1. She is an amazing baker, and can bake any kind of cake (or pie, or cookie, or muffin, or bread), from scratch, and get it perfect every time.
2. She does not keep her opinions to herself. I knew if I screwed this up, she'd tell me.
3. She forgets a lot of things, but never seems to forget those embarrassing moments. If this cake didn't impress everyone, I knew I'd hear about it for a long time.
4. I love my grandma. She does a lot for me, so she deserved a kick ass dessert.
I asked my grandma what kind of cake she wanted. She said, "Well, I'm tired of chocolate, and your grandfather like either lemon or apple." Unfortunately for me, my grandma make the best apple cake in the world. Was I going to compete with that? Hell no. Luckily, the only citrus dessert she makes is lemon meringue pie, which left a lot of other lemony options for me.
I searched and searched for a recipe, and I couldn't find one that I loved. I googled, epicuriused, food networked. I did practice runs on cupcakes. I read reviews. I searched and searched. Nothing. So, I combined a few family recipes and recipes with okay reviews, added in my own ideas, and this is what I came up with:-) I hope you enjoy! (BTW, my grandma and grandpa loved it, and she begged for this recipe... WIN)
The lemon curd and the frosting should be made at least 8 hours in advance of beginning the cakes, because you will need to chill each for a long time. You will also combine some frosting with the curd, and some curd with the cake batter, etc. If you add hot curd or to anything it will ruin the texture.
Do not use Meyer Lemons for the curd. They do not have as much acidity, and can make the curd runny.
The curd and frosting are pretty sweet, as is the cake. It does not need to be served with ice cream. It is very rich. It can easily serve 16 people, or more. The cake can be made a day ahead of time, as long as it is chilled well.
Lemon Curd (Can be made a couple days in advance, because it has to chill for 8 hours)
2 1/3 cups sugar
2 1/2 tsp cornstarch
1 1/8 cup fresh lemon juice (do not use Meyer Lemons)
4 large eggs, chilled
4 large egg yolks
3/4 cup unsalted butter
Combine sugar and cornstarch in a bowl. Gradually add in the lemon juice. Be sure to whisk constantly to avoid lumps. Add eggs and egg yolk, and whisk for a minute, until the lumps are gone. Heat on medium in a saucepan, stirring constantly. Add the butter, keep stirring. Heat until boiling, making sure to stir so it doesn't stick or burn.
Pour into a bowl and chill, covered, for at least 8 hours. If you add the curd to the cake before it is thoroughly chilled, it will run and the cake will fall apart. The curd will last, so you can make this days in advance.
Cake
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 to 1 1/4 cup sugar, depending on how sweet you want the cake
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp salt
4 large egg yolks
zest of two large lemons
8 egg whites
1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice (do not use store bought orange juice, it can make the cake very sweet)
Preheat oven to 350.
In a large bowl, combine flour, 1/2 cup sugar, salt, and baking powder. Add egg yolks, oil, orange juice, and zest. Add 3/4 cup lemon curd to the mixture. Beat mixture until smooth.
In a separate bowl, beat egg whites with cream of tartar until peaks form. Gradually add in the remaining sugar. Beat until stiff.
Add the egg white mixture to the yellow mixture in three additions, floding gently between each addition. Over- stirring could make the flufiness go away, so be careful.
Butter and flour three 9 inch diameter cake pans (with at least 1 1/2 inch sides to avoid spilling over), and line with parchment paper. Divide batter equally among the three pans. Bake the cakes for about 25 minutes. Don't brown the cakes, but make sure when you insert a toothpick, it comes out clean. Cool the cakes completely before assembling. They should cool for at least an hour.
Frosting
1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 cups chilled whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla
Beat cream until peaks form, add remaining ingredients and beat until stiff. Gently fold into 1 1/4 cups chilled lemon curd. Chill for at least 5 hours (until firm).
Place one cake layer on cake platter. Spread 2/3 cup curd on it. Add the second cake layer. Spread 1 cup frosting on it. Place the third layer on top. Spread remaining frosting over the top and sides of the cake, completely covering it. Pipe chilled frosting around the outside edge of the top of the cake, leaving no space in between pipings. Add sliced lemon wedges in between pipings for decoration.
Pour about 1/2- 1 cup curd on the top of the cake. The piped frosting will keep it from spilling over the sides.
Apologies for this photo... my brother is being a nerd;-)
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