White Layer Cake with Lemon Curd Filling

White Layer Cake with Lemon Curd Filling

Cupcake Ranking: 4 Cupcakes

This cake was yummy.  Definetely a 'go-to' white cake.  The lemon curd filling was crazy lemony and delicious!  I don't know how it managed it, but with the buttercream frosting, the cake was a dead ringer for lemon meringue pie.  Yummy!

Ingredients

3 Cups Cake flour, (not self-rising)

2 tsp Baking powder

1 tsp Salt

1 1/2 C (3 sticks) unsalted Butter, room temperature

2 1/4 C Sugar

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 C Milk

8 large Egg whites

Lemon Curd*

Buttercream frosting or frosting of your choice

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 9-by-2-inch round cake pans; line bottoms with parchment paper rounds. Butter parchment, and dust with flour, tapping out excess; set aside.

 

Into a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and 2 cups sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in three parts, alternating with milk and beginning and ending with flour; beat until just combined. Transfer mixture to a large bowl; set aside.

In the clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites on low speed until foamy. With mixer running, gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar; beat on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 4 minutes. Do not overbeat. Gently fold a third of the egg-white mixture into the butter-flour mixture until combined. Gently fold in remaining whites.

 

Divide batter evenly between prepared pans, smoothing with an offset spatula. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until cakes are golden brown and a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes (Mine was 28 1/2 minutes). Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool 20 minutes. Invert cakes onto rack; peel off parchment. Reinvert cakes, and let them cool completely, top sides up.

Using a serrated knife, trim tops of cake layers to make level. Place one layer on a serving plate, cut side up.

 

*Lemon Curd

 

6 large Egg yolks

Zest of 2 lemons

1/2 C freshly squeezed Lemon juice (about 4 lemons)

12 Tbs Sugar

1/2 C (1 stick) unsalted Butter, cold, cut into pieces

 

Prepare an ice bath fitted with a medium bowl; set aside.(Put a bowl in another bowl filled with ice) Whisk together yolks, zest, juice, and sugar in a small saucepan. Set over medium heat, and stir constantly with a wooden spoon. Cook until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of the wooden spoon, 5 to 7 minutes.

 

Remove pan from heat. Add butter, 1 piece at a time, stirring until incorporated. Pass through a fine mesh sieve into prepared medium bowl. Stirring frequently, let stand until cool.

 

Place a sheet of plastic wrap directly on surface of curd to prevent skin from forming; wrap tightly. Refrigerate until firm and chilled, at least 1 hour. Store refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

 

Using a pastry bag fitted with a coupler, pipe frosting around the perimeter. This dam will prevent the lemon curd filling from seeping out. Fill cake with lemon curd. Place other cake layer on top, cut side down. Spread entire cake with frosting, swirling to cover.

 

 

Rach's Tips

This cake was really great and really tasted like lemon meringue pie!  I don't think I would do anything differently.  One thing I did learn though was about egg whites.  I've been keeping some in the fridge and they have been there....for awhile.  They weren't good.  Ha ha.  Anyway, I read a tip that said to put individual egg whites in an ice cube tray and freeze the individual whites.  They will keep for MONTHS!!  What a fantastic idea.  Use as ya need.

This cake was light, crazy lemony and really delicous.  Enjoy!