A refreshing, summery entremet combining citrus brightness, tropical sweetness, and herbal elegance
This vibrant and refreshing entremet captures the essence of summer through a bold medley of lemon, lime, pineapple, and basil. The flavor profile balances citrusy tang with tropical sweetness, while basil adds a fresh Mediterranean twist. The cake features a soft olive oil sponge, layered with pineapple gelée, lemon-basil crémeux, and a tangy citrus gelée with Limoncello. It’s all wrapped in a lemon mousse and finished with a glossy yellow mirror glaze and velvet-sprayed lemon decorations.
Ingredients
🍍 Pineapple Gelée
- 150 g pineapple purée e.g. Ponthier
- 1.5 g pectin NH
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1.5 gelatin sheets silver grade
🍋 Lemon-Basil Crémeux
- 1 whole egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 70 g sugar increase if preferred sweeter
- 40 g lemon juice
- 30 g lime juice
- 2 g powdered gelatin
- 12 g cold water
- 100 g cold butter diced
- ~10 fresh basil leaves finely chopped (adjust to taste)
🌿 Lemon-Basil Gelée with Limoncello
- 60 g Limoncello
- 25 g lemon juice
- 25 g lime juice
- 2.3 g agar agar
- 1.3 g ascorbic acid Vitamin C
- 20 g sugar
- 20 g gelling sugar 1:2
- ~10 fresh basil leaves finely chopped
🍰 Olive Oil Sponge
- 1 egg
- 70 g sugar
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 pinch of salt
- 40 g cream
- 70 g all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 20 g olive oil
🍋 Lemon Mousse
- 85 g milk
- 20 g sugar
- 3½ gelatin sheets
- 70 g Valrhona Inspiration Yuzu
- 75 g white chocolate or callets
- 50 g lemon juice
- 50 g lime juice
- 230 g whipping cream semi-whipped
🍯 Mirror Glaze
- 120 g glucose syrup
- 120 g sugar
- 60 g water I
- 8 g powdered gelatin
- 48 g water II
- 120 g white chocolate chopped or callets
- 80 g sweetened condensed milk e.g. Nestlé
- Yellow gel food coloring
🍫 Final Decoration
- 70 g white chocolate
- 0.7 g Mycryo cocoa butter powder
- Oil-based green food coloring
- Acetate strips 3 cm wide
- 60 g white chocolate
- 0.6 g Mycryo cocoa butter
- Oil-based yellow food coloring
- Velvet spray yellow
- Fresh lemon-shaped molds or decorations optional
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Instructions
Pineapple Gelée
- Soak gelatin in ice-cold water.
- Mix sugar with pectin NH.
- Warm pineapple purée, add pectin-sugar mix, and boil gently for 1 minute.
- Remove from heat and stir in gelatin.
- Pour into 16 cm Tortaflex mold and freeze.
- Optional: add small pineapple chunks for extra sweetness.
Lemon-Basil Crémeux
- Bloom gelatin in 12 g cold water.
- In a saucepan, combine egg, yolk, lemon & lime juice, and sugar. Heat to 82°C while stirring.
- Strain the mixture, dissolve gelatin, and let cool to 40°C.
- Add butter and chopped basil. Emulsify with an immersion blender.
- Pour over the frozen pineapple gelée and re-freeze.
Olive Oil Sponge
- Preheat oven to 180°C (top/bottom heat).
- Whip egg with sugar, lemon zest, and salt until pale and fluffy.
- Gradually mix in cream.
- Sift flour and baking powder over the mixture and fold in gently.
- Stir in olive oil.
- Bake in an 18 cm pan lined with parchment for ~20 minutes. Cool and trim the top.
- Lemon-Basil Gelée with Limoncello
- Combine agar agar with sugar.
- Add all ingredients to a saucepan and boil for 1 minute.
- Chill completely in the fridge.
- Once set, blend until smooth again.
- Transfer to piping bag, snip the end (~0.5 cm), and pipe a spiral onto the frozen crémeux layer.
- Smooth and place the sponge disc on top. Freeze again.
Lemon Mousse
- Bloom gelatin in cold water.
- Melt both chocolates and combine.
- Heat milk with sugar, then dissolve gelatin into it.
- Gradually add the milk into the chocolate and emulsify.
- Mix in lemon and lime juice.
- Fold in semi-whipped cream gently.
- Tip: If too sour, use only white chocolate and increase sugar slightly.
🧊 Assembly
- Fill 3 small lemon-shaped silicone molds with mousse and cover with leftover sponge. Freeze.
- Line Universo mold with mousse, pushing it up the sides.
- Insert the frozen center (pineapple + crémeux + gelée + sponge).
- Flatten the base and freeze overnight.
✨ Mirror Glaze
- Bloom gelatin in 48 g water (II).
- In a pot, boil glucose, sugar, and 60 g water (I) to 103°C.
- Remove from heat and stir in condensed milk.
- Dissolve the gelatin into the mixture.
- Pour over white chocolate. Let sit briefly, then blend with food coloring using immersion blender.
- Cover surface with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
🎨 Final Decoration
Chocolate Rings:
- Temper chocolate with Mycryo and mix in green or yellow fat-soluble colors.
- Spread on acetate strips and cut 3 cm (green) and ~2 cm (yellow) wide bands. Let set.
- Lemon Spraying:
- Use velvet spray (yellow) on the frozen lemon decorations—ideally outdoors.
🥄 Finishing Touch
- Warm mirror glaze to ~40°C, then cool to 32–34°C for use.
- Remove entremet from mold. Gently rub to remove frost.
- Place on an elevated surface and glaze. Clean drips and transfer to a cake board.
- Wrap with chocolate rings.
- Decorate with velvet-sprayed lemons and fresh basil or leaves.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
I’m Chef Mimo, a passionate pastry chef with over 17 years of experience in the world of fine desserts. I specialize in French-style entremets, refined cakes, and creative chocolate work. Pastry is not just my profession—it’s my lifelong passion. Through PastryCrafted.com, I love sharing my recipes, techniques, and inspirations with anyone who dreams of mastering the art of pastry. Whether you’re a curious beginner or a seasoned pro, you’re welcome in my sweet world.