Lemon Chiffon Cake with Ginger Mousse 薑汁慕絲雪紡蛋糕

If there were a movie rating for desserts or cakes, I would rate this cake an "R"--adults only! Kids may be too young to appreciate ginger's pungent sensation. This is why I only made two small (4 inches) cakes. My husband raved about it after one bite and would not share with me.

This is a very refreshing cake. To my surprise, lemon and ginger are a great match. Although ginger is not a common ingredient in making desserts (a popular one is this Chinese dessert: ginger milk pudding 薑汁撞奶 ), it gives a soothing and brisk taste in this mousse cake. If you like ginger milk pudding, you have to try it. This is my first time making a ginger mousse and I'm happy with it!
The following recipe is for a 9-inch cake. The chocolate glaze is optional but complements the flavor well and is an elegant decoration.

Recipe modified and adjusted from The Cake Book by Tish Boyle. The original recipe uses lime but I only have lemon in the kitchen and it is close enough. The chocolate glaze is my addition, too.

Ingredients for a 9 inch lemon chiffon cake:

50g cake flour
40g cornstarch
3 whole eggs, separated
1 yolk
3/4 tsp baking powder
100g sugar
32g vegetable oil
30g water
30g lemon juice, freshly squeezed and strained
2 tsp lemon zest

1)  Preheat oven to 350F. Oil and flour a 9 inch pan and put parchment paper on the bottom.
2)  Whisk 4 yolks with half the sugar until pale. Add water, juice, zest, and oil and whisk until combined.
3)  Sift flour, cornstarch, and baking powder into the mixture and mix until combined. Set aside.
4)  Beat the egg whites in a clean bowl until soft peaks form. Add the remaining sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.
5)  Fold the whites into the yolk mixture thoroughly until no white is seen.
6)  Pour the batter into the pan. Level the surface and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
7)  Immediately take the cake out and loosen the sides with a knife. Invert it on an oiled rack. Remove the paper and re-invert it onto another rack. Let it cool completely.

Ginger Mousse:
2 cups/ 480g heavy cream
25g finely grated fresh ginger
30g water
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
6 egg yolks
100g sugar

1)  Put half a cup of heavy cream into a small pot with the grated ginger. Bring it to a boil. Remove from heat and let the ginger infuse for about 15 minutes.
2)  Put water in a small bowl. Sprinkle gelatin onto the water and let it soak.
3)  Strain the ginger infused cream into a bowl and press down the ginger to extract as much cream as possible.
4)  In another bowl, whisk the yolks with sugar until it dissolves.
5)  Reheat the ginger cream in the small pot until it boils. Pour into the yolk mixture with constant stirring.
6)  Put the mixture on top of a pot with simmering water. With constant whisking, heat until it reaches 160F.
7)  Microwave the gelatin briefly untill it dissolves. Mix in with the yolk mixture and stir well. Let cool to room temperture.
8)  Beat the remaining heavy cream until medium firm peaks form.
9) Fold the two together with a spatula.

Cake Assembly:

1)  Cut the cake horizontally into two layers.
2)  Layer one layer into a springform pan. Pour about half the mousse onto it.
3)  Layer another piece of cake down and pour in the rest of the mousse.
4)  Refrigerate at least 3 hours or until it sets.