Lemon layer cake with lemon cream cheese frosting
Preppy Kitchen · ♥ 11.9K likes · 426.9K views · 15 min video
Read about layer cakes in the BrightCulinary Book
Timestamp
Ingredients
Method
Techniques
- 300 g all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp salt
Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together to distribute the leavening evenly so the cake rises evenly.
- 226 g unsalted butter
Cream the room temperature butter on medium 30 seconds to a minute.
- 300 g granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp lemon zest
Add the sugar and the lemon zest; the sugar abrades the zest and presses the oil out.
- 3 whole eggs
- ¼ cup lemon juice
Add three eggs one at a time, letting each mix in and scraping the bowl and the paddle.
Adding eggs one at a time
- 1 cup buttermilk
Combine the lemon juice and the buttermilk; the acid keeps the gluten from connecting, for a more tender cake, but too much turns it gummy.
Lemon juice and buttermilk
Add the flour mixture in three additions alternating with the lemony buttermilk on low: a third flour, half the buttermilk, a third flour, the rest of the buttermilk, the last of the flour.
Grease the pans and set a parchment round in the centre, divide the batter evenly and level it.
Wrap damp cake strips round the pans so the layers rise flat instead of doming.
- 226 g cream cheese
- 226 g unsalted butter
Mix the softened cream cheese and butter on medium about 30 seconds until creamy.
Lemon cream cheese frosting base
- 2 whole lemon zest
- salt
Add the zest of two lemons and an optional pinch of salt and mix on medium three minutes until light, fluffy and lighter in colour.
- 1 lb confectioner's sugar
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
Sift the confectioner's sugar if lumpy and add it on low about half a cup at a time, adding lemon juice as you go to keep it smooth and slack.
- ½ drop yellow food coloring
- orange food coloring
Reserve about three quarters of a cup of white frosting for the dollops and tint the rest the palest yellow with half a drop of yellow and the slightest bit of orange.
Tinting the buttercream pale yellow
Set the first layer on a cake plate, spread about a cup of frosting over it, optionally with lemon curd.
Filling, frosting and swooping
- lemon curd
Add the second layer, cover with the remaining frosting and smooth it, or swoop it for a rustic finish.
Finish with ribbons of lemon peel, edible violas or sprinkles, or leave it plain.