Mr. Athena gets two birthday cakes this year - once last Saturday at the party in Michigan, when he got the requisite Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Frosting, and once back here in Colorado tomorrow, on his real birthday. As he’s already had the chocolate cake, he now wants lemon cake. Something like Lemon Cake with Lemon Buttercream frosting. Anyone got a good recipe?
Um, I have a recipe for a lemon-flavored bundt cake, but it has a sugar glaze rather than a real frosting. And it’s made with a package of ready-made Betty Crocker style cake mix, and a package of instant lemon pudding. Interested?
What I’ve done in the past is bake a Duncan Hines lemon cake mix (8- or 9-inch layers, not the 13x9 pan).
Get a can of lemon pie filling or lemon curd, and put between the layers.
Frost with a lemon buttercream frosting. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
Sheri
My favorite cake recipe - from my grandma. Rave reviews every time I bake it.
Lemon Drip-through Cake.
1 pkg. instant yellow cake mix
1 sm. pkg. lemon jello
3/4 c. oil
3/4 c. water
1 tsp. lemon extract
4 eggs.
Beat ingredients together and bake in an UNGREASED rectangular cake pan per box instructions. Allow to fully cool, then poke holes in the cake with a fork.
Glaze:
2 c. confectioners’ sugar
6 tbsp. lemon juice.
Heat together until glaze solidifies instantly when dripped onto a cool surface. Pour evenly over cake.
Very easy, and very good.
Well, although I’m sure all these recipes are really good, I’m looking for a ‘from scratch’ cake. Y’know, it being his birthday and all, and me supposedly being a really great cook… I don’t want him to think I’m cutting corners by making something out of a box. I’m definitely gonna make notes of these recipes though, and try 'em sometime.
Lemon Cake Recipe:
2 cups sifted cake flour (not self-rising; sift before measuring)
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup whole milk
2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice + 2 teaspoons of lemon zest
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter 2 (8- by 2-inch) round cake pans and line bottoms of each with rounds of wax or parchment paper. Butter paper and dust pans with flour, knocking out excess. Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir together milk and lemon juice and zest (mixture will curdle).
Beat butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until pale and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Alternately add flour mixture and milk mixture in batches, beginning and ending with flour, mixing at low speed until just combined.
Divide batter between pans, smoothing tops. Bake in middle of oven until a tester comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool in pans on racks 10 minutes, then invert onto racks, remove paper, and cool completely.
Lemon Curd Recipe:
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
1 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs + 1 egg yolk
1 cup unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon pieces
Whisk together zest, lemon juice, sugar, eggs, and a pinch of salt in a 2-quart heavy saucepan. Add butter all at once and cook over moderately low heat, whisking constantly, until curd is thick enough to hold marks of whisk and first bubbles appear on surface, about 10-15 minutes. Immediately pour curd through a fine sieve into a bowl, then chill, covered.
Lemon Buttercream recipe:
4 large egg whites
1 cup sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons and softened slightly
1/3 cup lemon curd, chilled
Heat whites and sugar in a metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, whisking constantly, until sugar is dissolved and a thermometer registers 160°F. Remove bowl from heat and beat mixture in standing electric mixer on medium-high speed until thick, glossy peaks form. If mixture is still warm, continue beating until cool.
With mixer running, add butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition. Add lemon curd, beating on high speed until smooth and fluffy, about 10 minutes. If buttercream begins to separate, beat on high speed until smooth.
Assemble by splitting the cake layers in two (so you have four layers), and spreading lemon curd lightly on each layer, and frost with buttercream.
Lemon Cake Recipe:
2 cups sifted cake flour (not self-rising; sift before measuring)
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup whole milk
2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice + 2 teaspoons of lemon zest
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter 2 (8- by 2-inch) round cake pans and line bottoms of each with rounds of wax or parchment paper. Butter paper and dust pans with flour, knocking out excess. Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir together milk and lemon juice and zest (mixture will curdle).
Beat butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until pale and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Alternately add flour mixture and milk mixture in batches, beginning and ending with flour, mixing at low speed until just combined.
Divide batter between pans, smoothing tops. Bake in middle of oven until a tester comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool in pans on racks 10 minutes, then invert onto racks, remove paper, and cool completely.
Lemon Curd Recipe:
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
1 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs + 1 egg yolk
1 cup unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon pieces
Whisk together zest, lemon juice, sugar, eggs, and a pinch of salt in a 2-quart heavy saucepan. Add butter all at once and cook over moderately low heat, whisking constantly, until curd is thick enough to hold marks of whisk and first bubbles appear on surface, about 10-15 minutes. Immediately pour curd through a fine sieve into a bowl, then chill, covered.
Lemon Buttercream recipe:
4 large egg whites
1 cup sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons and softened slightly
1/3 cup lemon curd, chilled
Heat whites and sugar in a metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, whisking constantly, until sugar is dissolved and a thermometer registers 160°F. Remove bowl from heat and beat mixture in standing electric mixer on medium-high speed until thick, glossy peaks form. If mixture is still warm, continue beating until cool.
With mixer running, add butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition. Add lemon curd, beating on high speed until smooth and fluffy, about 10 minutes. If buttercream begins to separate, beat on high speed until smooth.
Assemble by splitting the cake layers in two (so you have four layers), and spreading lemon curd lightly on each layer, and frost with buttercream.
Note on the lemon curd recipe: I love this stuff. I can eat it just straight out of the bowl. I love it so much I serve it as a dessert at the restaurant. It’s served in a bowl with fresh blackberries, whipped cream and shortbread cookies.
That recipe was so good that I had to post it twice. :rolleyes:
Want Mom’s recipe for a lemon creme sponge pie? I’ll post it if anyone does.
Does birthday “cake” have to be cake? Birthday pie is okay, too.
mmmmmmmmmmm…birthday pie.