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This delicious Lemon Mousse is so elegant, yet easy enough to make an ordinary day special. It tastes like a creamy, fluffy lemon cloud with a layer of graham cracker-coconut-pecan crunch on the bottom.
"Oh my goodness!" That's what Scott and I both said as we took the first bite of this lemon curd mousse and our eyes got big. It's light as one of those whimsical, fluffy, summer day clouds (well, not in calories, sorry), loaded with bright lemon flavor and smooth as silk.
The base layer of crushed graham crackers, coconut, pecans, brown sugar and melted butter is the crunchy crowning glory. Almost as good as the fabulous flavor is the fact that you can make this dessert in short order (if you have a batch of our Ridiculously Easy Lemon Curd on hand, which, by the way, takes less than 15 minutes!).
The inspiration for this Easy Lemon Mousse was thisย Ridiculously Easy Lemon Curd.
One day in the midst of developing the lemon curd recipe, I had a conversation with my daughter-in-law, Lindsay. She asked a good question; "What would you use lemon curd for?" That made me think that other people would probably be wondering the same thing. So I decided to come up with some new recipes using lemon curd. After all, lemon and spring seem to go together like the proverbial "two peas and a pod", right?
First came this deliciousย Lemon Curd Shortbread Tart. After that, our Lemon Curd Poppy Seed Cakeย and now this wonderful EAsy Lemon Mousse. I hope you're starting to get the picture that lemon curd is such a great condiment to have on hand and that there are SO many ways to use it!
A short line up of ingredients
Besides the simple graham cracker base, the list of ingredients for this lemon curd mousse is short: cream cheese, lemon curd and heavy cream. That's it. Just combine the three ingredients and layer on top of the base.
What is a mousse?
No to be confused with a mouse or something you use to style your hair, mousse is a term, according to Merriam Webster, that's used to describe "a molded chilled dessert made with sweetened and flavored whipped cream or egg whites and gelatin". Mousse (pronounced moos) is a French word that means "foam". It dates back to the late 1800s and started as a savory dish. In the early 1900s a dessert mousse was introduced in France and the rest, as they say, is (sweet) history!
Dress this lemon curd mousse up or down
I love that this lemon mousse can be dressed up or down. Serve it in a fancy glass, a simple ramekin or a glass jar. Dress it up with lemon slices, fresh fruit, whipped cream, mint leaves/sprigs or leave it plain and unadorned. Serve it on its own or paired with a shortbread cookie or sugar topped scone. However you serve it, it will definitely bring rave reviews (and oh my goodnesses!).
One last thing. Don't skip the graham cracker base. It will take a few extra minutes as it's baked in the oven for 8-10 minutes to make it crunchy, but it pairs so nicely with the silky smooth mousse and it's fun to reach down with your spoon and grab a bit for every bite!
Cafรฉ Tips for making this Easy Lemon Mousse
- This recipe calls for ยฝ cup of heavy cream that needs to be whipped "until soft peaks form". You can pull out your electric mixer to whip the cream if you want. There are also some other easy ways to whip cream.
- Use a small bowl or measuring cup and a whisk. It will take about 2-2ยฝ minutes to whip a half cup of cream. If you use this type of whisk, it goes even faster! (This is my favorite way to whip cream as I can really keep an eye on it as the cream can go from lovely soft peaks to lumpy or almost-butter so quickly.)
- Use an immersion blender. It takes about 20 seconds, although the cream is slightly less fluffy.
- Put the cream in a medium-size mason jar and shake, shake, shake. You can employ kids or other family members to help with this (maybe promise them a slightly larger serving as an impetus).
- I used blueberries for a garnish but raspberries, strawberries, blackberries or currants would be pretty and delicious!
- Although our Ridiculously Easy Lemon Curd ย is so simple to make and has fantastic flavor, you could definitely use purchased lemon curd for this recipe.
- This lemon curd mousse can be made 1-2 days in advance. Wait until just before serving to add whipped cream or any garnishes.
- I love these Weck Min Tulip Jars for desserts, condiments and jams and jellies. They make a simple, yet elegant presentation.
If you enjoyed this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review! Itโs so helpful to other readers to hear otherโs results and ideas for variations.
This Lemon Curd Mousse is so elegant, yet easy enough to make an ordinary day special. It's a creamy, fluffy lemon cloud on top of a graham cracker-y crunch.
- 2 full-size graham crackers
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar light or dark
- 3 tablespoons shredded unsweetened coconut
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped pecans
- 2 ยฝ tablespoons melted butter
- 4 ounces softened cream cheese
- 1 ยพ cups Ridiculously Easy Microwave Lemon Curd
- ยฝ cup heavy cream
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Preheat oven to 350หF. Line a sheet pan with foil for easy cleanup, if desired.
