This recipe was made specifically for my dad. One of my dad’s favorite cakes of mine is a lemon cake. A while ago, I was in the middle of making a lemon-blueberry roll cake, and he wound up eating the cake before I even had time to finish decorating or photographing it. It did cause an argument between the two of us, namely because I was upset that he ate it without letting me at least photograph it, and he felt like I was attacking him because of how upset I was. Fun fact, when you and your parents grew up in different generations, that’s one thing. But add in different cultures, and you get my childhood to early adulthood. That being said, the memory stuck that he loves lemon cake. More recently, when we were eating dinner at an Italian restaurant, my dad said he loves eating orecchiette with pesto. And those were the two main inspirations for this recipe. A lemon cake that spurred an argument, and a dish that my dad loved so much, he shared it with me and my sister. With the orecchiette, I took the pesto flavor profile, namely the basil, and used that as a basis for my dessert. Lemon and basil are such a classic flavor combination in Italian cooking, and that pairing works beautifully in dessert, which is exactly what I sought out to do here with this mousse cake!

For the components, we have a lemon-olive oil sponge cake base, that is brushed with a basil simple syrup. There is also a disk of lemon curd, which along with the cake, is enrobed in a basil mousse made from aforementioned basil simple syrup. I topped everything with fried basil, just to reiterate that this is a basil-forward dessert. Some things to note about this recipe. The first is that there is a lot of freezing involved. The lemon curd disk, I recommend making that even a day in advanced, since you want it to be frozen solid before you press it into the basil mousse. The basil simple syrup is integral for the entire dessert, being the soak for the cake and the base for the mousse. It is important that you blanch and shock the basil(boil it quickly then throw it into ice), just so that it preserves the bright green color of the leaves. Otherwise if you go with fresh basil straight into the syrup, you’ll end up oxidizing it, and the mousse and syrup will turn an unappetizing shade of rotting leaf-brown. The green color is very subtle in the mousse, but you can definitely still see the coloration of it in the soak, especially when brushed onto the cake! The fried basil, if you don’t want to deep fry, you can always candy it, or even just omit the basil garnish entirely. I like frying basil personally because it gets fragrant, translucent, and adds a crispy texture on top. All in all, this recipe is the perfect treat, being light, summery, and refreshing, despite being a cake!

For the lemon curd disk:
Juice and zest from 3 lemons
1 tsp gelatin powder + 2 tbsp cold water
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg yolk
a pinch of salt
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In a pot, reduce the lemon juice and zest with the gelatin powder. In another bowl, whisk the sugar and egg yolk with salt. Pour half of the heated lemon juice mixture into the egg yolks and whisk. Then pour all of the egg yolk mixture back into the pot with lemon juice and whisk on low heat for 2-3 minutes. Take the pot off heat and whisk in the butter first, then the vanilla. Pass through a sieve to remove any lumps and the bits of lemon zest. Pour the lemon curd into a 5-inch ring mold that has been lined with cling wrap and cooking spray. Freeze the lemon curd solid, at least 2 hours, before attempting to unmold. Keep the disk frozen for the initial assembly.

For the basil simple syrup:
1.5oz fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water, plus more for boiling

Blanch the basil leaves in hot water for 5 seconds, then shock them in ice. Squeeze out any excess liquid. Transfer the basil, sugar, and water to a blender and puree until combined. Pass through a sieve to remove any larger chunks of the basil. Refrigerate in an airtight container until time to use.

For the olive oil-lemon chiffon cake:
2 egg whites
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
zest from 1 lemon
1 egg yolk
2 tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
a pinch of salt

In a bowl, whip egg whites with sugar and vanilla to stiff peaks. In another bowl, combine the lemon zest, egg yolk, and olive oil first. Sift the flour and salt into the egg yolk mixture, then fold into that the egg whites until combined into your batter. Pour the batter onto a lined quarter sheet tray and spread into a thin, even layer. Bake at 350 degrees F for 18 minutes. Allow the cake to fully cool then cut out a 5-inch round. Freeze the round for 10 minutes just so that it is firm enough to use for initial assembly. Brush the top of the cake with the basil syrup first, as you will be using the rest of it for the mousse.

For the basil mousse:
2 tsp gelatin powder + 2 tbsp cold water
juice from 1 lemon
1/2 cup basil syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
a pinch of salt
2/3 cups heavy cream, whipped to stiff peaks

In a pot, melt down the gelatin with lemon juice. Once this is done, allow the mixture to cool down to just above room temperature before adding to the basil syrup. Add to that the vanilla and salt, and fold in the heavy cream to form your mousse.

For initial assembly:
Line a 6-inch ring mold with cling wrap and cooking spray, then place on either a parchment or silpat-lined sheet tray. Pour about half of the mousse into the mold, then press into that the lemon curd disk. Pour in the rest of the mousse, then press in the cake. Freeze solid, at least 4 hours, before attempting to unmold.

For the fried basil:
canola oil
fresh basil

In a pot, heat up 1 inch of canola oil to roughly 300 degrees F. Fry the basil leaves for 10 seconds, or until translucent but still green. Drain on a paper towel.

For final assembly:
Garnish the unmolded cake with fried basil leaves to finish!