Paula's Lemon Cake

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen

Show: Paula's Home CookingEpisode: Newlyweds

Rated: 4 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (147)

Cook Time:
30 min
Level:
Intermediate
Yield:
16 to 20 servings

Times:

Prep: 30 min
Inactive Prep: 10 min
Cook: 30 min
Total:: 1 hr 10 min

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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.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Paula's Lemon Cake
Anna Danville, PA 03-15-2010
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Not the best combo
Rated: 2 stars out of 5

Separately, I loved twof the three parts of this cake. Together, they made one sticky mess!! The cake was great. The... frosting was awesome. I will definitely make that again for other cakes. The lemon filling tasted good but was very gooey and didn't gel together. The frosting kept sliding off the cake because of the lemon filling. It was a big mess and looked horrible!!!Read more
recipe Paula's Lemon Cake
Elisa Oak Ridge, TN 02-24-2010
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Is the icing supposed to be runny?
Rated: 3 stars out of 5

I can't really judge for the cake, I made mine from the box, but the frosting was good and not too sweet (though i added... lemon ,so that might of helped). More like a glaze.Read more
recipe Paula's Lemon Cake
Donna Flowery Branch, GA 02-24-2010
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Superb Cake Paula!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

After reading the reviews, I was hesitant but I decided to go for it. I did add a small amount of lemon flavoring to the... cake for a true lemon flavor. I included some lemon zest to the icing which cut out so much of the sweetness. It was dense but I made a day ahead of time and the lemon filling seeped into the cake a little and made it a little gooey! As for the frosting and filling not getting thick enough, you have to cook each one on medium heat and continually stir so you don't make scrambled eggs. It does take a long time so be patient! This is so worth trying if you like lemon cake!Read more
recipe Paula's Lemon Cake
Suga Spokane Valley, WA 12-25-2009
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The Frosting
Rated: 3 stars out of 5

I just wanted to make yummy lemon frosting but for some reason mine didn't turn out fluffing.......it never thickened up over... the double boiler. I have no idea what I did wrong........I did everything as the receipe said.........hmmmmmmmRead more
recipe Paula's Lemon Cake
Lynnise Los Angeles, CA 12-25-2009
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LONG PROCESS
Rated: 3 stars out of 5

I saw the mixed reviews and went ahead and gave it a try. For me the taste was just ok, a little too dense for me and a tad... bit dry to me. The lemon filling was too runny and the frosting wasn't stiff enough; I had to make a buttercream frosting instead. It took a while to make this cake and to me the result is a mediocre cake. I should've used OIL to make it less dense. Using butter results in more of a "pound" like cake rather than a "sponge/chiffon" like cake, which is really what I was after. Also, I added lemon extract and lemon zest to the cake and icing, because it's not really a lemon cake if the cake itself doesn't have some sort of lemon flavor. I don't think I'll make this recipe again, but if I do I might cut back on the flour and I might use oil instead of butter depending upon the type of density I'm after. It was good...try her CINNAMON ROLLS, OUT OF THIS WORLD!!!!!!Read more
recipe Paula's Lemon Cake
Deborah Rockville, MD 12-20-2009
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Not the optimal lemon cake
Rated: 1 stars out of 5

While I adore Paula, this recipe was a complete disaster -- at least for me and I am an experienced baker. The cake itself... was okay -- nothing to write home about. The lemon filling never solidified and ended up too gooey for me. The frosting was very sweet but almost too sweet - it felt like I was eating fluff which is not what I want on the cake. Need to find a new recipe ... I wish I had not spent these hours in the kitchen baking it for a total disaster but I guess you learn by trying, right?Read more