Photo: Lemon Cake with Chocolate Gloppy Frosting Recipe
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 stick butter plus 1 tablespoon for greasing the pan
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup plain, whole milk yogurt
- 3 eggs
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Chocolate Frosting:
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- Juice of 1/2 lemon and a few grates of zest
- 2 to 3 grates whole nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 9 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar
- 1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch square cake pan with 1 tablespoon of the butter.
For the cake: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or an electric hand mixer, or by hand), cream the 1 stick of butter and granulated sugar together until smooth, 5 to 8 minutes. As you are creaming the butter and sugar, scrape the sides down with a rubber spatula so you are sure to be combining the butter and sugar as it mixes.
In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
When the butter and sugar are integrated, blend in the yogurt. Add the eggs, one by one. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla. Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the dry ingredients. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake, undisturbed, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes before inverting it on to a plate and allowing it to cool for an additional 20 minutes.
For the frosting: In a small saucepan, combine the water and granulated sugar and bring to a simmer. Stir to make sure all of the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl to cool. Stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Stir to blend. Set the syrup aside to cool.
In a small saucepan, heat the cream. Place the chocolate chips in a medium bowl. When the cream simmers, pour it over the chocolate chips. Whisk to blend. Set aside to cool.
In the bowl of the food processor, combine the confectioners' sugar, butter, and almond extract. Pulse to blend. Continue blending for about 30 seconds until the ingredients are mixed together. Use a rubber spatula to scrape every bit of the chocolate mixture into the processor and mix again to blend. Transfer the frosting to a bowl and allow it to sit a little before frosting the cake.
Transfer cake to a serving platter. Use a pastry brush (or spoon) to put some of the syrup on the cake. Do not make too wet or the cake will be soggy and fall apart, use just a little bit here and there. Carefully spread the frosting over the cake starting in the center and working it to and around the edges. Make sure there is enough frosting to coat the top and sides of the cake. Serve.
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By Lemmy1954
on August 06, 2012
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Good news: cake was moist and very tasty, though not a lemony as I would have expected (I've had box cakes with a more pronounced lemon flavor. Bad news: the almond extract in the frosting (which is very runny and probably needs overnight refrigeration to set up overpowered any lemon taste. Also, the syrup moistener was a nice touch but, again, the cinnamon and nutmeg overwhelm the lemon. A lot of effort for little return.
By mzbetherz
on May 28, 2012
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I decided to try this after seeing it on a recent episode, and I was not disappointed!! I took into account everyone's comments, and the only thing I did different was to poke some holes in the top of the cake so the syrup would seep in. Next time, I'll poke bigger holes and use more of the syrup... it really does make the cake.
I had no problems at all with the frosting... it came out just right. I didn't have a 9 inch pan so I used my 8 inch and had to bake it a little longer. I didn't have a plate that would fir the cake and all the yummy frosting, so I just put the cake in my 9x13 pan and froseted it there... worked great, as it kept all the frosting (gloppy yes, but not runny around the cake. I will definitely make this again... my family loved it! I think I'll also add another tablespoon of lemon zest to the batter... the more lemony the better!
By Staceums
Pevely, MO
on May 23, 2011
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I didn't realize that the cake would come out flatter and drier (as opposed to a moist and fluffy cake, say, from boxed cake mix, so I did not use as much of the syrup for fear of the cake falling apart. Unfortunately, I did not use enough and there wasn't much lemon flavor to the cake. As for the frosting, I refrigerated the mixture for at least 3 hours and it came out wonderful. I will try this recipe again but will have to pay more attention to the syrup addition, otherwise the cake will be too plain.
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