No bake lemon slice

Today I want to share a delicious, refreshing dessert. This time we'll prepare a no bake lemon slice: moist sponge finger base covered with smooth lemon filling and light-as-a-cloud lemon mousse. We won't miss out on a generous icing layer, too. 

Distinct, lightly tart lemon flavour permeates every later. Moist sponge fingers, delicate lemon icing, fluffy mousse and icing each bring something different, but together they wonderfully satisfy a sweet craving while simultaneously providing a refreshing treat. A truly perfect dessert for the warmer days ahead.  

You'll find the list of ingredients, method and approximate nutritional value below.

Turn on English dubbing to watch the video.

List of ingredients (20 x 30 cm baking tin)

Base

• 160 g sponge fingers
• 200 ml water
• 100 ml citrus liqueur

Lemon filling

• 700 ml milk
• 3/4 cup (~150 g) sugar
• 3 egg yolks
• Zest of one lemon 
• 60 g cornstarch (~3 heaped tbsp)
• 60 g flour (~3 heaped tbsp)
• 50 ml lemon juice
• 150 g butter

Lemon mousse

• 1 lemon jelly + 200 ml hot water
• 400 ml whipping cream

Decoration

• 200 g buttery biscuits
• 200 g icing sugar
• 40 ml lemon juice

Method

1. Pour 500 ml milk into a large pot and add 150 g fine white sugar and zest of one lemon. Stir through the contents of the pot shortly, only until sugar dissolves, and put it over medium low heat until milk comes to a simmer. 
2. Meanwhile, work on remaining ingredients. Add 3 large egg yolks, 60 g all purpose flour and 60 g cornstarch into remaining 200 ml of milk. Stir through the contents of the jug shortly, until uniform liquid forms. Once the milk has started simmering, turn heat under the pot down to low and, stirring constantly, add custard base into hot milk. Once you've got a uniform mixture turn heat back up to medium low and cook the custard for a few minutes until thick and smooth. Don't stop stirring because custard sticks to the bottom of the pot easily and it's not difficult to burn it. If that happens, it will become bitter and you may need to start afresh.
3. Once you've got the right texture take pot off heat and add freshly squeezed juice of one lemon. Stir through the contents of the pot until uniform. Pour its contents into a wide dish. Cover the top with plastic wrap to prevent thick skin from forming and set custard aside to cool completely.
4. Pour 200 ml cool water and 100 ml citrus liqueur wine into a small, wide, flat dish. Stir through the contents of the dish shortly, only until uniform. Soak sponge fingers in the mixture and arrange them in the bottom of a baking tin, 20 x 30 cm. Line the bottom of the baking tin with baking paper first, and its sides - with baking paper or acetate foil. Once you've got a compact base set the baking tin aside and move on to cream layer. 
5. Put 150 g suft butter into a large bowl and cream it with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Once you've got the right texture scrape down the sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula and start adding cool lemon custard. Do it slowly, a tablespoon at a time, and mix it thoroughly in before adding the next part. At the end of the process the filling may look quite fluid, but it will firm up once it cools down.
6. Transfer lemon filling onto soaked sponge fingers, spread it across the whole surface and even out the top. Put the tin into a fridge as you move on to lemon mousse.
7. Add 1 packet lemon jelly crystals into 200 ml of freshly boiled water. Stir the contents of the jug until jelly dissolves and set it aside for around 30 minutes until it cools down, but doesn't start setting yet.
8. Pour 400 ml cold whipping cream (36%) into a large bowl. Beat it with an electric mixer 3/4 of the way, that is until mixer beaters start making visible marks in cream, and cream becomes fluffy and doubles in size, but is not stiff yet.
9. Turn the mixer speed tot he lowest setting then and start adding cool lemon jelly. Do it in a slow trickle while continuing to mix. Once all of the jelly is in, continue mixing for another 30 seconds to make sure it gets combined fully with the cream.
10. Pour mousse on top of the lemon filling, spread it in across the whole surface and even out the top. Mousse may start setting quite fast, so it's worth working quickly.
11. Arrange 200 g buttery biscuits on top. Put the cake into a fridge for a few hours, or best overnight, until lemon mousse and filling set.
12. Decorate the dessert. Transfer 200 g icing sugar into a small bowl and add around 4 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice. Add juice in batches, a tablespoon at a time, and mix it in after each part to assess icing texture. Stop once you've got thick, smooth, but still fluid icing that will not run off cake. Pour icing on top of the cake and spread it equally across the whole surface. Put the cake aside for  30 minutes for icing to set.
13. Enjoy!

Approximate nutritional value 

100 g

• 281 kcal
• Carbs: 36 g
• Fat: 13 g
• Protein: 4 g
• Fibre: 0 g

1 slice (recipe makes 20 slices)

• 354 kcal
• Carbs: 45 g
• Fat: 17 g
• Protein: 4 g
• Fibre: 0 g