Easy Lemon Layer Cake Food

LEMON LAYER CAKE WITH LEMON CREAM CHEESE BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease three 8-inch cake pans, line with parchment paper, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans.
• Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
• Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract on high speed until combined, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients just until combined. With the mixer still running on low, add the milk, lemon zest, and lemon juice and mix just until combined. You may need to whisk it all by hand to make sure there are no lumps at the bottom of the bowl. The batter will be a little thick.
• Pour batter evenly into cake pans. Bake for around 21-26 minutes or until the cakes are baked through. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, it's done. Allow cakes to cool completely in the pans set on a wire rack. The cakes must be completely cool before frosting and assembling. The baked cakes are fluffy, but they are not thick- about 1 - 1.5 inches.
• In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the cream cheese and beat until completely smooth and combined. Add confectioners' sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla extract with the mixer running on low. Increase to high speed and beat for 3 minutes. Add more confectioners' sugar if frosting is too thin, more lemon juice if frosting is too thick, or add a pinch of salt if frosting is too sweet. (I always add a pinch of salt!)
• Using a large serrated knife, slice a thin layer off the tops of the cakes to create a flat surface. Discard (or crumble over ice cream!). Place 1 cake layer on your cake stand, cake turntable, or serving plate. Evenly cover the top with about 1 cup of frosting. Top with 2nd cake layer and evenly cover the top with about 1 cup of frosting. Top with the third cake layer. Spread the remaining frosting all over the top and sides. I like to top mine with homemade whipped cream (I used Wilton 8B piping tip).
• Refrigerate for at least 30-45 minutes before slicing. This helps the cake hold its shape when cutting.
• Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for 5 days.

LEMON LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Line bottoms of 2 greased 9-in. round baking pans with parchment; grease parchment., Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Add eggs and egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in lemon zest and juice. In a small bowl, mix sour cream and milk. In another bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda; add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream mixture., Transfer to prepared pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 24-28 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes before removing to wire racks; remove parchment. Cool slightly., For syrup, in a small saucepan, combine sugar and lemon juice. Bring to a boil; cook until liquid is reduced by half. Cool completely., For frosting, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth; beat in confectioners' sugar, lemon juice and salt until blended., Using a long serrated knife, cut each cake horizontally in half. Brush layers with warm syrup; cool completely., Place 1 cake layer on a serving plate; spread with 1 cup frosting. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining cake layer. Frost top and sides with remaining frosting. If desired, top with lemon slices or edible flowers. Refrigerate leftovers.

EASY LEMON LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and line the base of two 20cm sandwich tins with baking parchment. Beat the butter and sugar together for 3 mins using an electric whisk until smooth and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl. Fold in the flour and baking powder until well incorporated, then fold in the yogurt, vanilla and lemon zest. Divide between the tins and bake for 30-35 mins until golden and a skewer inserted into the middles comes out clean.
• Meanwhile, make the drizzle. Tip the sugar, lemon juice and 100ml water into a small pan set over a medium heat and stir until dissolved. Add the lemon zest, bring to the boil and simmer for 2-3 mins until the zest has softened and the liquid is syrupy. Remove the zest to a sheet of baking parchment using a slotted spoon, and remove the syrup from the heat.
• Leave the sponges to cool for 10 mins in the tins, then pour over the warm drizzle. Leave to cool completely.
• For the icing, beat the butter and icing sugar together using an electric whisk for 4-5 mins until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as you go. Add the vanilla and soft cheese and beat for 4 mins more until thick and creamy. Don't worry if it doesn't look thick at first - it will loosen, then thicken again as you beat it.
• Remove the cooled sponges from the tins. Spoon the icing into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle. Put one sponge on a cake stand or serving plate, and pipe just under half the icing around the edge using a circular motion for a wavy effect. Pipe a little more icing over the empty middle (this doesn't need to be neat) and smooth with the back of a spoon. Chill for 45 mins-1 hr until set. Top with the second sponge, then pipe eight blobs of icing around the edge at regular intervals, leaving a gap between each. Spoon the candied lemon zest into each gap, then serve.

