Lemony white chocolate mousse with lemon curd and buttercrumb
This recipe isn’t sickeningly sweet – the mousse is very light with a fresh lemon vibe. The curd is lovely and zingy so it cuts through the creaminess nicely. You’ve got great textures going on in every mouthful with the crunchy crumb, light silky mousse and rich curd. Just heavenly. And not hard to make, either!
I may have been a tad heavy handed on the curd in this shot – maybe about half that amount would suffice.
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
Mousse & crumb
250g good-quality white chocolate
100ml cream
250g good quality shortbread biscuits
50g butter, melted
Zest of 2 lemons
4 egg whites
1 cup cream, whipped
Lemon & lime curd
2 free-range egg yolks
1 free-range egg
1/2 cup lemon juice
Zest of 4 lemons
Juice and zest of 1 lime
1/2 cup sugar
35g butter, cubed
Method
Preheat the oven to 180c.
Heat a peeler under hot running water and shave about 1/3 cup of chocolate off the block to use as garnish later.
Place the broken up chocolate and liquid cream in a heatproof bowl (Pyrex or ceramic) over a pot of simmering water (not touching the water). Stir until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and set aside to come to room temperature. You’ll need the bowl and pot again for the curd, so rinse them out.
To make the crumb, crumble the biscuits to a course crumb (in a food processor or smashing in a bag with a rolling pin), and mix in the butter, lemon zest, and a small pinch of salt. Spread on to a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake in the oven for about 10 minutes until only just starting to turn golden (keep a close eye on it). Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form – the egg white hanging off the beater should be firm, but still bend back over itself at the tips. If you over beat the eggs whites, they can go a funny grainy texture and collapse.
Gently fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture (which should be at room temperature or a little cooler – if it’s too warm it will melt the cream) until just combined. Gently fold in the egg whites until well combined.
Spoon the mousse mixture into serving glasses or bowls, and leave in the fridge for an hour or more to set.
To make the curd whisk the sugar, citrus juices, zests and eggs in a heatproof bowl to combine. Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water and stir for 10-15 minutes until thickened. Whisk the butter in one cube at a time. Cool to room temperature.
To serve, spoon some lemon curd (about 2 tbsp) on the mousse and top and swirl to coat. Top with a good sprinkle of the butter crumb. Finish with the chocolate shavings. Dig in and devour!
Can you freeze this desert before adding shortbread crumbs?
Love this recipe! Had great success with it once before, now I’m looking at making it again for a special occasion. Only problem is I don’t have shortbread and am a bit wary of making it myself. Would the crumb topping work if i made some plain biscuits, or has it got to be shortbread? Thanks
Hi,
Can you recommend a wine match please
Are you able to freeze this dessert? Without the crumb – and add crumb before serving?
Hi. Can this be frozen?
Can you make in advance and freeze this?
what can I use for gf rather than the shortbread – nuts?
Hi Chelsea, looove your recipes and am currently making this lemon dessert for visitors…..was just wondering if you keep all the zest in the curd, as there seems to be quite a lot in there? Would it work to blitz it up a bit or will it lose its lovely smooth consistency? Thanks :)
OMG….ive made this dessert twice now for family roasties and its a huge hit. Now going to be a firm favourite. My daughter wants the recipe to keep it going for years to come!
Thanks Chelsea.
Also…this is the one thats in scrumptious right?!
Look yum! Can u freeze this? Thanks so much!
I’ve made this once and loved it. However, the people who are coming to dinner aren’t fans of white chocolate. We love the lemon and lime part and the crumb though. Can you suggest any modifications please
Hmmm – the white chocolate is a big part of it. I reckon try making another dessert for them :)
Hi Chelsea, could i freeze these without the crumb and thaw in the fridge?
Could you make this the day before and put it together just before you eat it perhaps? :-)
Could this be made as a parfait? i.e. two layers of each? Or would it be too rich? Also can it be made 2 days in advance?
Hi Chelsea I’m going to make this today but in the ingredients it says 100ml of cream and then its says 1 cup of cream, whipped. What does this mean? Does this mean i need another cream?
LOVED THIS, TASTED DEVINE XOXO
Does the mousse set firm or could it be quenelled?
Hey Chelsea, does the 250g white choc include the 1/3 cup shavings? This recipe looks so beautiful!
Hi Chelsea, do you think I could make this with passion fruit curd instead??
Definitely!
