White Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse

This mousse gives your cake that “little something” extra to elevate it from good to great. With a few adaptations, this recipe is inspired by Nicola Lamb’s mascarpone mousse, which you can find in her cookbook Sift—a reference guide for baking that is well-loved by our kitchen staff. It’s stable enough to live between layers of cake, while also adding the light layer of cream you so often find in excellent pastries. 

Yields: 3 ½ cups | Prep Time: 25 minutes | Cook Time: 5 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 3 large egg yolks
• 3 tablespoons (39 grams) granulated cane sugar
• ½ cup (85 grams) white chocolate
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 8 ounces mascarpone, cold from the fridge
• 1 cup (227 grams) heavy cream, cold from the fridge

DIRECTIONS

1. Add the egg yolks, sugar, white chocolate, and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer. Set aside.
2. Fill a medium saucepan with 1- to 2-inches of water and place it on the stove over medium heat. Once the water begins steaming, reduce the heat to medium low and put the mixing bowl over the saucepan. The water should be steaming, but not simmering, as you don’t want to overheat the bowl. 
3. Whisk the eggs mixture constantly until both the sugar and white chocolate have melted, about 3 to 5 minutes depending on the strength of your steam. Immediately remove the bowl from the pan and secure it to the stand mixer, fitted with a whisk attachment. 
4. Whisk the egg mixture on medium speed for about 4 to 5 minutes, or until the bottom of the bowl is barely warm to the touch. 
5. Scrape the sides of the bowl, then add the mascarpone. Whisk on medium speed for about 1 minute, or until the mascarpone and egg mixture is well-combined. 
6. Add the heavy cream to the stand mixer and whip on medium-high speed until the cream reaches stiff peaks—about 4 to 6 minutes. Stop the mixer, scrape the sides of the bowl, and check the consistency at the 4 minute mark. Watch the mousse closely—if it begins looking grainy, stop mixing immediately, as you are beginning to overwhip. 
7. Store the mousse in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Gently re-whip before using.