Yields:
12 Servings
Difficulty: Medium
This recipe is from Cook’s Illustrated. It is a delicious lemony cake with a tangy lemon curd filling. I added my own spin by adding the zest and juice of one lemon to the cake batter and topping the cake with a mascapone frosting.
Enjoy!
Ingredients
Adjust Servings
-
For the lemon curd
- For the cake
- For the mascapone frosting
Instructions
- FOR THE FILLING: Measure 1 tablespoon lemon juice into a small bowl; sprinkle gelatin over top. Heat remaining lemon juice, sugar, and salt in a medium nonreactive saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves and the mixture is hot but not boiling. Whisk the eggs and yolks in large a large bowl. Whisking constantly, slowly pour hot lemon-sugar mixture into eggs, then return mixture to saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with heatproof spatula, until mixture registers 170 degrees on instant-read thermometer and is thick enough to leave trail when spatula is scraped along pan bottom, 4 to 6 minutes. Immediately remove pan from heat and stir in gelatin mixture until dissolved. Stir in frozen butter until incorporated. Pour filling through fine-mesh strainer into a bowl (you should have 3 cups). Cover surface directly with plastic wrap; refrigerate until firm enough to spread, at least 4 hours.
- FOR THE CAKE: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9-inch-wide by 2-inch-high round cake pans and line with parchment paper. In 2-cup liquid measure or medium bowl, whisk together milk, egg whites, and vanilla.
- In a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt at low speed until combined. While is mixer running at low speed, add butter one piece at a time; continue beating until mixture resembles moist crumbs with no visible butter chunks. Add all but 1/2 cup milk mixture to crumbs and beat at medium speed until mixture is pale and fluffy, about 1 1/2 minutes. With the mixer running at low speed, add remaining 1/2 cup milk mixture; increase speed to medium and beat 30 seconds more. Add the lemon zest and lemon juice and mix until just combined. Stop mixer and scrape sides of bowl. Return mixer to medium speed and beat 20 seconds longer. Divide batter evenly between cake pans and smooth flat.
- Bake until toothpick inserted in center of cakes comes out clean, 23 to 25 minutes. Loosen cakes from sides of pans with small knife, cool in pan 10 minutes, then invert onto greased wire rack; peel off parchment. Invert cakes again; cool completely on rack, about 1 1/2 hours.
- FOR THE FROSTING: Pour chilled whipping cream into a mixer and beat until soft peaks form. Slowly add the powdered sugar and continue mixing until the peaks become stiff. Mix in the vanilla extract. In another bowl, mix the mascapone until it is a smooth consistency. Gently fold the whipped cream into the mascapone and keep folding until it is completely combined. Try not to deflate the whipped cream too much while you're folding.
- TO ASSEMBLE: Use a serrated knife to cut each cake into 2 even layers. Place the bottom layer of 1 cake on a cardboard round or cake plate. Spoon frosting into a piping bag with a large round tip. Pipe the frosting as a circular border around the edge of the cake layer. Using a spatula, spread 1 cup lemon filling evenly on cake, up to the frosting border. Gently place the top layer and repeat the frosting border, and filling, top layer. Place the final, fourth cake top and begin to cover the cake with the remainder of the frosting. Smooth sides with an offset spatula or scraper.
Notes
The lemon curd can be made up to a week in advance. The frosting can be made a day in advance. Store leftover cake covered in the refrigerator.
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