ISO: best, most beautiful Lemon Cake

[CompassRose]

A friend of mine is throwing a big 75th birthday bash for her husband, also a dear friend of mine -- and I said I would love to make the birthday cake. He doesn't care for chocolate, but expressed a liking for lemon.

This will probably need to be a big cake... previous similar parties have run to forty or fifty people. It also needs to have a relatively stable icing, as the party will be outdoors. There'll be a tent, but it might still be hot. (This nixed A.'s suggestion of whipped-cream frosting.)

Any ideas would be lovely. Oh, but not the CL Lemonade Layer Cake. I was less than keen on that one when I tried it. Non-light is fine. Indeed, super-decadent is fine. It's a party! :cool:

[greysangel]

Awhile back I posted a recipe that I got from O magazine for white cake with layers of lemon curd and raspberry. It was fantastic. You could easily add lemon to the white cake to make it more lemony, skip the raspberry layer if you wanted and then frost it with lemon cream cheese frosting. I did a combo of cream cheese and whipped cream frosting for it (a la that choc/pb cake in BA) and it was fantastic. I think the cream cheese would hold up the whipped cream part of it. Top it off with some candied lemon peel and you are good to go :D

[CompassRose]

I am totally not finding it in a search, JeAnne... :confused: :(

[greysangel]

White Cake with Lemon Cream Frosting
O Magazine October 2000 - ahem...really it's more my amalgamation. :o

I really love the cake..it's spongy and just a perfect base for going nuts with fillling and topping wise.

Cake
2 1/2 c cake flour (not self rise)
2 1/4 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/4 lb plus 4 TB. unsalted butter at room temp.
1 1/2 c sugar
3 large eggs
3/4 c milk
1 1/2 pure vanilla extract
3/4 c lemon curd mixed with 1 tsp lemon juice and 1 tsp zest (i made my own and it was terrific sans add ins)
1/3 cup seedless raspberry jam
Lemon cream frosting (recipe follows)
Lemon zest and raspberries for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 350. Butter and flour 3 8" round cake pans; set aside.
2. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
3. Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, scraping and beating well after each addition, about 5 minutes.
4. Combine milk with vanilla extract. With mixer on lowest speed, add dry ingredients alternately with milk mixture in three parts, scraping down sides ocasionally and beating until ingredients are just combined. Pour batter into prepared pans, spreading evenly to the edges.
5. Place cake pans on 2 oven racks so that one is not directly above another. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until wooden skewer inserted in center comes out clean. Cool pans on wire racks 15 min. Invert cake layers onto racks, and then turn right side up to cool completely.
6. To assemble: Place one layer on a serving plate. Top with lemon curd, spreading to within 1 inch of cake edge. Tope iwth another layer and spread with jam to within 1 inch of cake edge. Place third layer right side up on top and press lightly into place. Spread a thin layer of frosting on top layer. Refrigerate cake for 1 hour. Forst sides and top of cake with remaining frosting. Garnish top with lemon zest and raspberries. Refrig until ready to serve at least 1 1/2 hours. Allow cake to stand at room temp 30 minutes before serving.

Frosting (the one I used is below)
1 1/2 c heavy cream
1/3 cup lemon curd

1. In a small bowl, whip heavy cream until it forms soft peaks.
2. Fold in lemon curd and chill until ready to use

Lemon Curd
CL 5/00
3/4 c sugar
1 TBP lemon rind
2 large eggs
2/3 cup lemon juice (appx 3 lemons)
2 TBSP butter

Combine first three ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring with a whisk. Cook until sugar dissolves and mixture is light in color, about 3 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and butter, cook for 5 minutes or until mixture thinly coats back of spoon, stirring constantly with a whisk. Cool, cover and chill.

FROSTING
8oz package cream cheese -- room temperature
3/4 c powdered sugar -- divided
3 tablespoons unsalted butter -- room temperature
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1/3 cup chilled heavy whipping cream
lemon curd (optional)
candied lemon peel (optional)

FOR FROSTING: Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, butter, and lemon in large bowl to blend. Whisk whipping cream and 1/4 cup powdered sugar in bowl until mixture holds medium-firm peaks. Fold into cream cheese mixture in 3 additions; chill until firm but spreadable, about 1 hour.

*For super lemony - I would add a few table spoons of lemon curd into the frosting when you are folding in the cream cheese mixture.

yumma numma :D

[doggerham]

Well, I made this one http://community.cookinglight.com/showthread.php?t=77884 last week. Its not big enough, but you could make more than one I suppose. Link to the recipe is in the thread. And adding raspberry would make me swoon! Our wedding cake had both lemon and rasberry in it.

Amy

[CompassRose]

Oh, wow! The O cake looks wondrous, and I think lemon plus raspberry would be perfect. Amy, I really like yours too. I don't know if it would be right for this (I'd have to make half a dozen probably) but I'm putting that one into Mastercook for future reference. (Also, your granddaughter is a cutiekewpie!)

