Lemon Layer Cake with Blueberries

Lemon Layer Cake with Blueberries

Cupcake Rank: 3 Cupcakes

This cake was sweet, lemony and yummy.  The lemon curd was tart and combined with the blueberries it was a perfect mix.  The blueberries burst in your mouth and brought back memories of summer.  The cake only received a ranking of 3 cupcakes because the texture of the cake with the curd and blueberries was hard to palate.  It was yummy but the texture wasn't my favorite.  Anyway, it was yummy and would be a perfect summer party cake.

Ingredients:

FOR THE CAKE

Vegetable oil, cooking spray

1 1/2 C Cake flour (not self-rising), sifted

1 Tbs Baking powder

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 C plus 2 Tbs Granulated sugar

1/2 C Skim milk

1/3 C Canola oil

1 1/2 tsp pure Vanilla extract

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon, plus 1 ts[ fresh lemon juice

4 large Egg whites, room temperature

1 Tbs Confectioners' sugar

FOR THE LEMON CURD

4 Large Egg yolks, lightly beaten

Finely grated zest of 1/2 Lemon (I used the whole lemon, and liked it), plus 1/2 Cup fresh Lemon juice

1 1/3 C Granulated sugar

1/3 C Cornstarch

Pinch of salt

1 tsp pure Vanilla extract

1 1/3 C Blueberries, lightly crushed

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make the cake: Coat two 8-by-1 1/2-inch round cake pans with cooking spray. (I did two 8 inch oval pans and it worked great). Line bottoms with parchment. Spray parchment; set aside.

 

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside. Whisk together 1/4 cup sugar, the milk, oil, vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a large bowl; set aside.

Put egg whites into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium speed until foamy. Raise speed to medium-high. Gradually add remaining 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, beating until stiff peaks form.

 

Add half of the flour mixture to the milk mixture; whisk until smooth. Fold in remaining flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the egg white mixture. Divide batter among prepared pans. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until a cake tester inserted into centers comes out clean, about 18 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn out cakes onto rack. Remove parchment; reinvert. Let cool completely.

 

Make the lemon curd: Put egg yolks into a medium heatproof bowl; set aside. Whisk together lemon zest, sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium saucepan. Add 1 1/2 cups water and the lemon juice;whisk until sugar and cornstarch have dissolved. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking constantly. Cook 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low; gradually whisk one-third of the lemon
mixture into the reserved egg yolks (This is necessary because if you pour the egg yolks directly into the mixture in the pot it yolks will cook instantly and become stringy and gross). Pour mixture into pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, 2 1/2 minutes.Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Pour into a bowl; place plastic wrap directly on surface. Refrigerate until firm and cold, at least 1 hour (up to 1 day).  Fold blueberries into curd; set aside. Trim top and bottom of one cake to be flat. Cut each cake in half horizontally. Set untrimmed bottom layer on a serving plate; spread with 1 cup curd. Repeat with trimmed halves for second and third layers. Top with untrimmed top layer. Dust with confectioners' sugar.

Rach's Tips

This cake was yummy and would be great for a summer party.  The blueberries and the lemon curd was trully delicious. I wouldn't have thought of the combination but it did really work.  It would also be good with raspberries.