Mini Lemon Cakes

Ingredients
For the base
80 g of Soft wheat flour type 2
4 eggs
100 g of sugar
50 ml of milk
50 ml of vegetable oil
1 pinch of salt

For the lemon curd
45 g of butter
100 ml of lemon juice
2 egg yolks
17 g of cornstarch
80 g of sugar

For the lemon and white chocolate cream
150 g of white chocolate
100 ml of fresh cream
140 ml of lemon juice
180 g of mascarpone
6 g of honey
3.5 g of sheet gelatin

For garnish
Mint leaves
Lemon slices

Procedure
For this recipe, we recommend preparing the lemon and white chocolate cream and the lemon curd the night before.

For the lemon and white chocolate cream
Soak the gelatin in cold water and melt the white chocolate with the cream and honey in a double boiler. Next, add the well-squeezed gelatin, lemon juice, and mascarpone, then blend everything together with a mixer. Cover the cream with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 12 hours. After chilling, lightly whip the mixture with a whisk until it is light, fluffy, and firm.

For the lemon curd
Mix the egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch. In a separate bowl, heat the lemon juice with the butter, then pour it over the egg yolk mixture and stir. Return to the heat and cook over low heat, without boiling, until you obtain a thick cream. Cover with plastic wrap and let cool, preferably overnight.

For the base
To begin, beat the egg yolks with 50 g of sugar until the mixture turns pale. Add salt, milk, and oil, then fold in the sifted flour. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form, and when they start to foam, add the remaining 50 g of sugar. Continue beating until you have a glossy, stiff meringue. Now fold the egg whites into the previous mixture in two batches, stirring gently from the bottom up. Finally, pour the batter into a 23×30 cm baking pan lined with parchment paper and bake in a conventional oven at 180°C for about 15 minutes. Once cooled, cut out 8 cm diameter discs using a pastry cutter.

Assembly
Place a base disc on the plate. Transfer the cream and the curd into two pastry bags—one with a smooth tip and one with a star tip—and pipe alternating swirls onto the surface of each disc. Next, place the second disc on top and decorate the surface by alternating the cream and curd again. Finally, garnish with fresh mint and a thin slice of lemon.

In collaboration with Deliziosa Virtù