A deliciously easy, tangy refreshing lemon mousse that's a welcome addition to any dessert table!
Every family has it's go to recipes, the ones with a totally retro vibe that make a steady appearance at dinner after dinner, but somehow never get boring. For some it is a classic cake or a kheer, but in my family that dessert it is this Easy Lemon Mousse we called Lemon Velvet. It is sweet, tart and utterly luscious. Like most things I like to make it is also a cinch to pull together and can be used in many ways.
If you are a lemon lover then can I suggest you also check out this Lemon Cake with a Cream Cheese Glaze? I have to guard the frosting so my family doesn't eat it before I frost the cake!
Ingredients
They are as simple as they come
- Whipping cream
- Condensed milk
- Lemon juice (duh!)
- Gelatin (for that extra oomph, but it is skippable)
How to Serve This Easy Lemon Mousse
We used to serve lemon velvet in a square or rectangular dish, layered with salty buttery Tuc biscuits. These days I either serve it in one big dish with gingersnap crumbs or in glasses layered with gingersnap crumbs and fruit. You can also layer it with just fruit, spread over meringue, use it as a tart filling - the possibilities are endless.
(between you and me, it's yummiest licked of the spatula ... shhhh)
Is this a traditional Mousse?
Short answer: No. This Easy Lemon Mousse is an eggless mousse so it doesn't get it's texture from a meringue (egg whites + sugar) or richness from the yolk. Instead the powdered gelatin stabilizes the cream for that luscious mousse texture and the condensed milk gives it a wonderful richness.
What Other EASY Desserts Can I Make Ahead?
- If you are a mousse fan then this Mango Mousse is SO good
- If you want to do the most fun flip ever then make this Caramel Custard/Flan
- If Nutella is your love language then this Nutella Cheesecake (which you can make and FREEZE!) is calling your name
- If you want to say boss things like "this ice cream is homemade" then any of these easy hand mixer recipes is so satisfying - Caramel Crunch, and Coffee Toffee.
Hope you love these recipes as much as we do! Do rate them below if you try them and tag me in your recreations on Instagram @flourandspiceblog - have a sweet day!
Easy Lemon Mousse
Ingredients
- 1 cups whipping cream
- 300 ml condensed milk
- ⅓-1/2 cup lemon juice (½ if you want it tart!)
- 2 tsp gelatin (powdered) (notes)
Optional
- 2 cups biscuit crumbs (recommend: ginger), for layering
- a few drops of yellow food colour
Instructions
- Gelatin: put 3 tbsp of water in a bowl, scatter the 2 tsp of gelatin over top. let it sit until it absorbs into the water (a few minutes) then heat it in the microwave for 30 seconds, if it doesn't dissolve into a liquid then heat it some more. Set aside to cool
- Whip the cream on medium high speed until peaks form
- Mix in the condensed milk on medium speed, then the lemon juice, and finally the dissolved (cooled) gelatin. Taste to adjust for tartness (more lemon) or more sweetness (icing sugar). I like this as is
- Layer the crumbs (if using) at the bottom of a dish then gently spoon the lemon mousse on top and smoothen it. Chill for a minimum of 2 hours and decorate as desired.
Notes
- I have made this without gelatin many times, but you don't get the traditional mousse texture - so yummy nonetheless!
- I grew up layering the mousse with tuc biscuits, a salt cracker. There is no need to make crumbs in that case, just pour half the mousse, layer the tuc biscuits and then the remaining mousse.
- In Canada condensed milk cans are 300ml. For 350 ml cans use 1 ¾ cup cream, ½ cup lemon juice.
Izzah says
Sarah! I ended up trying this and loving every bite. It kept very well in the fridge too. I added crushed pineapple & mixed it in. Since I'm in the US, I just used less condensed milk & it worked perfectly. Thank you for sharing! Can't wait to make it again for guests!
Humaira says
So good! Although I don’t know what I did wrong with the gelatin I had blobs of it in the dessert
Sarah Mir says
Hi Humaira! Glad to hear it worked (minus the gelatin). Now in terms of the gelatin if you had blobs of it that to me means one of two things. 1.) The gelatin wasn't fully dissolved and 2.) that it wasn't correctly mixed in. I am going to try and add a separate video on gelatin use in the post.
Humaira says
That would be very helpful, thank you!
Mehjabeen says
Hi can I use my springform pan
Sarah Mir says
HI Mehjabeen! I am not sure this mix as written would hold shape in a springform pan - My assumption is that you would need to increase the gelatin mix by half to get it to work, but I haven't tested that!
Shahana says
This recipe is such a crowd pleaser! Everytime I have made it - it is the favourite item on the menu. I love that you can adjust the sweet vs tastiness ratios. I have made this with ginger biscuits and digestives - both turn out fine.
Sarah Mir says
Thank you so much! Also YES to adjusting ratios - the flavour of something as simple as lemon can vary so much (plus personal preferences!) so it's nice to be able to do that!