Lemon Mousse – Easy Dinner Party Dessert
Tangy, refreshing, creamy and delicious – Lemon Mousse is a perfect dessert for a dinner party – or when you just want something a little extra special. It’s also good because you can make it a few hours in advance – in fact it is best when it has had time to get really chilled all the way through. When cooking for friends I prefer to keep the time as much as possible, for chatting and enjoying their company, and the minimum time in the kitchen, so prepare ahead dishes are the best!
Delicious lemon mousse recipe – for that special someone – yet low cost and easy to prepare. Best when chilled for a few hours
For all its deliciousness, Lemon Mousse is a really low cost recipe. You can even dress it up a bit to make it look extra posh. Use lemon rind or thin dark chocolate pieces, mint leaves or may be even a few nuts.
Who would know that it is less than 50p a person to prepare – and it is much better than anything you can get from the supermarket.
Serve in a pretty small tumbler, whisky glass or dessert dishes. These sort of things can often be picked up for a small cost at your local charity shop.
Quick Dessert To Make – A Few Tips
This recipe only takes a few minutes to make. Ideally you will need an electric whisk, but this can be done by hand with a balloon whisk. Make sure the whisk and bowl you use for your egg whites is completely clean and grease free.
The recipe is for three/four people but you can easily halve the quantities for two people. Try to buy ‘unwaxed’ lemons as you going to use the zest, as well as the juice. However, if you can’t get unwaxed, just give the lemons a good scrub with water to remove the coating.
When you whip the cream with the sugar and lemon rind, make sure you whip until it thickens but has not got too stiff. Remember that you still have to stir in the whipped egg white and this will be difficult if the mixture is too stiff. Whip it until it is soft but thick.
Separating Eggs
Separate the egg from the yolk with care. Not a spec of egg yolk should touch the white or it will not whip up properly. Just crack the egg in the middle, let the white fall away, while you keep the yolk in one side of the broken shell.
Then, gently transfer the yolk to the other side, to ensure all the white has been collected. Make sure there are no stray bits of shell in the white. If there are, these can be extracted using a clean teaspoon.
Or use an Egg Separator
Using The Egg Yolks
Pop the egg yolk in a separate container. If the container doesn’t have a lid, cover with clingfilm to stop it drying out. Use within a day or two
Looking for ideas to use up your egg yolks? Try Gooseberry Tart, Bananas And Home Made Custard or Lemon Curd
More Lemon Recipes
Lemon Mousse Recipe
Equipment
- Glass serving dishes or pretty tumblers
Ingredients
- 300 ml double cream
- 2 lemons
- 60 g caster sugar
- 2 egg whites
Instructions
- Grate the zest from the lemons (retain a small amount for decoration, if desired)
- Place the cream, lemon zest and sugar in a bowl
- Whisk until thick and still soft
- Extract the juice from both the lemons
- Stir in the juice of the lemons
- In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff
- Fold the egg white into the cream mixture
- Divide the mixture in four bowls
- Decorate with lemon zest or dark chocolate shavings
- Place in the fridge to chill for several hours
Made this recipe today, it was quick, easy and tasted delicious, very lemony and zingy, highly recommended.
Can you freeze the mousse?
I haven’t tried it but it should be ok
I made this quick and easy recipe, it’s lovely, I would highly recommend to anyone. Thank you Penny
Hi Penny, I just made your lemon mousse, and may I say it’s absolutely perfect, delicious my husband is a fan of anything lemon so this has just made his day. Thank you for sharing
Am about to make your Lemon Mousse, but the recipe requires 2 lemons, whereas your Instructions say stir in the juice of THE lemon. Could you clarify – is it the zest of 2 lemons but the juice of only 1? Don’t want to make it too wet!
That should be the lemons – plural. Thank you for pointing that out. I will correct it in the text. Hope you enjoy your lemon mousse!
Hi Penny,
Is this lemon mousse recipe both tangy and sweet?
Thank you.
Yes, I think so…
Loved this mousse,its so simple and tasted great. Would definately do this again.
made this mouse ive made chocolate in the past.. but this one is lovely so refreshing will be making it again and again
I made this today, followed exactly Penny’s advice. I am so pleased and proud, I have a mousse that I will serve tomorrow to my family, it tasstes wonderful, thank you. Since I have been following you I have cooked many of your recipes, simplicity, taste, economic.
One other thing. I found this top tip for separating eggs on you tube. It works brilliantly.
Break the egg carefully into a bowl.
Using a clean empty water drinks bottle or similar, squeeze the bottle to expel some air, place the mouth of the bottle over the yolk and release the sides – this sucks the yolk up into the bottle!
You have to tip the bottle upright quickly to keep the yolk in. If it slips back into the bowl just repeat.
It may be easier to watch it on you tube first!!
Thanks,
Tass
Hi Penny,
I haven’t tried your lemon mousse yet.
I have an eggless chocolate mousse recipe to share- my Dad’s got an egg intolerance.
It’s rich so a little goes a long way. This quantity filled a large round pyrex dish, the sort that comes with a lid.
250g milk chocolate, melted. – I guess you could use less if dark choc?
300ml double cream, whipped until it’s in soft peaks
About the same quantity of reduced fat creme fraiche
(I shop at Aldi so it’s all cheap)
Just melt the chocolate, stir in the creme fresh, then gently fold in the whipped double cream.
Chill and serve.
It got the thumbs up from small kids to my 80 year old Dad – even impressed the guests. It was quick to make.
Hi I made your lemon mousse but I did it with 1 lemon + 1 lime was so tangy + delish
Just wanted to say I’ve only just found your blog and have just made the lemon mousse. It’s delicious and I have blogged about it.
Many thanks.
Joy
Lemon is my favourite ingredient in sweet dishes and I don’t like baking, I’m only a cook! This suits me well! I’m looking forward to trying it x
looks good. I haven’t tried it yet, but a top tip in a kid’s recipe book for separating eggs was to break the egg onto a saucer or small plate, put an egg cup on top of the yolk and hold it on whilst you poor the white away into another bowl (hope that makes sense).