Meyer Lemon Upside Down Cake Food

MEYER LEMON UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rub bottom and sides of an 8-inch cake pan with 2 tablespoons butter and sprinkle bottom with sugar. Thinly slice lemons and remove seeds. Arrange lemon slices in concentric circles over brown sugar. Set aside.
• In a food processor, pulse almonds until finely ground. Add baking soda and salt, and pulse to combine. In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks and honey. Stir in almond mixture.
• Beat egg whites until doubled in volume (but do not form soft peaks). Gently fold whites into almond mixture until just combined. Transfer batter to prepared cake pan.
• Bake until top is deep golden brown and a skewer inserted into middle comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes. Carefully turn out onto a serving plate. Serve warm or at room temperature. Slice with a serrated knife.

LEMON UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Prepare a grill for indirect heat. If using a charcoal grill, build the hot coals on one side only. If using a gas grill, heat one side only to medium-high heat.
• Whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon in a small bowl. Whisk together the eggs, milk, olive oil, sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, lemon juice and zest in a large bowl. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and whisk to combine. Set aside.
• Place a shallow enameled Dutch oven over direct heat. Add the butter and melt. Continue to toast the butter until it becomes brown and nutty, 1 to 2 minutes. Swirl the butter up the sides of the Dutch oven as you are toasting it to prevent the cake from sticking.
• After the butter has browned, whisk in the brown sugar and allow it to melt. The mixture will resemble wet sand and won't get completely smooth.
• Take the Dutch oven off the heat and shingle the lemon slices in, covering the whole surface. Keep in mind that this will be the top of your cake. Pour the batter into the Dutch oven and put it back over indirect heat. Close the grill and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out dry, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Remove the cake from the grill and allow it to cool for 5 minutes. Invert the cake onto a platter and continue to cool until ready to serve.
• Meanwhile, place a 2-cup glass jar with a lid in the freezer for 20 minutes. When the jar is cold, pour in the cream and add the sugar and the remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla. Vigorously shake until you end up with soft whipped cream, about 5 minutes.
• Cut the cake into 8 slices and serve with a dollop of whipped cream on top.
• (Alternatively, you can bake the cake in a 350 degrees F oven for 50 minutes.)

MEYER LEMON CAKE

Steps:

• For the Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together the butter, sugar, and lemon zest until smooth and creamy. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. Combine the milk, vanilla extract and lemon juice. Alternately combine the dry ingredients and the milk mixture with the butter mixture. Beat well until smooth. Add the eggs 1 at a time and mix well. Divide the batter between the 2 cake pans. Bake the cake for about 20 minutes until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool before unmolding.
• For the Lemon Curd: Whisk together the egg yolks and the sugar. Add the lemon juice. Place the mixture in a heavy bottomed sauce pot. Cook over medium low heat, stirring constantly until thickened. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the butter. Strain the curd. Stir in the lemon zest. Place the curd in a bowl and cover the surface of the curd with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until cold.
• For the Easy Buttercream Frosting: Combine powdered sugar with the other ingredients and beat until smooth.
• Assembly: Cut each cake in half, giving you 4 layers. Layer 1 cake piece with 1/3 of the lemon curd. Gently spread about 1/3 cup of the frosting over the curd. Repeat with 2 more layers of cake, curd and frosting. Place the forth cake piece on top and frost the sides and top with the remaining frosting.

UPSIDE DOWN LEMON PUDDING CAKES

Steps:

• Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 2-quart baking dish or six 6-ounce ramekins.
• With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the egg whites to soft peaks. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. Beat the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl as necessary. Reduce the speed to medium and add the egg yolks, mixing until incorporated. Add the flour, lemon zest, and salt and beat until combined. Add the lemon juice and milk and beat until incorporated. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the egg whites. Pour the batter into the prepared dish or ramekins. Place the dishes in a large baking pan and add enough boiling water to the pan so that it reaches halfway up the sides of the dish or ramekins.
• Bake until the top is golden and the center springs back when gently pressed, 35 to 45 minutes for a large baking dish and 25 to 35 minutes for the individual ramekins. Transfer the dishes to a rack to cool completely, at least 1 1/2 hours. (The pudding cakes can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. Allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.) To serve, run a paring knife around the edges of the dish and invert onto a plate.

LEMON UPSIDE DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Cut 3 of the lemons into one-eighth inch thick slices. Remove seeds and set aside. You will have about 30 lemon slices. Grate 1 teaspoon lemon peel from the remaining lemon. Set aside the grated peel; save the lemon for another use.
• Heat 4 tablespoons of the butter in a 10-inch cast iron skillet or an ovenproof 10-inch saute pan until melted. Brush the sides of skillet with a little of the melted butter. Add the brown sugar, stir until it is moistened with the butter and spread it into an even layer. Arrange the lemon slices, slightly overlapping, to cover the bottom of the skillet. Set aside.
• Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set aside.
• Cut the remaining 6 tablespoons butter into a mixing bowl. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean with the point of a knife onto the butter. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter, scraping down the sides of the bowl, until creamy. Add the sugar and grated lemon peel and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time.
• Add half the flour mixture and beat until blended. Add milk and beat until combined, then add the remaining flour mixture and beat until blended.
• Spread the batter over the lemons in the skillet to cover evenly. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until the cake is golden and the center tests done. Let the cake stand 5 minutes, then invert the skillet onto a platter. To serve, slice into wedges with a sharp knife.