Meyer Lemon Crepe Cakes!

Rise 'n Shine! They're like little lemon bites of sunshine!  These little crepe cakes are filled with a delicious lemon mousse and topped with fresh whipped cream and candied lemons.

This was the first time I had made candied lemons and it was very easy and really fun. You just boil equal parts water and sugar, slice the lemon and drop the slices in the pot for about 1/2 hour. I am excited to try this again with oranges, tangerines, and maybe even grapefruit!

This recipe was featured in Martha Stewart's Living, April 2010. The Easter issue is always one of my favorites!

This recipe called for Meyer Lemons (a sweeter variety of lemon), however I wasn't able to find them so I just used normal lemons. I later found out that my sister has her own tree full of beautiful Meyer Lemons, next time I'll have to smuggle some out :)

My favorite part is cutting into the cake and seeing all of the beautiful layers of crepes, and the lemon mousse is so delicious!

 This recipe goes to the top of the pile!

Instead of the recipe in the magazine I used the crepe recipe in my June 24, 2009 post Dessert for Breakfast Any Day! I added about 1/2 of flour to the recipe so that the crepes would be a little thicker for the cakes. I also used a biscuit cutter to make little crepes instead of having one cake made of larger crepes.

Meyer Lemon Curd Mousse- (from Martha Stewart Living)

1 tsp. unflavored gelatin (from one 1/4 oz. envelope)

1 T. cold water

4 large eggs plus 6 large yolks

1 cup sugar

1 T. plus 2 tsp. finely grated Meyer lemon zest (from 2 lemons)

3/4 cup fresh Meyer lemon juice (from 5-6 lemons)

6 T. cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 cup heavy cream, whipped

1. Sprinkle gelatin over water; let stand until softened, about 5 minutes.

2. Whisk together eggs and yolks in a heavy small saucepan. Whisk in sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Cook, whisking constantly, over medium-low heat, until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, 8-10 minutes.

3. Remove pan from heat; add gelatin, stirring constantly, until gelatin dissolves and mixture is slightly cool. Add butter, a few pieces at a time, stirring after each addition, until smooth.

4. Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl, pressing with a rubber spatula to remove as much curd as possible; discard any undissolved bits of gelatin and egg. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto surface of curd to prevent a skin from forming, and refrigerate until set, at least 2 hours or overnight. Stir curd, and gently fold in whipped cream. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Stir before using.

Mousse can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Candied Meyer Lemons- (from Martha Stewart Living)

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

2 Meyer lemons (do not peel), preferably organic, washed well and sliced 1/4 inch thick

1.Bring sugar and water to a boil in a large saucepan, and heat until sugar dissolves. Add lemons, and cover surface with parchment. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer gently until rinds are translucent, about 30 minutes. Let lemons cool in syrup.

2.Using a slotted spoon, transfer lemons to a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet. Let stand to allow excess syrup to drip off.