection: Ukranian Caramel Cake. Karen is one of those bloggers who makes phenomenal looking breads and cakes and makes me wish I lived closer to her; I'd definitely be inviting myself over for dessert often! In any case, I immediately started asking questions about how to join this fun group. Here's the scoop...

Each month The Cake Slice Bakers are offered a selection of cakes from the current book we are baking through. This year it is The European Cake Cookbook by Tatyana Nesteruk*. We each select one cake to bake, and then on the 20th - never before - we all post about our cake on our blogs. There are a few rules that we follow, but the most important ones are to have fun and enjoy baking - and eating - cakes!

Follow our Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest pages where you can find all of our cakes, as well as inspiration for many other cakes. You can also click on the thumbnail pictures below to take you to each of our cakes. If you have a blog and are interested in joining The Cake Slice Bakers and baking along with us, please send an email to thecakeslicebakers at gmail dot com for more details. 

The Cake Slice Bakers also have a new Facebook group called The Cake Slice Bakers and Friends. This group is perfect for those who do not have a blog but want to join in the fun and bake through this book. So, here we go...

March 2019

An InLinkz Link-up

Triple-Citrus Mousse Cake

 After looking at the options, I asked the boys to pick and the first choice on everyone's list: Triple-Citrus Mousse Cake. A note: one of the rules is to stick to the original recipe as much as possible. This recipe calls for lemon, lime, and orange.

I ended up with Buddha's Hand Citron (it's lemon-like), Makrut lime leaves + Key limes (in the lime family), and mandarin orange (which is actually an orange and not a tangerine as it appears) because those were the homemade liqueurs I had on my 'witch shelf' as my family and friends call it. I joked that I was going to be booted from the group for not following the rules in my first month. I hope not!

This recipe comes from the Southern Decadence chapter, subtitled Mediterranean-inspired cakes with cheese, fruit, and citrus. Especially Italy and Greece.

It's hard to believe that my oldest is in Greece right now with a school trip. His teacher sent me this photo, from the rooftop of their hotel. I'm just a wee bit jealous! Even though I lived in Italy for over a year - and traveled extensively - I have never been to Greece. There was plenty to see in Italy. Till then, I'll live vicariously through his trip. I am so grateful he has this opportunity.

R and Mrs. A, his freshman English teacher and school's awesome IB MYP coordinator.
Athens, Greece. March 2019.

So, I am sharing the Triple-Citrus Mousse Cake that I am alternatively calling Torta Agli Agrumi, which literally means Cake of Citrus. I made all of the liqueurs I used in the traditional style of limoncello: clear alcohol infused with the fruit for several weeks, then a simple syrup is added and you let it age, again, for several weeks. The entire process takes about three months. Then it can sit as long as you like!

Ingredients

Crust

• 2 C crushed graham crackers
• 1/2 C melted butter
• zest from 1 organic Meyer lemon (optional and not part of the original recipe)
• Also needed: Springform pan

Makrut and Key Lime Layer

• 4 ounces mascarpone cream
• 1/2 C sweetened condensed milk
• 1/4 C lime syrup or liqueur (I used my homemade Makrut-key lime liqueur from last year)
• 1 C heavy whipping cream
• 4 T water
• 1 pouch powdered gelatin
• green food coloring, optional (I used a vegetable based color that was more pastel than bright)

Mandarin Orange Layer

• 4 ounces mascarpone cream
• 1/2 C sweetened condensed milk
• 1/4 C orangecello (I used my homemade mandarin-Meyer lemon liqueur from last year)
• 1 C heavy whipping cream
• 4 T water
• 1 pouch powdered gelatin
• orange food coloring, optional (I mixed red and yellow vegetable based colors that were more pastel than bright)

Buddha's Hand Citron Layer

• 4 ounces mascarpone cream
• 1/2 C sweetened condensed milk
• 1/4 C limoncello (I used my homemade Buddha's Hand citron liqueur from last year)
• 1 C heavy whipping cream
• 4 T water
• 1 pouch powdered gelatin
• yellow food coloring, optional (I used a vegetable based color that was more pastel than bright)

Garnish

• organic mixed citrus, thinly sliced
• organic lime leaves
• organic chamomile blossoms

Procedure

Prepare Springform pan by wrapping the outside with foil. Clear a space in your fridge to fit the pan as you'll be putting it in and taking it out repeatedly through this process.

Crust

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and lemon zest. Use a spatula to make sure the crumbs are all moistened. Turn the mixture into the prepared Springform pan and press down to compress. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool while you prepare each layer.

Makrut and Key Lime Layer

Place water in a small saucepan and sprinkle gelatin over the surface. Heat over low heat until the gelatin is dissolved and the entire mixture is clear. Keep warm. Place the mascarpone cheese, sweetened condensed milk, and lime syrup or liqueur in a medium mixing bowl. Whip until well-combined and smooth. In a large mixing bowl, beat the whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Add in the mascarpone mixture and gelatin. Beat until well-mixed and slightly lightened and fluffy. Add green food coloring, if using. Pour mousse over the crust and smooth with a spatula. Place in the refrigerator while you create the next layer or 30 minutes, whichever is longer.

Mandarin Orange Layer

Place water in a small saucepan and sprinkle gelatin over the surface. Heat over low heat until the gelatin is dissolved and the entire mixture is clear. Keep warm. Place the mascarpone cheese, sweetened condensed milk, and orange liqueur in a medium mixing bowl. Whip until well-combined and smooth. In a large mixing bowl, beat the whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Add in the mascarpone mixture and gelatin. Beat until well-mixed and slightly lightened and fluffy. Add orange food coloring, if using. Remove cake from the refrigerator and pour mousse over the lime layer and smooth with a spatula. Place in the refrigerator while you create the next layer or 30 minutes, whichever is longer.

Buddha's Hand Citron Layer

Place water in a small saucepan and sprinkle gelatin over the surface. Heat over low heat until the gelatin is dissolved and the entire mixture is clear. Keep warm. Place the mascarpone cheese, sweetened condensed milk, and lemon liqueur in a medium mixing bowl. Whip until well-combined and smooth. In a large mixing bowl, beat the whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Add in the mascarpone mixture and gelatin. Beat until well-mixed and slightly lightened and fluffy. Add yellow food coloring, if using. Remove cake from the refrigerator and pour mousse over the orange layer and smooth with a spatula. Place in the refrigerator while you create the next layer or 30 minutes, whichever is longer.

After all three layers have been poured. Let mousse cake chill for, at least 4 hours. When ready to serve, garnish with thinly sliced citrus. The original recipe calls for thin slices of lemon, lime, and orange.

I opted to slice organic mandarins into slices, then half, and arranged them like petals of a flower. The center was an organic chamomile blossom and organic lime leaves were the leaves of my mandarin flower.

When we finally served the triple-citrus mousse cake, everyone was in awe.

The Precise Kitchen Elf commented that he loved the texture, but the flavors were too sweet. He suggested a pinch of salt in each layer next time. Hmmm...

My husband declared, "The texture is pretty amazing!" While, ever the critic, my Enthusiastic Kitchen Elf said that my colors were too dull. "And you should use a milder flavor for the orange layer." But, as he always practices sandwich critiques (that means a criticism sandwiched between two compliments), he admitted that he liked the crust. So, I made notes on the recipes for how we will adapt it next time. And there will definitely be a next time. This cake was beautiful and delicious.

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