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Ultimate Lemon Layer Cake
By SweetSueAl on February 05, 2007
Photo by appleydapply
2 Reviews
- Prep Time: 1 hrs
- Total Time: 1 hrs 25 mins
- Servings: 10
Photo by appleydapply
About This Recipe
"I love lemon cakes, pies, cookies, etc. This cake is the best! It comes from Cook's Illustrated Magazine, Mar/Apr 07 edition. As always, they area very precise with their directions, so they might be long, but don't be put off by that. The filling can be made a day ahead, it does get a little stiff, just stir it to loosen it up a bit. Chill leftovers."
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh lemon juice, about 6 lemons ( no bottled, please)
- 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin, plain
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 4 large eggs
- 6 large egg yolks, from large eggs ( reserve egg whites for cake)
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes and frozen
- 2 1/4 cups cake flour
- 1 cup whole milk, room temperature
- 6 egg whites, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups sugar
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, but still cool
- 2 large egg whites, from large eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice ( again, no bottled)
- 1 tablespoon corn syrup
lemon curd filling
cake
fluffy white icing
Directions
- Filling: Measure 1 tablespoon lemon juice into a small bowl; sprinkle gelatin over the top.
- Heat remaining lemon juice, sugar, and salt in medium non-reactive sauce pan over medium high heat, stirring occasionally until sugar dissolves and mixture is hot, but not boiling.
- Whisk eggs and yolks in a large non-reactive bowl.
- Whisking constantly, slowly pour hot lemon-sugar mixture into eggs, then return mixture to saucepan.
- Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until mixture reaches 170° and is thick enought to leave a trail when a spatula is scraped along the bottom of the pan, about 4-6 minutes.
- Immediately remove pan from heat and stir in gelatin mixture until dissolved. Stir in frozen butter until incorporated.
- Pour filling through a fine-meshed strainer into a bowl.
- Cover surface with plastic wrap; refrigerate until firm enough to spread, about 4 hours.
- Cake: Preheat oven to 350°.
- Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans and line with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together egg milk, egg whites and vanilla.
- In a mixer bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt; mix at slow speed.
- Add butter one piece at a time, continue to beat until mixture resembles moist crumbs and no visible butter chunks.
- Add all but 1 cup of milk mixture to crumbs and beat at medium speed until mixture is pale and fluffy, about 1 1/2 minutes.
- With mixer running, add remaining 1/2 cup milk mixture, beat 1 mintute more.
- Divide batter evenly between cake pans.
- Bake 23-25 minutes or until toothpick in center of cakes comes out clean.
- Loosen cakes from side of pan with a small knife, cool in pan 10 minutes then remove from pan onto greased wire rack, remove parchment paper, invert again and cool completely.
- Icing: Combine all ingredients in a mixer bowl or heatproof bowl.
- Set over medium saucepan filled with 1-inch of simmering water.
- Cook stirring constantly until mixture reaches 160°, 5-10 minutes.
- Transfer mixture to mixer bowl (if needed) and beat on medium speed until soft peaks form, about 5 minutes.
- Increase speed to medium-high and continue to beat until mixture has cooled to room temperature and stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes longer.
- Assembly: Cut each layer in half horizontally.
- Spread 1 cup of lemon filling evenly on each cake, (except the top layer) leaving 1/2-inch border around cake.
- Place top layer on cakes, smooth out any filling that may have leaked from the layers.
- Refrigerate while you make the icing.
- Spread icing on cake.
Private Note
No Notes
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1 (218 g)
Servings Per Recipe: 10
- Amount Per Serving
- %
- Calories 750.7
- Calories from Fat 259
- 34%
- Amount Per Serving
- %
- Total Fat 28.8g
- 44%
- Saturated Fat 16.6g
- 83%
- Cholesterol 273.9mg
- 91%
- Sugars 87.9 g
- Sodium 498.0mg
- 20%
- Total Carbohydrate 115.1g
- 38%
- Dietary Fiber 0.6g
- 2%
- Sugars 87.9 g
- 351%
- Protein 10.8g
- 21%
Reviews
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"Wow! Wow! Wow! This turned out so beautiful. Almost to pretty to eat. Almost. Took this to a dinner party, and got lots of requests for the recipe. Made this recipe for the Top Favorites of 2008 tag game ~ recommended by chef #284180. Thanks for sharing your great recipe"
By TheGrumpyChef on March 28, 2009 | 836243
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"This was wonderful and easy. It was my first time making a cooked meringue frosting, and it turned out great! The curd was also perfect. (But for the white cake, I didn't make it from scratch...I used Recipe #126396 ). Edited to say that it was even better the next day - the flavors melded in the fridge overnight, and the cake tasted great when cold."
By appleydapply on September 18, 2008 | 709786
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