A Mojito-style layer cake recipe, with or without alcohol, reinterpreting a flagship summer cocktail into a generous and gourmet cake.
This layer cake is composed of a chiffon cake, my favorite sponge for this type of cake, and a white chocolate and mascarpone whipped ganache with mint and lime zest. A lime and mint gel adds pep and freshness to the whole dessert.
There is no insert; the gel is spread thinly on the sponge layers. This allows for better distribution and avoids the hassle of making two separate inserts. It is therefore a Mojito-style layer cake that is simple to make and should be a hit in summer!
If you want a version with rum, consult the tips section at the end of the recipe.
As always, I used Valrhona Ivoire white chocolate.
A Mojito Style Layer Cake (for 10 people)
Preparation: 1 h 30 min | Baking: 1 h | Difficulty: Medium
Equipment:
- A stand mixer or an electric whisk
- A mold or an 18 cm ring (minimum 6 cm high)
- A whisk
- A spatula
- A Microplane zester
- A precision scale for small measurements
Ingredients:
The White Chocolate and Mascarpone Whipped Ganache:
- 420 g liquid cream (30% fat)
- 310 g white chocolate (Valrhona Ivoire)
- 4 g mint (2 sprigs)
- Zest of one lime
- 500 g mascarpone
The Lime and Mint Gel:
- 220 g lime juice
- 2 g mint (one sprig)
- 60 g sugar
- 5 g Pectin NH (nappage)
The Chiffon Cake:
- 3 eggs
- 80 g + 30 g sugar
- 140 g flour
- 5 g baking powder
- 2 g salt
- 45 g grapeseed oil (or a neutral-tasting oil)
- 70 g milk
Decoration:
- A few mint leaves
- A lime
Preparation:
I advise you to prepare everything the day before.
On D-Day, you only have to assemble your cake.
The White Chocolate Whipped Ganache:
Bring the cream to a boil.
Remove the saucepan from the heat, add the mint and lime zest, then let infuse for 10 minutes.
Remove the mint, or strain the cream through a sieve if you do not want zest in your ganache. Reheat the cream.
Melt the white chocolate in a bain-marie or microwave.
Pour the cream in 3 times over the white chocolate, mixing each time with a spatula. Finish by mixing with an immersion blender (if you have one) to obtain a beautiful emulsion and a perfectly smooth ganache.
Place a plastic wrap directly touching the surface of the ganache and refrigerate it for the night. The mascarpone will be used at the time of assembly.
The Lime Mint Gel:
Heat the lime juice with the mint.
In a small bowl, mix the sugar and pectin, then pour this mixture into the hot lime juice.
Mix with a whisk and bring to a boil for 2 minutes.
Pour your preparation through a sieve to remove the mint. Place a plastic film touching the surface and refrigerate until assembly.
The Chiffon Cake:
Preheat your oven to 150°C (300°F) fan/convection.
Separate the egg whites from the yolks.
Mix the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt, and 80 g of sugar.
Beat the egg whites until stiff, gradually adding the remaining 30 g of sugar. Be careful, your whites must still be a little frothy; if they are too firm, you risk breaking them when mixing.
Mix the yolks with the oil and milk
Add this liquid preparation to the dry preparation (flour, etc.) and mix using a spatula.
Then add the beaten egg whites and mix them delicately without crushing them, always with a spatula. Stop as soon as the mixture is homogeneous.
Pour the batter into your ring or mold and bake for 1 hour at 150°C.
Do not grease your ring. Your chiffon cake needs to stick to the sides of your mold so as not to collapse after baking.
If you are using a solid mold, do not grease it either, simply place a disc of baking paper at the bottom.
Let the chiffon cake cool before unmolding by passing a small knife or spatula along the ring.
Store it in an airtight box at room temperature until assembly.
Assembly of the Mojito Style Layer Cake:
Cut your chiffon cake into 3 layers. If the top is very domed, I recommend cutting it off to have regular layers.
Keep the bottom of the chiffon cake, which should be the smoothest, for the top of your layer cake.
Place a first disc of chiffon cake directly on your serving platter.
Spread about a quarter of the lime gel on the sponge, using a small spatula.
Whip the ganache in the bowl of your stand mixer equipped with the whisk. Watch closely because the ganache goes very quickly from a creamy state to something very solid/grainy.
When the ganache starts to thicken: add half of the mascarpone and continue mixing.
Finally, add the rest of the mascarpone and let your mixer run until you get a firm cream with good hold.
Pipe one-third of the whipped ganache then smooth roughly.
Before placing the second sponge, spread another quarter of lime gel on it, then flip the sponge onto the ganache, so that the gel is in contact with the ganache.
Add another quarter of the lime gel on top of this sponge, then pipe another third of the ganache.
Spread the rest of the lime gel on your last sponge (crumb side), then flip it onto the ganache. The dark and smooth crust should be facing up.
At this stage you should have: sponge, gel, ganache, gel, sponge, gel, ganache, gel, and sponge.
Use the rest of the whipped ganache to fill the holes and smooth your layer cake.
Refrigerate it.
Take your cake out 30 minutes before serving. You can decorate it with a few mint leaves and thin slices of lime.
Tips and Advice to remember:
- Do not grease your ring or mold, the chiffon cake must stick so as not to collapse after baking. Prefer a high pastry ring or a mold with a detachable bottom.
You can place the ring on aluminum foil and wrap it up the outside to prevent batter leaks at the start of baking. - Remember to preheat your oven for the chiffon cake. You should not wait before putting it in the oven, so as not to let the whites collapse, once your batter is finished.
- It is easier to cut the chiffon cake if it is very cold (this applies to all sponges). If you are in a hurry, do not hesitate to put it in the refrigerator once unmolded.
- The crust of the biscuit can tend to crumble a little. Do not hesitate to rub it very gently with your hand to remove as many crumbs as possible. It will be largely masked by the whipped ganache anyway.
- You can use a piping bag to fill the layer cake with whipped ganache, this allows for easier dosing. If you don’t have one or don’t want to use one, it also works with a simple spatula.
- For a Rum version: replace 70 g of lime juice with rum, to be added when your gel is cooked and you remove it from the heat (so as not to cook off the alcohol).