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Place graham crackers in a zippered bag and seal tightly. Using a rolling pin, roll over the bag until crackers are until finely crushed. Transfer crackers crumbs to a medium-size bowl.
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Add the brown sugar, coconut, pecans and melted butter to the bowl with the cracker crumbs. Stir well to thoroughly coat the mixture with the butter. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and bake for 8-10 minutes, or until golden and crunchy. Stir halfway through to redistribute.
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Divide the mixture between 4 six or eight-ounce jars or ramekins and pack it down slightly with the rounded tip of a spoon. Allow to cool completely while preparing the mousse.
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Whisk the cream cheese in a medium-size bowl until smooth and lump-free. Add the lemon curd and whisk together until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
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With a whisk or a handheld mixer whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form when you pull up the whisk or mixer.
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Fold the whipped cream into the lemon curd mixture until just combined.
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Divide the mousse between the 4 jars/ramekins. Garnish with whipped cream and fresh fruit, if desired.
See Cafรฉ Tips above in the post for further instructions and more detailed tips.
The Cafรฉ Sucre Farineย is a participant in the Amazon Affiliate Program. The Amazon Affiliate Program is designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to products on Amazon.ย The price you pay as a consumer does not change, but if you make a purchase through one of our links, we receive a small commission โ and we continue delivering delicious recipes to you
Patricia Streeter says
Am I correct that I can make the entire mouse recipe one to two days in advance and the reference to adding whipped cream just before serving relates to a whipped cream garnish ?
Thanks in advance for your response. Love your recipes!!
Oh, can I have the emails for the lemon curd in case I havenโt already requested them?
Thx. Patricia Streeter
Lindsay @ The Cafรฉ Sucre Farine says
Yes, that's correct, Patricia. We will send the labels your way!
Valerie says
Hello, I am making your recipe with my daughter and we are very excited to eat it. I have a question about the nutrition facts.... vitamin A is over 1000% of DV? That can't be right and would be scary if true. Is it possibly the vitamin C?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Valerie, Good question! Our nutrition program figures Vitamin A in IU's instead of mcg. The info in this post is correct but, to clarify, I have posted the RDA below in mcg and IU. (You will note that when measured in IU's, it is well within the allowance.)
The Recommended Dietary Allowance for adults 19 years and older is 900 mcg RAE for men (equivalent to 3,000 IU) and 700 mcg RAE for women (equivalent to 2,333 IU).
Kathryn says
Such a winner! Found this recipe while I was looking for a dessert to make using some lemon curd I had purchased in London. So easy and everyone loved it. Will likely try the lemon curd recipe next time. Thanks!
Chris Scheuer says
That's great, Kathryn!
HollyRae says
So good! Made this for our Easter dessert and my son and fiance just emailed asking for the recipe! The crunchy delight at the bottom is such a winner.
Chris Scheuer says
Awesome! Thanks for letting us know, HollyRae!
Cat says
Hi Chris!
Me again..lol. Not a huge fan of shredded coconut...if I omitted it, what adjustments to the crumble should I make? Thanks again for all your delicious "Going to Fatville" recipes๐คฃ
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Cat, you could use a little extra crumbs or pecans.
Pat says
How would I make this for 6 people?
Double the recipe?
Thanks so much
Pat
Chris Scheuer says
Yes, that would work, Pat.
Marie Josee Roy says
Hi! I do not have graham crackers but I have Honey Maid crumbs...would that work?
Thanks very much!
MJ
Chris Scheuer says
Yes! That will work perfectly! Enjoy!
Patrice Van Dam says
Best dessert ever, worth the time involved and I will never make lemon curd on the stovetop ever again! Thanks so
much for the shortcut!
Chris Scheuer says
Awesome! Thank you for letting us know, Patrice!
Victoria says
I finally made your curd. OMG. I'll never buy jarred curd again. Have you made it with other citrus?? I'm thinking lime, orange, or blood orange!!! Can you just???
Chris Scheuer says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Victoria! I have not tried it with other citrus, but I bet it would be delicious. If you try it, let us know.
Nancy M Long says
if I was using graham crumbs from the store, how much would I need? Thanks
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Nancy, I would use a slightly rounded quarter cup of crumbs for this recipe.
Denise says
If we are purchasing lemon curd in a jar to use in the mousse recipe, do you know how many ounces we should purchase?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Denise, you would need 14 ounces.
Jennie says
Next on my list to make., since we loved your Easy Lemon Curd. I noticed one of your awesome labels on the lemon cured. Do you use a label maker or do you create these unique labels on your computer? I would love to try to create labels also since I gift your delicious muffins to friends quite frequently. Thank you for any assistance in guiding me to a label making source. Also, thank you for sharing your recent trip....The pictures and daily adventures were so enjoyable to see and read.
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Jennie, hope you enjoy the mousse. Regarding your question, I use Avery.com to create most of my labels. You can go as simple or fancy as you like with their templates.