LEMON LAYER CAKE WITH LEMON CREAM FILLING AND FROSTING

Steps:

• For the lemon cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9-inch round cake pans, then insert a round of parchment cut to fit just inside the bottom of each pan. Butter the parchment, then flour the pans, tapping out any excess flour.
• In a medium bowl, stir together the cake flour, baking powder and salt.
• Using an electric, standing or hand mixer, beat the butter and granulated sugar until very fluffy and pale yellow, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla followed by the lemon zest and juice--the mixture may appear to break apart a bit or curdle, but it will come back together when the flour is added, so don't panic! Add about a third of the flour mixture and mix until just barely incorporated, then add half of the milk and blend. Repeat with one-third of the flour mixture, the rest of the milk and the rest of the flour mixture and blend until the ingredients are just completely incorporated.
• Scrape down the sides of the bowl in the middle of this process. Scrape the batter into the prepared pans, dividing it evenly and smoothing the tops. Bake until a wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 22 to 26 minutes. Cool the cakes in the pans on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then run a knife around the insides of the pans to make sure the sides don't stick, place a wire rack over the top of each pan and invert the cake onto the wire rack. Peel off the parchment and cool completely.
• For the lemon filling: While the cakes are baking, make the lemon curd. Whisk the granulated sugar, lemon juice, butter, egg yolks and salt in a small nonreactive saucepan. Place the pan over medium-low heat and cook, whisking constantly, until thickened, about 10 minutes. Place the lemon curd in a small bowl, press a piece of plastic wrap on top of the surface and place it in the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours and up to a week.
• Briskly stir the lemon zest into the chilled curd to blend well. In a medium bowl, beat the heavy cream just until stiff peaks form. Gently fold into the lemon curd with a rubber spatula. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour but not more than 6 hours.
• For the lemon frosting: In a large bowl with an electric, standing or hand mixer, beat the confectioners' sugar with the butter on low speed until combined, then turn the beater speed to high and add the cream and lemon zest and juice. Beat until fluffy.
• To assemble the cake, place each cake layer upside down on a round of cardboard or a flat plate. Using an offset spatula or butter knife, frost the top and sides of each cake layer with a very thin layer of the lemon frosting. Place the cake layers in the freezer for 15 minutes or in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to firm up the thin layer of frosting.
• Place the bottom layer of cake on the platter that you will be serving it on and tuck thick strips of wax or parchment paper under the edges of the cake to keep the platter clean. Spread the lemon filling over the bottom layer, leaving a 1/2-inch border all around so the filling has a bit of room to spread when you place the second layer on top. Cover the filling with the raspberries, then place the second layer of cake on top.
• Frost the cake with the rest of the frosting. The cake will keep for up to 4 days in the refrigerator, though it's best within a day of making. Bring to room temperature before serving.

WHOLE LEMON LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• Place Meyer lemons in a 2-quart saucepan with 4 cups water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and cover; simmer lemons until soft, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat and cool completely.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease two 9-inch cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment paper, and lightly grease the parchment paper.
• Remove any stems from the lemons. Slice into quarters and remove all seeds.
• Place the lemon quarters in the work bowl of a large food processor and process until fairly smooth, about 30 seconds. Add flour, sugar, butter, baking powder, and salt. Pulse about 10 times, just until the batter comes together into coarse crumbs with flecks of lemon rind. Pour in eggs and limoncello with the motor running; process until a thick, slightly grainy batter forms, 10 seconds or less.
• Divide batter between the prepared pans.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the tops are light gold and spring back lightly to the touch, and a toothpick inserted into the middle of each cake comes out clean, 20 to 23 minutes. Cool in the pans for about 5 minutes, then remove and finish cooling on baking racks.
• Place 1 cake layer on a cake plate and cover with lemon curd. Top with the second layer and frost just the top, or top and sides, with cream cheese frosting.

