Key West Cake with Mango Mousse and Ginger Lime Cream

The Cake Slice Bakers baked another cake from Sky High Irresistible Layer Cakes. And this was a wonderful one, a rumsoaked cake sandwiched with mango mousse and frosted with ginger lime cream.. Now how exciting is that!

The plain genoise was a treat on its own. Very soft crumbwise. Basically you just whisk the eggs and sugar. Here, they are whisked in a bowl placed over another bowl of simmering hot water. And the butter is folded in following the addition of flour. However, all this resulted in a very tender cake. I halved the recipe and used two layers instead of the required three. Rum was not used instead the layers were soaked with sugar syrup that was made with a little lemon juice and cinnamon spices.

The recipe requires a mango mousse. Irresisitble considering the mango season in India. Anothere hard to resist mousse the recipe made. You need to resist the urge to dig in before making it to the cake layers. 

 The ginger lime cream was something I was apprehensive of what it would lend to the end product. It sure did surprise me. I sandwiched the two layers with the mango mousse and the top and sides were frosted with the mango mousses and the ginger lime curd. I did not add the whipped cream to the ginger lime curd only to preserve the tartness.

Tempted? Here's the recipe to solve that....

July’s Cake: Key West Cake with Mango Mousse and Ginger Lime Cream

Key West Cake with Mango Mousse and Ginger Lime Cream
Recipe from Sky High Irresistible Layer Cakes by Alisa Huntsman and Peter Wynne
Cake
6 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups cake flour
3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and slightly warm

Rum Syrup
¼ cup sugar
½ cup water
¼ cup rum

Mango Mousse
2 cups finely diced mango (use tinned if fresh is not available)
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup plus 1½ tbsp sugar
2 tsp unflavoured gelatine powder *(see note below)
2 tbsp light rum
1 cup heavy cream

Ginger Lime Cream
4 egg yolks
½ cup sugar
Zest of 1 lime
¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
1½ cups cold heavy cream

Cake Method
Preheat the oven to 350F. Line the base of three 8inch round pans with parchment or waxed paper.
Place the eggs in a large heatproof bowl. Gradually beat in the sugar and the vanilla. Set over a pan of simmering water and whisk constantly until all the sugar dissolves and the eggs are warmer than body temperature. Remove from the heat and, with the mixer on medium high, whip the eggs until very fluffy and stiff enough so that a slowly dissolving ribbon forms from the dripping batter when the beaters are lifted.
Sift the flour and return to the sifter. Carefully sift about a third of the flour over the top of the eggs. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold it in. Repeat with the remaining flour, folding just until blended evenly. Finally, drizzle the butter over the batter and carefully fold it in. Divide the batter among the 3 cake pans.
Bake the layers for 12 to 14 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and let the cakes cool completely in their pans. To unmold, run a blunt knife around the rims to carefully release the edges of the cakes and tap them out gently. Carefully remove the paper on the bottom of each layer.

Rum Syrup
Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Cook over a medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Boil until the syrup is reduced to ½ cup. Remove from the heat and add the rum.

Mango Mousse
Place the mango chunks in a medium nonreactive saucepan. Add the water, bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
Transfer the cooled mangoes, along with any liquid, to a blender or food processor. Puree until smooth. Remove ½ cup of the mango puree, stir in 1½ tablespoons of sugar and set aside to use as garnish. Place the remaining mango puree (about 1 cup) in a large bowl.
Put the gelatine in a small glass or ceramic dish. Add the rum and let soften for about 5 minutes. With a microwave on low, heat the gelatine until dissolved, about 10 seconds.
Whisk the gelatine and remaining 1/3 cup sugar into the mango puree until all the sugar dissolves.
In another large chilled bowl, whip the cram until stiff. Using a rubber spatula, fold the cream into the sweetened mango puree.

Ginger Lime Cream
Whisk the egg yolks in a small, heavy nonreactive saucepan. Gradually whisk in the sugar, then the lime zest, juice and ginger. Cook over a medium low heat, stirring and scraping the base of the pot with a spatula, until the yolks visibly thicken, about 3-5 minutes.
Strain through a fine mesh sieve to remove the zest and ginger chunks. Cover the ginger lime curd with plastic wrap, pressing it directly into the surface and refrigerate until very cold, about 1 hour.
In a large mixing bowl, whip the ream until stiff. Fold the whipped cream into the ginger lime curd.

To Assemble
Place one cake layer on a cake stand, flat side up. Soak it with ¼ cup of the rum syrup. Spread half the mango mousse over the layer evenly. Repeat with the second cake layer using another ¼ cup syrup and the remaining mousse. Add the last cake layer, soak with the last of the rum syrup and chill the cake for about 1 hour.
Once firm, frost the cake with the 3 cups of ginger lime cream. Use a pastry bag fitted with a star nozzle to decorate the cake with the remaining cream. Serve the cake with a spoonful of the reserved mango puree from earlier.

The tartness of the ginger lime curd, the mild sweetness of the mousse and the very tender crumbed cake makes it to my book of to-make again delicacies.

Visit the other  Cake Slice Bakers to see their take on the cake.