The Ultimate Pomegranate Mousse Cake Recipe

Name: Pomegranate Mousse Cake
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 105 min
Yield: 16 slices
Ingredients: 1 1/4 cups cake flour; 1 3/4 teaspoon baking powder; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons butter (room temperature); 3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar; 3 large eggs (separated); 2/3 cup whole milk; 1 teaspoon vanilla; pinch cream of tartar; 2 large eggs; 2 large egg yolks; 4 tablespoons butter; 1/2 cup sugar; 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest; 1 tablespoon lemon juice; 3/4 cup pomegranate reduction (reduce 32 ounces of pomegranate juice to 10 ounces); 4 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin (1 1/2 packets); 1/4 cup water; 3 cups pomegranate curd; 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream; 2 tablespoons sugar; 6 ounces pom pomegranate juice; 2 teaspoons gelatin powder; 1 ounce pomegranate liquor; 2 tablespoons sugar; seeds from one pomegrante

June 27, 2010 by Chef Dennis Littley 135 Comments

Named as one of Huffington Posts Best Desserts of all time, my Pomegranate Mousse Cake with pomegranate mousse between each layer and topped with pomegranate seeds in a pomegranate glaze is the Ultimate Cake!

Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

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The Ultimate Pomegranate Mousse Cake

For one of the most interesting and delicious desserts you’ll ever make, try my Pomegranate Mousse Cake.

Named by Huffington Post as one of the Best Dessert Recipes of all Time this cake will amaze your family and friends!

I started going through my cookbooks, I had already decided to make a cake, but I wanted it to be a little different (for me at least).

I finally found my inspiration In Baking by James Peterson . Not a particular recipe but a mixture of a few recipes, adjusted and combined to make my Ultimate Pomegranate Mousse Cake!

I wanted to try making a Pomegranate curd, and I hadn’t quite figured out how I was going to use it, so I started by reducing 32 ounces of POM Wonderful, down to 10 ounces. start on high heat and keep an eye on it, turning it down as it gets close. This will give you a nice concentrated syrup to work with! After it was cooled I then added 2 ounces of Pomegranate Liquor.

I picked up a fresh Pomegranate and prepared the arils to use in the cake topping. If you have never prepared a pomegranate before here is a great video telling you how. How to Prepare a Pomegranate.

As I finished up the cake, I still had some of my Pomegranate reduction left, and at that moment it came to me. Lemoncello, and Pomegranate with just a few pomegranate seeds splashed in for fun! I decided to call it a Lemoncello Sunrise. Not being accustomed to drinking with lunch, I decided to take one for the team and give it a try…….the words “Nectar of the Gods” slipped from my pomegranate stained lips, and life was good. We will be making more of those later!

Lemoncello Sunrise
1 oz Limoncello
1 oz Pomegranate reduction or syrup
sprinkle of pomegranate seeds

So there you have it, my version of a Pomegranate Mousse Cake, please let me know if you do make it, I thought it turned out very well. I also gave some to my neighbor to try (since the last thing I needed was a whole cake in the house), and she told me the hint of lemon lightened it up, and it was delicious!
(This yellow cake recipe was much better than my previous attempts at Genoise)

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5 from 4 votes

Pomegranate Mousse Cake

Prep Time1 hr

Cook Time45 mins

Total Time1 hr 45 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: slices

Calories: 514kcal

Author: Chef Dennis Littley

Ingredients

Yellow Cake

1 1/4 cups cake flour
1 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons butter room temperature
3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
3 large eggs separated
2/3 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch cream of tartar

Pomegranate Curd

2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3/4 cup pomegranate reduction reduce 32 ounces of pomegranate juice to 10 ounces

Pomegranate Mousse

4 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin 1 1/2 packets
1/4 cup water
3 cups pomegranate curd
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons sugar

Pomegranate Topping

6 ounces pom pomegranate juice
2 teaspoons gelatin powder
1 ounce pomegranate liquor
2 tablespoons sugar
seeds from one pomegrante

Instructions

Yellow Cake

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour two 9 inch cake pans.
Cream butter and 3/4 cup of sugar with the paddle attachment of your mixer then after butter has softened replace the paddle with the whip attachment, and continue mixing for about 5 minutes.
Whisk in the egg yolks one at a time until the mixture is smooth.
Add the milk and vanilla, then the flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time , Don’t over mix! Transfer this all to a larger bowl
Whip egg whites and cream of tartar in your mixer for about 3 minutes until soft peaks form, then beat in the remaining sugar for about 2 minutes until medium peaks form.
Add egg white mixture to butter mixture 1/4 at a time, fold in with a rubber spatula, fully incorporating before adding more, repeat process until all your egg whites have been folded in.
Spread batter into your cake pans dividing evenly, and smooth it out with a spatula.
Bake for about 25-30 minutes in a conventional oven, or until the cake bounces back to the touch, or a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean.
Let cool for 5 minutes then turn out onto a cake rack

Pomegranate Curd

Add eggs, egg yolks, sugar, Pomegranate reduction and lemon zest into a heatproof bowl that fits over a saucepan and whisk until well blended.
Place this bowl over a saucepan with an inch of simmering water in it, as the mixture begins to get warm add the butter a little at a time, and whisk the mixture until it thickens, about 5-7 minutes ( do not let this boil)
Allow mixture to cool , until needed

Pomegranate Mousse

Place the gelatin and water in a small bowl and let it sit for about 10 minutes, or until it has absorbed all the water
Stir the softened gelatin with a fork to get rid of any lumps. Then place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water until the gelatin dissolves completely.
You may have to warm up your pomegranate curd if it has cooled too much, it should be warm to add your gelatin mixture into it. Once you've warmed up the curd, add in the gelatin mixture and whisk it until it has been well blended. Set this mixture aside and allow to get to room temperature.
Whip your cream to medium peaks ,adding sugar as it begins to thicken.
Fold whipped cream into your room temperature curd mixture, just enough to blend, do not over mix or whip it will break!!!
Allow this mixture to chill some, while you prepare your cake.

Assembly

Take your cooled cake and split each layer into 2 sections, this will give you 4 layers.
Begin with the first layer, and use the rest of your pomegranate syrup mixture to brush onto the cake layer
After you have brushed on your Pomegranate syrup, spread an even layer of Mousse on top of the cake, using a spatula or knife to make it level to the edges.
Add the next layer and repeat the process until you have added your top layer. You will have three layers of Mousse between the four cake layers.
Place this into the refrigerator to chill while you make the topping for the cake

Pomegranate Topping

Place juice in a small bowl, add the Liquor and Sprinkle gelatin over pomegranate juice and let stand 1 minute to soften gelatin
Transfer gelatin mixture to a small saucepan. Add sugar and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until sugar is dissolved.
Pour mixture into a bowl and set bowl in a larger bowl of ice and water bath, stirring mixture gently until it is cold and slightly thickened but not set.
Stir in pomegranate seeds and spoon topping onto chilled Mousse cake
Chill cake until topping is set about 1 hour.

Notes

Nutrition

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About Chef Dennis

Chef Dennis is a semi-retired Chef, writer/blogger, photographer, recipe developer and creator of A Culinary Journey with Chef Dennis aka Ask Chef Dennis®. Chef Dennis worked professionally in White Table Cloth Restaurants for 40 years and has been developing easy to make, restaurant-style recipes since 2009. The second phase of his reinvention from chef to blogger has earned him a place at the Worlds Dinner Table. Join him on his Culinary Journey enjoying his easy to make Restaurant Style recipes and travel adventures. For more details, check out his About page.

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