[Gecko]

I remember this one getting raves reviews. It is from the April 2003 Bon Appetit. The picture here does not really do it justice - the lemon curd was much more vibrant on the cover of the magazine.

http://www.epicurious.com/images/recipes/recipe_results/thumb/photos/107898.jpg

You'll need a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch star tip to create the decorative rosettes. Begin making this cake two days before you plan to serve it.

Lemon curd
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Cake
6 large eggs, separated
14 tablespoons sugar
1 3/4 cups sifted cake flour (sifted, then measured)
1/4 teaspoon salt

Syrup
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup boiling water
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Filling and frosting
2 cups chilled heavy whipping cream
3/4 cup sugar
3 8-ounce containers chilled mascarpone cheese*

For lemon curd:
Whisk first 4 ingredients in medium metal bowl. Set bowl over saucepan of simmering water (do not allow bottom of bowl to touch water). Whisk constantly until thickened and instant-read thermometer inserted into mixture registers 160°F, about 10 minutes. Remove bowl from over water. Add butter; whisk until melted. Transfer 1 cup curd to small bowl for spreading on cake layers. Reserve remaining curd for filling. Press plastic wrap directly onto surface of both curds. Chill overnight. (Can be made 3 days ahead. Keep chilled.)

For cake:
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375°F. Line bottom of two 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides with parchment paper (do not grease pans or parchment). Using electric mixer, beat egg yolks and 7 tablespoons sugar in large bowl until mixture is very thick and slowly dissolving ribbons form when beaters are lifted, about 4 minutes. Using clean dry beaters, beat whites in another large bowl until soft peaks form. Add remaining 7 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff and glossy. Fold half of whites into yolk mixture, then sift half of flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt over and gently fold in until incorporated. Fold in remaining whites, then sift remaining flour over and fold in just until combined, being careful not to deflate batter.

Divide batter between pans; smooth tops. Bake until tester inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Cool in pans on racks.

Run knife around edge of pans to loosen cakes. Invert cakes onto 9-inch-diameter cardboard rounds, tapping on work surface if necessary to release cakes. Cut each cake horizontally in half (layers will be thin). Peel off parchment.

For syrup:
Place sugar in small metal bowl. Add 1/2 cup boiling water; stir to dissolve sugar. Stir in lemon juice.

For filling and frosting:
Beat whipping cream and sugar in large bowl until peaks form. Add mascarpone to lemon curd in medium bowl; whisk until blended. Fold whipped cream into lemon-mascarpone mixture.

Place 1 cake layer, flat side up, on platter. Brush with 1/4 of syrup. Spread 1/4 cup lemon curd over, then 1 cup lemon-mascarpone filling. Top with second cake layer; brush with 1/4 of syrup and spread with 1/4 cup lemon curd and 1 cup lemon-mascarpone filling. Repeat with third cake layer, syrup, lemon curd, and filling. Top with fourth cake layer. Brush with remaining syrup, then spread remaining lemon curd over. Spoon 2 cups lemon-mascarpone filling into pastry bag fitted with 1/4-inch star tip (to be used for rosettes). Spread remaining lemon-mascarpone filling as a frosting over sides of cake. Pipe small rosettes of frosting over top of cake, covering completely. Cover cake with cake dome; refrigerate at least 6 hours and up to 1 day.

*Italian cream cheese available at Italian markets and many supermarkets.

Makes 10 to 12 servings.
Bon Appétit
April 2003

[lhall]

CompassRose,

I made the one that Gecko posted for a Baby Shower. It was fantastic!!!

The mom-to-be had lots of fun just walking around watching everyone take their first bite! Yes, it took 2 days to make, but only because the lemon curd has to be refrigerated overnight. Definately worth the time & effort.

It's pretty rich so I cut small slices. No one complained, everyone who wanted some got some and we fed about 20 people.

I'll see if I can find my picture to post.

Leigh

[lhall]

Here they are.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid56/p7fd31daa7ccf35c782c33412d2879f80/fc7169a0.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid56/p90ce91f78da01022d548028b08eb92ca/fc788b07.jpg

[Gecko]

Wow Leigh! Your cake looks great, so it is no wonder that everyone raved about it.

[CompassRose]

Oh my. Gorgeous. I even have that issue of BA, I just discovered.

I've kinda fixated on the lemon raspberry idea. Leigh, do you think one could add a layer of seedless raspberry jam to that cake the way JeAnne does in the O cake? Mmm, mascarpone...

[fancyn]

I just wanted to bump this thread and say thanks JeAnne for posting the White Cake with Lemon Cream Frosting. It was divine!! I made the recipe as posted with no changes. I did have a little sliding of the frosting, but that was probably just the 100 degree weather. :rolleyes:

Thanks Again!

[Middydd]

I've made the raspberry curd from this Epicurious recipe:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/106435

The curd was excellent.

I used a different cake layer recipe, though. And, I can't remember which one I used, I know it was lemon flavoured and the combination was very, very good.