When our fabulous former paralegal Christina made time to stop by for a visit, we organized an in-office lunch and I brought dessert. I made Tish Boyle's "Light Lemon Layer Cake" from Flavorful, which is a chiffon cake soaked with lemon sugar syrup, filled and covered with lemon French whole-egg buttercream.
I didn't realize it at the time, but I have actually made this cake before -- the lemon chiffon cake recipe is virtually identical to that used in Boyle's Lemon Mousse Cake with Fresh Raspberries from The Cake Book. The only difference is that the Flavorful recipe calls for more lemon juice and lemon zest. You combine all of the wet ingredients (egg yolks, vegetable oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, milk, and vanilla); gradually add the sifted dry ingredients (cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt); and fold in egg whites that have been beaten with cream of tartar to stiff peaks. I poured the batter into a well-greased springform pan and put it in the oven.
Following the recipe directions, I let the cake cool for 10 minutes before turning out the cake. The cake just fell out of the pan, so I'm not sure why the recipe calls for a springform pan instead of a regular cake pan, which would suffice.
To make the buttercream, you beat whole eggs; pour in a sugar syrup heated to 238 degrees; beat the mixture until cool; add softened butter; and add lemon juice and lemon zest. I split the chiffon cake into two layers, brushed each layer with lemon syrup (a cooked mixture of lemon juice and sugar), and filled and covered the cake with the buttercream. I had a lot of frosting but was a little limited in decorating options because I was concerned that lemon zest in the buttercream would clog a small pastry bag tip. Instead, I used a large round tip to make borders and decorate the top of the cake with balls of frosting. I skipped the suggested garnish of toasted slivered almonds.
This cake is fantastic. The chiffon cake soaked in syrup is so good. I love the light texture of chiffon cake and this one delivers a beautiful sweet lemon flavor. The buttercream is incredibly rich -- arguably too rich -- and tastes like lemony whipped butter. Because the frosting is so buttery, a little of this cake goes a long way. But it was perfect for a special occasion.
Recipe: "Light Lemon Layer Cake" from Flavorful by Tish Boyle, recipe available here at Dessert Professional.
Previous Post:
I didn't realize it at the time, but I have actually made this cake before -- the lemon chiffon cake recipe is virtually identical to that used in Boyle's Lemon Mousse Cake with Fresh Raspberries from The Cake Book. The only difference is that the Flavorful recipe calls for more lemon juice and lemon zest. You combine all of the wet ingredients (egg yolks, vegetable oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, milk, and vanilla); gradually add the sifted dry ingredients (cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt); and fold in egg whites that have been beaten with cream of tartar to stiff peaks. I poured the batter into a well-greased springform pan and put it in the oven.
Following the recipe directions, I let the cake cool for 10 minutes before turning out the cake. The cake just fell out of the pan, so I'm not sure why the recipe calls for a springform pan instead of a regular cake pan, which would suffice.
This cake is fantastic. The chiffon cake soaked in syrup is so good. I love the light texture of chiffon cake and this one delivers a beautiful sweet lemon flavor. The buttercream is incredibly rich -- arguably too rich -- and tastes like lemony whipped butter. Because the frosting is so buttery, a little of this cake goes a long way. But it was perfect for a special occasion.
Recipe: "Light Lemon Layer Cake" from Flavorful by Tish Boyle, recipe available here at Dessert Professional.
Previous Post:
- "Layers of Lemon: Lemon Lust Cake," September 6, 2014.
- "A Culinary Winter Getaway: Orange Grove Cake," March 13, 2014.
- "Light and Lemony: Lemon Mousse Cake with Fresh Raspberries," February 1, 2014.
Comments