Lemon Mascarpone Cream Cake

ahhhh.... yellow. Yes, another yellow dessert. Expect many more, I like yellow.

I know a lawyer who office building is painted with light yellow. When you enter her office, sunflower in every corners including washroom, you see almost everything in yellow, from wall pictures to her note pads. Is she really appreciating yellow that much? Not really. She is a family lawyer and mediator; her day-to-day activities are dealing with family issues and conflicts: separation, divorce, custody battles, etc. Yellow is psychologically the happiest color in the color spectrum. Yellow shines with optimism, enlightenment, and happiness. Shades of yellow carry the promise of a positive future. Yellow will advance from surrounding colors and instill optimism and energy. She needs yellow.

This cake is light, creamy and not too sweet. Layered with a little lemon curd and the mascarpone frosting, it’s easily one of my favourites.
 This recipe was adapted from Not So Humble Pie. The cake is supposed to be a high ratio cake (but mine didn't turn out 'high' cos I crank up the oven heat in the begining), which is a little different than any average cakes; it doesn’t use creaming butter and sugar method. Instead you blend all the dry ingredients with the butter and a bit of liquid, then add the wet ingredients. This method requires a stand mixer, as beating by hand would be too slow and it would likely be hard on hand beaters. Precision is very important in this recipe, so be sure to use the correct ingredients and follow the exact mixing times and speeds when making this cake.

High Ratio Yellow Butter Cake

yields two 8" cakes

Ingredients:

3 ½c cake flour
2c sugar
1tbsp baking powder
1/2tsp salt
1c unsalted butter, diced, at room temperature
1c whole milk, divided
4 large eggs
2 large egg whites (reserve the yolks for the curd)
2tsp vanilla extract

 

Steps:

1.        Preheat your oven to 350°F. Lightly coat your pans with  cooking spray/oil and line the bottoms with circles of parchment.

2.       Cut your butter into small cubes, and then allow to stand at room temperature until it softens.

3.       In a bowl, lightly beat the eggs, egg whites, vanilla extract and half of the milk. Mix until more or less homogeneous and set aside.

4.       In the bowl of your stand mixer, sift together the cake flour*, sugar, baking powder and salt. (*Tip for measuring cake flour: Don’t scoop. Spoon the cake flour into your measuring cup, directly from the package, and then level your cup with the back of a knife.)

5.       Fit the bowl into your stand mixer and equip the whisk attachment. Add the butter and remaining half cup of whole milk. Beat this mixture on medium speed until smooth (about 4 minutes), scraping down the bowl with a spatula as needed.

6.       The mixture will start out a little rough and then turn pasty and thick. Once beaten, add a third of the egg-milk mixture and mix for 2 minutes on medium speed. Add another third and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, you’ll notice the mixture beginning to increase in volume. Add the remaining third of the milk-egg mixture and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.

7.       Divide the batter between your two pans. Level the batter with an offset spatula and bake for 35-40 minutes.

8.       Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely in the pans on a wire wrack. The cake should pull away from the sides as it cools. If it doesn’t, slip a knife around the side to release. Once cool, remove the cake from the pan and peel off the layer of parchment.

9.       Trim the tops of the cake with a sharp serrated knife.

Work on the lemon curd and mascarpone frosting while waiting for the cakes to cool.

Lemon Curd

Ingredients:

6 large egg yolks
1/2c unsalted butter

1/2c lemon juice
3/4c granulated sugar
1tsp cornstarch

zest of one large lemon
pinch of salt

Steps:

1.       Melt the butter in a medium sauce pan over medium-low heat. Remove 
         from heat and add  the lemon juice and zest.

2.       Mix together the sugar, salt and cornstarch and add it to the 
         pan. Whisk in the egg yolks until smooth and return to heat.

3.      Cook over medium-low heat for roughly 10 minutes until the mixture
         has thickened and coats the back of a spoon. Do not allow the mixture
         to boil.

4.      Once thickened, strain the mixture though a fine mesh strainer into a
         large bowl. Allow to chill in the refrigerator completely before using.

Lemon Mascarpone Cream Frosting

yields enough to frost a 4 layer cake or generously frost a 2 layer cake

Ingredients:

1lb mascarpone cheese
2/3c lemon curd
2 1/2c whipping cream (heavy cream)
7 tbsp sugar

Steps:

1.       Beat the sugar and cream to soft peaks in your mixer.

2.       Combine the mascarpone and lemon curd in a separate bowl and mix.

3.       Add the cream to the mascarpone mixture. Gently fold to combine. If
          the mixture is overworked it can separate or look grainy. To fix this 
          add several tablespoons of whipping cream and mix with the spatula
          until smooth again.  

Now you’re ready to assemble the cake.

Drop a dollop of the mascarpone frosting onto the cake and smooth to seal the top. Fill a piping bag with a large round opening with frosting and then pipe a boarder around the top of the cake. This will contain your lemon curd. Fill the center of the cake with roughly 1/3 cup of lemon curd.

Gently place the second layer of cake on top.

To crumb coat the cake: Apply a thin layer of frosting over the entire cake and chill for 30 minutes. Then apply a thick layer of frosting over the cake. Using your cake tool (offset and flat spatula) to smooth the frosting over the cake.

If you’re nervous about making a smooth sided cake, a cake comb can make the process a little easier.

Now you can decorate.

Pipe a boarder on the top of your cake and then cover the top with some of the remaining lemon curd.

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Enjoy.