Hi Chelsea – this looks great – how far in advance could you make the mousse?
This looks so delicious but i have now made 2 times and every time my mousse curdles. 2nd time i waited till both mixtures were room temperature and still it curdled. What am i doing wrong????!!!!!!
Would this work as one big dessert? I need to make for 14 adults so will need to triple the recipe and I don’t think I have enough glasses!
Do you think this would work as a large, single dessert, i.e. not in individual receptacles? Or would it be tricky to spread the curd
What sort of cream is it single or double?
Double.
Thanks Chelsea for this devine dessert. I made this for a dinner party which included my sister (who is a foodie) and my two best friends in life. Oh my, the compliments flowed. What’s on the next menu is their question.
The most scrumptious dessert and my ‘go to’ for dinner parties. I now do it as one big rather than individuals and my favourite white chocolate is Whittaker L&P. Mmmmm. I have an abundance of lemons so thought I would make the curd . Can’t wait to have some on crumpets!
Hi ya
Omg this looks and sounds delish
Just wanting to to check about the cream, is it 1Cup of cream whipped or 1Cup whipped cream? Sorry if it’s a silly question but I’m suffering toddler brain at the moment lol
Thanks Ria
Hey, love the sound of this dessert! My husband doesn’t like lemon though (I know, crazy right?!) So I was wondering what your opinion was on using oranges instead? Would you just cut the sugar back? Thanks! (Valentines here we come!)
Hi Chelsea, I was wondering how long the curd would last being kept in the fridge? Thanks :)
I was lazy and made the mousse by itself and ohhh it is delicious! :) Love it.
Hi Chelsea
I am going to make this for a dinner party. Please don’t think I am being silly but is all the raw egg safe?
Thank you
hey i know its too late for me to leave a comment. but Chelsea i just needed to know if this mousse would set properly in 2 hours. And plus i wouldnt be setting it in a glass. Il be molding it in a cuter and the demolding it. Will it work fine? Please reply ASAP. I have my bakery pracs tomorrow and planning to make this.
Wow so exited to try this tonight. I love lemon curd and my husband and kids love white chocolate. Have friends coming for dinner, so this will be my wow desert! I’m going to use my Thermomix to make it. I’ll let you know how I go.
Argh. I made this twice, no problems. Then I decided to make it for a dinner party. Bam. Chocolate seized three times! Any suggestions on what I’m doing wrong?
Next time just add some cream when it seizes and gently heat it again :)
Just made it, settin in the fridge, kids are not home so I got to lick the bowl, I already know I love it! YUMMO!
This dessert is an absolute stunner. I’ve made it twice now and it has gotten rave reviews. Its relatively easy and comes out looking just like the picture. Thanks Chelsea :)
This looks delicious I have an abundance of lemons right now. Is the curd in this recipe one you can use on toast too?
Yes! Keep in the fridge.
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I made this delicious dessert this evening for my guests. It got the thumbs up by everyone. They thoroughly enjoyed it. It has the right balance with the tartness of the lemon curd cutting through the rich mousse. A winner of a dessert – it really hit the spot! Thanks so much Chelsea.
This was so good!! was a little daunting as Ive never made a curd before but it was all pretty easy and turned out great and won over every family member! will be sure to make again.
This is the best lemon dessert ever. The mousse is outstanding and easy to make. A real favourite – you have to try it!!
I watched you make this at the chch wine and foods show and can’t wait to give it a try! Really enjoyed your demo :)
I made this dessert for a special dinner last night and was amazing. I was told this is one of the best desserts they had ever eaten
Hey Chelsea, OMG, it was destiny that I happened across your website and saw this recipe – LOVE LOVE LOVE it, its my new fav thing, thanks!!!
We are going to dinner with people we me overseas and would love to make a dessert that will impress! This looks yum. Can it be made and assembled in advance (Thursday night for Friday nights dinner)?
Sure can! Put the mousse and curd in the glasses and cover with glad wrap, then add the crumbs last :)
This dessert will be a fav for us too! As I am not a fan of L & P choc plain white worked just as well! Children and adults all really enjoyed.
Just made this mousse today… i wholeheartedly agree with David, delicious recipe with beautiful flavours.. will become a sure favourite for dessert!!
Thanks Emma, glad you loved it!
This is a great dessert! Super cool using the new L&P chocolate too!
I was lucky to taste the first creation over the weekend. It’s super easy to make, is beautifully balanced, sweet, tart and crunchy.