Lemon Layer Cake

Diner Desserts (Chronicle Books, 2000) By Tish Boyle, Photographs by Clark Irey

Rated: 4 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (44)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(44)

Cook Time:
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Level:
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Yield:
12 servings

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Ingredients

Lemon Cake
2 1/2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 large whole eggs, at room temperature
3 large egg yolks, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup whole milk
Lemon Filling
2 large egg yolks
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, slightly softened
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2 cup heavy cream

Lemon Frosting:

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Directions

1. To make the lemon cake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottom and sides of two 9-inch round cake pans. Dust the pans with flour and tap out the excess.

2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir together the dry ingredients with a whisk. Set aside.

3. In an electric stand mixer, using the paddle attachment or beaters, beat the butter on medium speed for about 30 seconds, or until creamy. Gradually add the sugar, increase the speed to medium-high, and continue to beat until the mixture is light, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

4. Add the whole eggs and egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and lemon zest. Reduce the speed to low and gradually beat in he lemon juice (the batter will appear curdled at this point smooth out after you add the dry ingredients). Beat in the dry ingredients in 3 additions alternately with milk in 2 additions. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat for another 10 seconds. Scrape the batter into the prepared pans.

5. Bake the cakes for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean. Cool the cakes in the pans on wire racks for 20 minutes. Invert the cakes onto the rakcs and cool completely.

6. To make the lemon filling, in a medium nonreactive saucepan, whisk together the yolks and sugar until combined. Whisk in the lemon juice, butter, and salt. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for 5 to 6 minutes, or until the mixture turns opaque, thickens, and coats the back of the spoon. Do not let the filling boil, or it will curdle. Pour the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a medium bowl. Stir in the lemon zest and allow the filling to cool.

7.Cover with plastic wrap, pressing directly onto the surface, and refrigerate for 1 hour, or until chilled.

8. In a clean bowl of the electric mixer, using the whisk attachment or beaters, beat the heavy cream on high speed until soft peaks form. Remove the lemon filling from the refrigerator and whisk until smooth. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the whipped cream into the filling. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the filling until ready to assemble the cake.

9. To make the lemon frosting, in the large bowl of the electric mixer, using the paddle attachment or beaters, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 30 seconds. Gradually beat in the confectioners' sugar on low speed. Add the cream, lemon juice, vanilla, and lemon zest. Increase the speed to medium-high, and beat for about 3 minutes, or until the frosting is light and fluffy.

10. To assemble the cake, place 1 cake layer on a serving plate. Pile the lemon filling onto the center using a small offset metal spatula, and spread it into an even layer, leaving a 1-inch border around the edge of the cake layer. Top with the second cake layer. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the lemon frosting. (If some of the filling oozes out from the middle, just blend it with the frosting around the sides of the cake.) Serve the cake immediately, or refrigerate and bring to room temperature before serving.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Lemon Layer Cake
Maryann Red Bank, NJ 04-13-2009
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This Lemon Cake is a Lemon...
Rated: 2 stars out of 5

I knew I was in trouble when the very tasty filling couldn't withstand the weight of the layer cake being put on top of it.... The center oozed out of the middle of the cake faster than I could icing to blend it in. A mess...and I did refridgerate the center over night and I did whip the cream to peaks. I f I was to make the center again I would whip it til hard, hard and probably also add cornstarch when cooking the lemon. In making the best of a distaster cake for Easter- it didn't look horrible and I figured if the filling and the icing taste good and the cake looks like it came out perfct , fine... but the cake was like pound cake, not bad, for pound cake... but no one was expecting lemon cake to be a belly bomb heavy thing. This was the first time I showed with a dessert that wasn't a winner. No one loved it and everyone said it was too heavy, but the icing is good.Read more
recipe Lemon Layer Cake
JoAnne Smyrna, GA 01-15-2009
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Excellent
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I made this cake for an office birthday party and everyone loved it. I did not have a problem with the lemon curd filling... like some reviewers said. It came out perfectly. I did whip the heavy cream a little stiffer though before folding into the lemon curd. Make sure to refrigerate the lemon curd for at least an hour too or it will not thicken. The only problem I did have was that there was not enough frosting and I had to make another batch cutting the recipe in half to finish frosting my cake. The next time I will double the frosting recipe. Maybe I just like more frosting, but a light layer of frosting on this cake would not work well as it is a crumbly cake. Delicious though - I will definitely be making again.Read more
recipe Lemon Layer Cake
AMY Burnaby, CANADA 11-30-2008
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Delicious and loved by all!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I made this for a friend's birthday party and everything about this cake was amazing. It earned rave reviews. The cake... itself has a buttery, dense lemony pound cake texture which complements the lemon filling and buttercream. Make sure you cool the cake completely before handling it - otherwise the cake is difficult to handle and may crumble apart. I did make some modifications to the recipe which I thought improved the cake to give it that extra "wow" factor, as follows: I did not use the lemon filling recipe provided in this recipe. I sliced each cake layer into half horizontally, so the cake had a total of 4 layers. On top of the bottom layer I spread about 1/2 cup of Lemon Curd (recipe below). On top of the second layer I spread some buttercream icing. On top of the third layer I spread another 1/2 cup of lemon curd. Then I iced the top and sides of the cake with the remainder of the buttercream icing. Instead of the Lemon filling recipe provided, I filled the cake with Lemon Curd: 2 egg yolks 2 eggs 3/4 cup sugar 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 tbsp lemon zest 1/4 cup unsalted butter - Whisk eggs and egg yolks in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. Whisk in sugar. Whisk in lemon juice, zest and butter. Heat over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture begins to bubble. Reduce heat to low, and continue whisking, for about 15 minutes, or until mixture thickens to a curd consistency. Let cool completely before using to ice the cake (the curd will continue to thicken as it cools). This recipe makes enough to fill one cake, with a little bit of lemon curd leftover to enjoy with crackers. Enjoy! Read more
recipe Lemon Layer Cake
cecilia PROVIDENCE, RI 10-12-2008
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delicious
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I made this cake last night for a dinner party & it was a big hit. I simplified it by buying a jar of lemon curd for the... filling, which cut out a lot of prep time. I also added an additional tablespoon or so of lemon juice to the icing to give it a little more zing. Be warned, this is a very sweet, dense cake, so if you're looking for a light, fluffy dessert this isn't the one for you. However, I loved the texture and will definitely make it again.Read more
recipe Lemon Layer Cake
Anonymous 08-06-2008
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Excellent Crowd Pleaser
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

It was done before I knew it... I managed to sneak away 2 pieces for myself
recipe Lemon Layer Cake
Mike Midvale, UT 04-16-2008
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Disaster: Is high altitude the problem?
Rated: 1 stars out of 5

I had high hopes for this cake after reading reviews and looking at several alternatives. I made the curd filling the night... before so it would set up. That part turned out fine, as did the frosting. The cake, on the other hand, was an absolute disaster. The batter looked fine and appeared to be baking well. But right toward the end, the centers collapsed, leaving a huge crater. I tried to make the best with what I had (my son's birthday was in a few hours) by putting the filling in, and trying to fill the "cave" with a package of drained frozen raspberries. My family ate the cake (they aren't too picky), but I won't be making this one again. The texture was pretty bad, more like a pound cake with heavy dense crumb. I'm a pretty good baker and I followed the recipe exactly, so the only thing I can think of is that I live at about 4300 feet in the Salt Lake City metro area, and this recipe doesn't work at high altitude.Read more