Patti says
This is amazing!!! I've served this several times and always get OMG this is amazing compliments!
Chris Scheuer says
I'm so glad, Patti! Thanks for letting us know!
Catalina says
Looks delicious. I will try it. Can this mousse be used as a cake filling? Thank you.
Chris Scheuer says
Absolutely! You can see it here: https://thecafesucrefarine.com/lemon-curd-poppy-seed-cake/
So good! ๐
karen shoup says
I am making this dessert for a small dinner party and I am wondering how much in advance I can prepare the dishes. I am trying to avoid the crumble from becoming soggy. Thank you... karen
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Karen, I have made this early in the day and it was wonderful at dinnertime! If you wanted to make it more in advance, you could make the curd and the crumble and put them together closer to serving time.
Coleen says
This was quite yummy, the comments to NOT skip the crust are oh so very accurate! I made one adjustment to personalize it to my husband's tastes. I made extra lemon curd, layered the bowl with crust, mousse, then a thin layer of lemon curd, maybe 25% the thickness of the mousse. It was perfection.
I did have to strain my curd, both batches, and actually doing the 45 second intervals gave me larger bits of egg white. I tried 45-45-45-30-30 and whilst it did not have as much egg white curdled out, they were much smaller bits and more likely to go through the sieve . I am sure with more attempts, I will find the sweet spot for my microwave!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks for sharing your results, Coleen. You shouldn't have to strain the jam. You probably have a very powerful microwave. Perhaps go down a power level or two to prevent lumps.
Ana says
My husband is a lemon fiend. He absolutely loved this dessert and so did I. He asked the I make more of the graham cracker to use for layering with the mousse. Super summer dessert!
Chris Scheuer says
So happy you enjoyed this, Ana! Thanks so much for sharing your review!
diana says
again another WOW post so inspiring going to try the tart and lemon curd mousse tomorrow, but where did you get those beautiful purple edible flower seeds from I want to start seedling and grow them her I cannot find them anywhere and your artistic display talents are OUTSTANDING, show stopper quality thank again be well Diana from Toronto
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much, Diana, for your very kind comment. Hope you enjoy the tart and mousse.
I find my flowers all over. Some of the are wild and grow here in the mountains of NC. Some we buy as small plants from a local nursery and some we grow from seed. I've gotten edible flower seeds from Amazon: https://amzn.to/2UUqUgE
Lisa says
I have graham cracker crumbs and was wondering about how much to use instead of the actual graham crackers. Thanks so much! The curd is divine!
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Lisa, it would be about ยผ cup of crumbs. I'm glad you like the curd!
Mimi says
Hi Chris,
Thanks so much for your delicious recipes! We have a tree-nut allergy in my family. Can I omit the nuts from the crust or can you recommend a substitute? How would I alter the measurements for the other crust ingredients?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Mimi, just add a little extra coconut. It will be delicious!
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers says
Just lovely and lemon desserts are my absolute favourite. A great way to brighten these days ๐
Bobbi Mcmillen says
Excellent lemon mousse. I had made your microwave lemon curd a couple of days ago so made the mousse yesterday. I was out if blueberries so used blackberries for garnish. Oh so yummy. Thanks so much for Sharing. Have loved every one of your recipes that I have tried. Not one disappointment
Chris Scheuer says
Yay! So happy you had all the ingredients, Bobbi! Thanks so much for your kind words and for taking the time to leave a review!
Renee Richter says
I made lemon curd this week and I had cream, graham crackers, unsweetened coconut and pecans. Soooo, we had one of the most delicious desserts we've EVER had. Thank you so much for coming up with this. I can't wait to our next dinner party to wow everybody. I promise to give you credit!
Chris Scheuer says
You're so welcome, Rennee! I'm so happy you enjoyed it!
Liz says
Lovely!! Bill adores lemon treats so it's fun to shake up our desserts, and your mousse would be a hit. Man cannot live on chocolate alone!
Chris Scheuer says
Haha! Thanks, Liz! Maybe this one will turn his head toward lemon!
Beth says
Chris
Weโve been mostly sheltered in place now for a few weeks and while I am grateful for our families health at this time, it does tend to get so routine. Wanted to let you know how much help your new recipes have been in terms of breaking the monotony. I have not been able to run to the store to buy ingredients as easily but itโs so nice to be able to read about a new recipe idea and I did buy lemons on our last grocery run. It may not seem like much but just reading about a new and different recipe is such a bright spot in my day. So thank you and wishing you a healthy spring. Keep them coming ๐
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Beth,
We're in the same boat with you, hunkered up on this lonely mountain together. It's nice though, to be quarantined with someone I really like!
Thanks for your kind and encouraging words. I hope you can make this lemon curd mouse. It's really nice to have a sweet treat in the middle of all this craziness. Stay safe and I think we'll all be better on the other side of this ๐