Birthday Lemon Cake

The name gives it away- this post is a birthday post. Today, I get to wish my wonderful husband a Happy 27th Birthday! We went to see a movie and then dined at Veritas Restaurant. It was such a nice day and I always love celebrating the hubster's birthday.

I take birthday's quite seriously, whereas the hubster finds it no big deal. And although we had a dessert at dinner, the hubster requested a lemon birthday cake. So- I searched, to fine the most lemonly cake possible. Most recipes I found would have a vanilla cake with lemon curd and/or lemon buttercream. But I wanted lemon cake, lemon buttercream and lemon curd filling. I had to mix and match different recipes I found online but the final product was a true lemon cake, through and through.

Another fun fact about this cake: it was my first ever all homemade cake (also the first time I used cake flour). Sadly it was not chocolate but the memory will be fond :) It was definitely a learning experience- a messy, hard, difficult, fun and crazy learning experience. Definitely felt overwhelmed at times and I was not ecstatic with the final product but in all fairness, it was my first time. Decorating this cake was also new: I attempted to make a "baseket weave" pattern. What I learned: I am clearly not a cake expert and cupcakes are definitely more of my "forte." But it was overall really fun and so I look forward to learning how to make cakes with greater skill in the future. So hopefully I will get more chances. And more chances to make chocolate cake.

I can give no comments as to how good it taste. I know that it definitely taste lemonly from the bits I taste tested and from the smell of my kitchen ;) but that is all I know. But I am, by far, not a lemon fan at all. So I did not try it. But the hubster said it was delicious. He said the cake had a great texture and was subtle in taste, which really went well the the lemon curd and lemon buttercream. Im not sure how much that adds to the recipe, considering Im convinced he says he likes everything I make.

Close up of the basket weave

Basket Weave

2 layers of lemon buttercream and 2 layers of lemon curd

BIRTHDAY LEMON CAKE

Adapted from Ming Makes Cupcakes and Rock Recipes and Food.com

INGREDIENTS

Preheat Oven to 325F degrees

FOR THE CAKE
2 3/4 c. cake flour
3 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. unsalted butter
2 c. sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. freshly squeezed lemon juice
3/4 c. buttermilk

FOR THE LEMON CURD
6 lightly beaten egg yolks
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. lemon juice
1 stick of butter (cut up into tblsp.)

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM
1 c. butter softened
7 c. powdered sugar
1 lemon (juiced)
1 tsp. vanilla
pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS

For the cake- cream together butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl mix together dry ingredient and in another bowl mix together milk and lemon juice. Add dry mixture and milk/lemon juice mixture alternately into butter/sugar/egg/vanilla mixture. Cream together thoroughly. Place in 2, 8inch pans and cook for 35-40 minutes. Once baked, let cool completely.

For lemon curd: on medium heat mix lemon juice and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Then slowly add in egg yolks and wisk well to prevent egg yolks from cooking. Stir constantly for 10 minutes, until mixture thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from heat and add butter- 1 tbsp. at a time. Place in refridgerator until cooled.

For buttercream: cream together butter, lemon juice, and vanilla. Then slowly add in powdered sugar. Add more powdered sugar if consistency needs to be thicker and add more lemon juice for consistency to be thinner. 

Assembly: cut each round cake in half. Use buttercream for first sanwich, the lemon curd, the buttercream and finally top with lemon curd. When filling with lemon curd for both sandwich layer and top layer, use buttercream to make an outline of the cake, so lemon curd will not spill out. Decorate cake with butter cream in which ever way you prefer :)

Enjoy,

Chika