EASY LEMON CAKE

Steps:

• Prepare cake batter and bake as directed on package for 2 (8- or 9-inch) round cake layers. Cool in pans 10 min. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.
• Beat pudding mixes and milk with whisk 2 min. Immediately spread over tops of cakes.
• Stack cake layers. Frost with COOL WHIP.

LEMON LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• Prepare and bake cake mix according to package directions for three 8 inch round pans. Cool cakes completely, then split each in half to make 6 layers.
• For the Lemon Custard: In a large saucepan or double boiler combine sugar and cornstarch. Mix well, then stir in egg yolks, lemon zest and lemon juice. slowly whisk in the boiling water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened. Remove from heat and stir in butter. Set aside to cool.
• Place the bottom layer of cake on a serving plate. Spread with approximately 1/5 of the lemon custard. Repeat layers. Frost top and sides with Seven Minute Frosting (see footnote for link to recipe).

LEMON LOVER'S LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• Sift flour with baking powder, baking soda and salt in a mixing bowl and set aside.
• Cream butter, sugar, and grated lemon zest with an electric mixer in separate mixing bowl until pale and fluffy.
• Beat eggs in 1 at a time, thoroughly.
• With electric mixer on low, add flour mixture in thirds, alternating with buttermilk.
• Add vanilla and beat until smooth.
• Divide batter evenly between 2 buttered and floured 9 inch cake pans.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until cakes are golden and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
• Cool.
• Removed cooled layers from pans.
• Cut layers in half horizontally with a serrated knife.
• Spread lemon curd evenly between the layers and stack on serving plate.
• Whip cream and confectioner's sugar together.
• Frost sides and top with whipped cream.
• Cover top and sides with sliced almonds, if desired.

ULTIMATE LEMON LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• Filling: Measure 1 tablespoon lemon juice into a small bowl; sprinkle gelatin over the top.
• Heat remaining lemon juice, sugar, and salt in medium non-reactive sauce pan over medium high heat, stirring occasionally until sugar dissolves and mixture is hot, but not boiling.
• Whisk eggs and yolks in a large non-reactive bowl.
• Whisking constantly, slowly pour hot lemon-sugar mixture into eggs, then return mixture to saucepan.
• Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until mixture reaches 170° and is thick enought to leave a trail when a spatula is scraped along the bottom of the pan, about 4-6 minutes.
• Immediately remove pan from heat and stir in gelatin mixture until dissolved. Stir in frozen butter until incorporated.
• Pour filling through a fine-meshed strainer into a bowl.
• Cover surface with plastic wrap; refrigerate until firm enough to spread, about 4 hours.
• Cake: Preheat oven to 350°.
• Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans and line with parchment paper.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together egg milk, egg whites and vanilla.
• In a mixer bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt; mix at slow speed.
• Add butter one piece at a time, continue to beat until mixture resembles moist crumbs and no visible butter chunks.
• Add all but 1 cup of milk mixture to crumbs and beat at medium speed until mixture is pale and fluffy, about 1 1/2 minutes.
• With mixer running, add remaining 1/2 cup milk mixture, beat 1 mintute more.
• Divide batter evenly between cake pans.
• Bake 23-25 minutes or until toothpick in center of cakes comes out clean.
• Loosen cakes from side of pan with a small knife, cool in pan 10 minutes then remove from pan onto greased wire rack, remove parchment paper, invert again and cool completely.
• Icing: Combine all ingredients in a mixer bowl or heatproof bowl.
• Set over medium saucepan filled with 1-inch of simmering water.
• Cook stirring constantly until mixture reaches 160°, 5-10 minutes.
• Transfer mixture to mixer bowl (if needed) and beat on medium speed until soft peaks form, about 5 minutes.
• Increase speed to medium-high and continue to beat until mixture has cooled to room temperature and stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes longer.
• Assembly: Cut each layer in half horizontally.
• Spread 1 cup of lemon filling evenly on each cake, (except the top layer) leaving 1/2-inch border around cake.
• Place top layer on cakes, smooth out any filling that may have leaked from the layers.
• Refrigerate while you make the icing.
• Spread icing on cake.