Chocolate Cake With Lemon Curd Filling Food

LEMON CURD FILLING

Steps:

• Whisk together egg yolks, granulated sugar, lemon zest and juice and cornstarch in a small heavy saucepan until combined. Cook mixture over medium, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until mixture is thick and coats the back of spoon, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in cold butter until melted and smooth.
• Pour mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a medium bowl; discard any lumps. Place bowl with strained lemon curd in a large bowl filled with ice water. Let stand, stirring often, until mixture is cool, about 20 minutes. Remove medium bowl from ice bath, and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on lemon curd (to prevent a film from forming).
• Cover and chill until curd is firm, at least 4 hours or up to 3 days.

LEMON-LATTICE WHITE CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• For lemon curd:
• Combine lemon juice and cornstarch in heavy medium saucepan, stirring until cornstarch dissolves. Whisk in remaining ingredients. Cook over medium heat until mixture is thick and smooth and just begins to boil, stirring constantly, about 7 minutes. Transfer to medium bowl. Place plastic wrap directly on surface of curd to prevent skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled, about 6 hours. (Can be prepared days ahead.)
• For frosting:
• Combine 1/2 cup cream and chocolate in heavy small saucepan. Stir over low heat until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Transfer to large bowl. Whisk in remaining 1 3/4 cups cream and vanilla. Refrigerate until well chilled, about 6 hours. (Can be prepared up to 1 day ahead.)
• For cake:
• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Butter three 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides. Line bottoms with waxed paper. Butter paper. Dust pans with flour; tap out excess. Sift flour, baking powder and salt together into medium bowl. Repeat sifting.
• Stir chocolate and 1/2 cup cream in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Mix in remaining 1/2 cup cream, milk and vanilla.
• Using electric mixer, beat butter and 1 cup sugar in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in yolks. Stir dry ingredients into butter mixture alternately with white chocolate mixture, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Using electric mix fitted with clean dry beaters, beat egg whites in medium bowl to soft peaks. Gradually beat in remaining 1 cup sugar. Continue beating until stiff but not dry. Fold whites into cake batter in 2 additions. Divide batter among prepared cake pans. Bake until tester inserted in center comes out clean and cakes are beginning to pull away from sides of pans, about 24 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on racks 10 minutes. Turn cakes out onto racks, peel off waxed paper and cool completely. (Can be prepared 4 hours ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature.
• Using electric mixer, beat frosting in another large bowl until stiff peaks form. Place 1 cake layer on platter. Spread 2/3 cup lemon curd evenly atop cake layer. Spread 3/4 cup frosting atop curd. Top with second cake layer. Spread cake with 2/3 cup curd, then with 3/4 cup frosting. Top with third cake layer. Frost top and sides of entire cake evenly with 3 cups frosting.
• Place remaining lemon curd in pastry bag fitted with no. 2 star tip. Pipe circle of curd around top of cake, 1/2 inch from edge. Pipe evenly spaced diagonal lines inside circle, creating lattice pattern. (Reserve remaining curd for another use.) Spoon remaining frosting into clean pastry bag fitted with no. 2 star tip. Pipe ruffled border around top and bottom edges of cake. (Can be prepared up to 6 hours ahead. Refrigerate.) Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before serving.

LEMON CURD FILLING

Steps:

• In a non-reactive saucepan, whisk yolk and sugar until well combined.
• Add remaining ingredients except lemon zest.
• Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly (Do not whisk), until thickened and you see the first bubble.
• DO NOT ALLOW TO BOIL.
• Pour through strainer, stir in zest.
• chill in refrigerator with plastic wrap pressed on top of curd to prevent skin forming.

WHITE LAYER CAKE WITH LEMON CURD FILLING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 9-by-2-inch round cake pans; line bottoms with parchment paper rounds. Butter parchment, and dust with flour, tapping out excess; set aside.
• Into a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and 2 cups sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in three parts, alternating with milk and beginning and ending with flour; beat until just combined. Transfer mixture to a large bowl; set aside.
• In the clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites on low speed until foamy. With mixer running, gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar; beat on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 4 minutes. Do not overbeat. Gently fold a third of the egg-white mixture into the butter-flour mixture until combined. Gently fold in remaining whites.
• Divide batter evenly between prepared pans, smoothing with an offset spatula. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until cakes are golden brown and a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool 20 minutes. Invert cakes onto rack; peel off parchment. Reinvert cakes, and let them cool completely, top sides up.
• Using a serrated knife, trim tops of cake layers to make level. Place one layer on a serving plate, cut side up. Using a pastry bag fitted with a coupler, pipe frosting around the perimeter. This dam will prevent the lemon curd filling from seeping out. Fill cake with lemon curd. Place other cake layer on top, cut side down. Spread entire cake with frosting, swirling to cover.