Recipes : Paula's Lemon Cake : Food Network

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Paula's Lemon Cake
Recipe courtesy Paula Deen

Ingredients
Cake:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
3 cups sifted self-rising flour
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Lemon wedge, for garnish
Mint sprig, for garnish

Frosting:

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar or 1 tablespoon white corn syrup
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup water
2 egg whites
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Filling:
8 egg yolks
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
3 lemons, zest grated and juiced

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 3
(9-inch) cake pans.

To make the cake: Using an electric mixer, cream butter until fluffy. Add sugar
and continue to cream well for 6 to 8 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well
after each addition. Add flour and milk alternately to creamed mixture, beginning
and ending with flour. Add vanilla and continue to beat until just mixed. Divide
batter equally among prepared pans. Level batter in each pan by holding pan 3 or
4-inches above counter, then dropping flat onto counter. Do this several times to
release air bubbles and assure you of a more level cake. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes
or until golden brown. Cool in pans 5 to 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto cooling
racks. Cool completely.

To make the frosting: Place sugar, cream of tartar or corn syrup, salt, water, and

egg whites in the top of a double boiler. Beat with a handheld electric mixer for
1 minute. Place pan over boiling water, being sure that boiling water does not
touch the bottom of the top pan. Beat constantly on high speed with electric mixer
for 7 minutes. Beat in vanilla.

To make the filling: Place the ingredients in the double boiler over boiling
water. Don't let top pan touch the water. Cook and stir until mixture begins to
gel or thicken. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

To assemble, add 1 tablespoon of filling to the cake pedestal. Run hands along the
side of the cake to remove excess crumbs. Place the cake layers on the pedestal,
spreading filling between the layers and on top. Spread the sides and top of the
cake with the remaining filling. Frost top and sides of cake with frosting.
Garnish with a lemon wedge and a sprig of mint.