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It might take a little planning, as the curd has to chill for a few hours but the good news is you can make it up to a week ahead. Believe me, the end result is well worth it!

The Ingredients To Purchase:

Curd

• 2 1/3 cups sugar
• 4 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 cup fresh lemon juice
• 4 large eggs
• 4 large egg yolks
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Crust

• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• 2 cups shortbread cookie crumbs
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

Mousse

• 5 tablespoons water
• 4 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
• 6 large egg whites
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups chilled heavy whipping cream
• Lemon slices, cut into quarters (garnish)

For curd:
Mix sugar and cornstarch in heavy large saucepan. Gradually add lemon juice, whisking until all cornstarch dissolves. Whisk in eggs and yolks. Add butter. Stir over medium heat until curd thickens and boils, about 12 minutes. Transfer to medium bowl. Chill at least 6 hours. Press plastic wrap onto surface of curd and keep chilled.

For crust:
Grease an 8″ pan with butter (my mom would use nonstick spray for this). Mash the cookie bits with butter and cover the bottom of the pan. Place in a 350-degree preheated oven until cookie color darkens. My oven took about twelve minutes but it runs hot, it might be closer to fifteen minutes for standard ovens, just keep an eye on it after the ten-minute mark.

For mousse:
Shake gelatin over a few tablespoons of water in a saucepan. Let sit. I watched a half an episode of Dog With a Blog with my girls and then got back to work.

Heat 3/4 cups of the already prepped lemon curd in another saucepan over low heat until very warm. This took a while I think med-low would work just the same in half the time.

Place 1 3/4 cups of the remaining curd and set it aside in a large mixing bowl. I love the metals ones with the small handle on the side!

Once the gelatin mix is soft heat it over medium-low until well mixed. Be careful it doesn’t bubble! Slowly add the gelatin mix to the warmed curd, here I used a fork but a whisk would have been much easier. Take that mixture and add it to the large bowl of the remaining lemon curd, in the same way either beating with a fork or using a whisk.

In a separate smaller bowl beat egg whites with an electric mixer, I used my standing number but again, use what you have, a hand mixer would be great! When the egg whites begin making points slowly add sugar, mixing well. In another bowl do the same to the cream. Then slowly add the cream to the egg white mixture by turning your spoon over and over, do not stir. Place enough of the mousse to fill the prepped crust pan.

Put everything in the fridge for the night, the cake and whatever mousse and curd you have left.

The next morning slide a butter knife or a spatula around the cake to make taking the sides of the pan off easier. Cover the cake with the rest of the remaining mousse. A gentle hand is good here. You could probably get fancy and put the mousse in a plastic bag and cut the pointed tip and do a little decorating with the mousse. I just added a few slices of lemon for garnish. Return the cake to the fridge and let it chill until your ready to enjoy!

I'm sure baking your own fresh shortbread cookies for this cake would be awesome, but like I said baking isn’t my thing, so I bought fresh baked cookies from my local grocer, placed them in a plastic bag and crushed them with my tenderizing mallet. My little ones got a kick out giving it a few whacks.

Next time I'm trying boxed shortbread cookies, which would be just as easy and more cost effective, plus I think they would be wonderful. Nice and crunchy. Whichever you choose you really can’t go wrong!

Did You Try It?

This Recipe Takes A Little Work But It is 100 Percent Worth Every Bite!

Your Going To Love How Everything Comes Together In This Silky-Soft Textured Cake. Let Us Know How Yours Turned Out And What Extra Twist You Put In.

This Recipe Was Adapted By: Epicurious