We enjoyed a lovely visit from dear friends a few weeks ago. They left us with fond memories and sweet gifts. One of these was a terrific cook-book by Anne Byrn called “The Cake Doctor”.
It is a creative powerhouse that takes ordinary cake mixes and customizes them, one recipe at a time, into fabulous desserts. The recipes all appear to be easy to read and to follow.
Yesterday afternoon, I decided that we needed a lemon cake to go along with the approaching warm summer evening. It sounded sweet, fun and refreshing. It was 4:15 and I was short on time. So, I rifled through my new cook book, believing Anne Byrn’s claim that her recipes were “lightning fast”.
I found a cake on pg. 76 called “Butter Layer Cake with Sweet Lime Curd”. It was not quite what I had in mind. So, I started improvising…
To begin with, I do not like the skimpy layers that one cake mix produces. I worked with two white cake mixes. I exchanged milk for lemon juice, deleted the vanilla extract in the cake and increased the eggs and butter.
I pictured the cake filled with a lemon curd. I simply replaced the lime juice in the recipe with lemon juice. It worked perfectly. My daughters, who actually had never experienced making lemon curd, helped me with this part of the recipe and found it fast-paced but fairly easy. I think the color and texture of lemon curd always makes it such a rewarding experience to create. The girls were pleased with their finished product.
I made a Lemon Buttercream frosting that proved to be just the right balance of lemony sweetness to crown this cake. My daughter thought the adjective “bright” best described the flavor.
The ”Cake Doctor” recipe that I began with claimed 10 minutes of preparation time, 29 minutes of baking time, and an assembly time of 25 minutes. Our cake was not quite that timely. However, it was fairly quick and easy. The lovely, tasty result was worth every extra minute.
Luscious Lemon Cake
2 White cake mixes
1/2 Cup fresh lemon juice
2 Cups water
6 Whole eggs
12 Tablespoons melted butter
2 9-inch cake pans
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two or three nine inch cake pans by greasing the bottoms and sides with solid shortening and dusting them with flour. Shake off any excess flour. You may also utilize a cake-release product. I have been quite satisfied with Wilton’s Cake Release.
Place the contents of the cake mixes, the lemon juice, and the water in a mixing bowl and blend on low speed until the mix is blended with the liquid. Add the eggs, one at a time mixing after each addition. Pour in the melted butter. Mix on medium speed for two minutes.
Divide the batter evenly between the pans. Bake for 25-35 minutes. If you are utilizing 3 pans, your layers will be thinner and will require less cooking time. Watch your cake and do not let it over-brown. It is done when the center springs back after you gently press it with a finger.
Cool the cake in the pans for ten minutes. Run a table knife around the edges and release the layers on to a cooling rack. Cool completely.
Lemon Curd
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 cup water
3 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
2 Tablespoons butter
5 tbl fresh lemon juice
Combine the sugar and the cornstarch in a heavy saucepan. Slowly whisk in the water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil and thickens. This will take about 3 – 4 minutes. Continue to stir and boil the mixture for 1 additional minute.
Remove the pan from the heat. Spoon about 1/2 cup of the mixture into the egg yolks and quickly combine. Return the egg mixture to the pan and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. The final mixture will be thick and lemon colored. Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the butter and the lemon juice. Cool completely.
Lemon Buttercream Frosting
1/3-1/2 c. lemon juice
8 cups sifted powdered sugar
1/2 tsp orange extract
16 tbl. (1/2 lb or 2 cubes) butter
Cream the butter until fluffy. Add 7 cups of the sugar and blend on low speed until the sugar is incorporated. Add 1/3 cup of the lemon juice and the extract. Beat on medium speed until the frosting is light and fluffy. Continue to add the additional sugar and juice in order to reach a spreadable consistency. You are aiming for a light, fluffy frosting that is neither too stiff nor too thin.
Assemble the cake by placing a layer on a cake plate and spooning the lemon curd over the layer. Leave a border of about 3/4 of an inch. Now, place the second layer on top of the curd. If you are working with a third layer, repeat the process.
Frost the top and sides of the cake. Sprinkle the top with white sparkling sugar (India Tree).
Oh, wow! That sounds too fabulous. I may have to have that for my birthday cake.