Macaroni Grill is a popular enough place but those chefs behind that lass wall, are not chefs at all. Don’t let those hats fool you. They are masters at prepping garnishes and taking frozen bread out of boxes and that’s about it. Everything is re-heated to order, nothing is made in house. I eat here occasionally but I never fool myself into thinking that I’m eating well and certainly not healthy. Rather when I eat there, I sort of feel like I’m slummin’ it and my body will pay later. Sorry if that offends those of you who may love Macaroni Grill but seriously, we could all do better. I do love the taste of a dessert called Lemon Passion. I love it but I know I’m eating chemical after chemical so I have endeavored to make my own version. Upon searching the internet I saw that there was only one recipe floating around and everyone was taking credit for it. I don’t know why, it’s not very good, the proportions are off and some of the ingredients are questionable. So I have started there and built my own. It’s not perfect but it’s very good especially if you like tres leche cake. Let’s start with the cake since that is your foundation and it must cool before putting on the mousse. The ingredients read like this:
1 cup sifted flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon lemon extract
1/2 milk, heated on the stove top to the point of scalding. (use low heat!)
5 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
Start by mixing the cake flour and baking powder and put aside. In another bowl, mix your egg yolks until they get a bit thick and lighter in color. Add your extract and sugar and mix well. add the flour and baking powder and stir until just incorporated. Pour in your milk and mix it well. Pour into a 9x9x2 cake pan (preferably polish pottery) at 350 degrees for approx 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Keep the cake in the pan and put aside to cool completely.
For the mousse, do this once the cake is mostly cooled.
1/2 lb container of Marscapone cheese
the juice of one lemon (at least 1 Tablespoon)
zest of one lemon
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup lemon curd, room temperature
1 cup heavy cream
Beat the egg yolks and sugar until they are thick and light. Add the marscapone cheese and lightly beat into the egg mixture. Mix in the lemon curd until well incorporated. Add the lemon juice and zest. For the heavy cream, we put a metal bowl and the beaters in the freezer for 20 minutes and then beat the cream in that until peaks form. FOLD them into the cheese/lemon mixture you just made.
Right before you add the mousse on top, you need to make the tres leche mixture and apply it to the cake. To do that mix the following together well:
6 oz evaporated milk
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 teaspoon rum
Once the cake is cooled, take a knife and make multiple slits in the cake all over. Just sort of stab the cake, this will allow the cake to really soak up the tres leche liquid. Using a ladle, slowly poor as much of the tres leche liquid over the cake. Let it sink in. We used only half the liquid the first time and it was still too dry so don’t be afraid to use most of the liquid. After it has soaked in, spread the mousse over the cake.
You MUST put it in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. This will give the liquid in the cake a chance to firm up and the mousse to set. When you serve, add some caramel sauce if you like, or serve without. I hope you enjoy!
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