I really, really love to bake cakes. I'm good at it, they are always delicious, and they never LOOK like a bakery cake. Then again, I've yet to find a bakery cake that, quite frankly, tastes as good as my cakes.
This cake was a delight to make, a horror to decorate (due to my butter cream curdling from the time it was complete to the time I got it on the cake), and a huge hit all around to eat. It was light, rich tasting without being heavy (due, I think, to the lack of egg yolks in the batter, for which my dogs are very, very appreciative), and fun to think about the possibilities for future combinations.
PERFECT PARTY CAKE
Courtesy of Dorie Greenspan’s Baking from My Home to Yours
For the Cake
2 ½ cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups whole milk or buttermilk (I prefer buttermilk with the lemon)
4 large egg whites
1 ½ cups sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 stick (8 tablespoons or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ teaspoon pure lemon extract
For the Buttercream
1 cup sugar
4 large egg whites
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¼ cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 large lemons)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For Finishing
2/3 cup seedless raspberry preserves stirred vigorously or warmed gently until spreadable - I used Polamer AllFruit Cherry Preserves, and this was a wonderful compliment to the lemon and the coconut.
About 1 ½ cups sweetened shredded coconut
Getting Ready
Centre a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9 x 2 inch round cake pans and line the bottom of each pan with a round of buttered parchment or wax paper. Put the pans on a baking sheet.
The Usual Suspects... I used cultured buttermilk, which works just as well as "regular" buttermilk. When it's in a powered form, you mix it with the dry ingredients, mix the eggs with the amount of water you'd use in place of the buttermilk, and away you go.
To Make the Cake
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
Whisk together the milk and egg whites in a medium bowl.
Put the sugar and lemon zest in a mixer bowl or another large bowl and rub them together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant.
Add the butter and working with the paddle or whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar are very light.
Beat in the extract, then add one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed.
Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated.
Add the rest of the milk and eggs beating until the batter is homogeneous, then add the last of the dry ingredients.
Finally, give the batter a good 2- minute beating to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed and well aerated.
Divide the batter between the two pans and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the cakes are well risen and springy to the touch – a thin knife inserted into the centers should come out clean
Transfer the cakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes, unfold them and peel off the paper liners.
Invert and cool to room temperature, right side up (the cooled cake layers can be wrapped airtight and stored at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to two months).
The lemon zest and sugar. The scent this gave off was unholy good. I wanted to rub it all over my body.
To Make the Buttercream
Put the sugar and egg whites in a mixer bowl or another large heatproof bowl, fit the bowl over a plan of simmering water and whisk constantly, keeping the mixture over the heat, until it feels hot to the touch, about 3 minutes.
The sugar should be dissolved, and the mixture will look like shiny marshmallow cream.
Remove the bowl from the heat.
Working with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer, beat the meringue on medium speed until it is cool, about 5 minutes.
Switch to the paddle attachment if you have one, and add the butter a stick at a time, beating until smooth.
Once all the butter is in, beat in the buttercream on medium-high speed until it is thick and very smooth, 6-10 minutes.
During this time the buttercream may curdle or separate – just keep beating and it will come together again.
On medium speed, gradually beat in the lemon juice, waiting until each addition is absorbed before adding more, and then the vanilla.
You should have a shiny smooth, velvety, pristine white buttercream. Press a piece of plastic against the surface of the buttercream and set aside briefly.
I should note that I made the buttercream at home and then transported it to my mom's house for dinner that night, and the buttercream curdled in a most horrible way. Luckily, I was covering the frosting with coconut, so you couldn't tell that it was a problem. I would recommend that you NOT travel with the buttercream; make it instead at your destination.
Cake layers and buttercream, ready to go to grandma's for eating.... The buttercream was in good shape when this picture was taken.
To Assemble the Cake
Using a sharp serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion, slice each layer horizontally in half.
Put one layer cut side up on a cardboard cake round or a cake plate protected by strips of wax or parchment paper.
Spread it with one third of the preserves.
Cover the jam evenly with about one quarter of the buttercream.
Top with another layer, spread with preserves and buttercream and then do the same with a third layer (you’ll have used all the jam and have buttercream leftover).
Place the last layer cut side down on top of the cake and use the remaining buttercream to frost the sides and top.
Press the coconut into the frosting, patting it gently all over the sides and top.
Instead of putting the preserves in with buttercream, I did a layer of preserves, then a cake layer, then a generous layer of buttercream, then another cake layer, followed by the last layer of preserves
Something went horribly wrong with the buttercream. It looked like spackle, and would not spread smoothly. It also did not adhere well to the cake, and kept sliding off. I can assure you, it was cool, and room temperature, as was the cake.
Coconut to the rescue!! The shredded coconut hid a multitude of sins caused by the buttercream, and made this look like a giant coconut snowball. Beautiful!
Serving
The cake is ready to serve as soon as it is assembled, but I think it’s best to let it sit and set for a couple of hours in a cool room – not the refrigerator. Whether you wait or slice and enjoy it immediately, the cake should be served at room temperature; it loses all its subtlety when it’s cold. Depending on your audience you can serve the cake with just about anything from milk to sweet or bubbly wine.
Storing
The cake is best the day it is made, but you can refrigerate it, well covered, for up to two days. Bring it to room temperature before serving. If you want to freeze the cake, slide it into the freezer to set, then wrap it really well – it will keep for up to 2 months in the freezer; defrost it, still wrapped overnight in the refrigerator.
Playing Around
Since lemon is such a friendly flavour, feel free to make changes in the preserves: other red preserves – cherry or strawberry – look especially nice, but you can even use plum or blueberry jam.
Fresh Berry Cake
If you will be serving the cake the day it is made, cover each layer of buttercream with fresh berries – use whole raspberries, sliced or halved strawberries or whole blackberries, and match the preserves to the fruit. You can replace the coconut on top of the cake with a crown of berries, or use both coconut and berries. You can also replace the buttercream between the layers with fairly firmly whipped sweetened cream and then either frost the cake with buttercream (the contrast between the lighter whipped cream and the firmer buttercream is nice) or finish it with more whipped cream. If you use whipped cream, you’ll have to store the cake the in the refrigerator – let it sit for about 20 minutes at room temperature before serving.
Jenn's notes: I served this cake at my mom's house on the Friday before Easter to my parents, my brother and his wife, and her parents. It got glowing reviews all around - I was most pleased that the cake was nice and moist, not at all dry (it had been made on the same day, however, so I don't know if making it well ahead of time and frozen would make a difference), flavorful without being overwhelmingly lemony, and overall delicious. It could be made into a sheet cake, easily, for an even smoother transition for travel - perfect for baby showers, bridal showers, mother's day and other springtime celebrations, when the world is waking up. This cake will most assuredly wake up your tastebuds. I plan on making it with blueberry preserves, blackberries, fresh strawberries, and raspberries at some point this summer (not all at the same time - it just lends itself beautifully to all fruits). I would stay away from lemon curd - this would tip the balance of lemon to an overpowering citrus flavor - and chocolate-flavors. I think Nutella would be too heavy for this light, refreshing dessert. And served with Prosecco would be delightful to the extreme!
A great recipe... I really enjoyed it and will be adding it to my recipe collection for a festive, delicious dessert. Thank you for the challenge!
TAGS:
cake, coconut, Daring Baker, dessert, fruit, lemon, light, march, springtime
