My dad is a really wonderful guy. He is gregarious, helpful, and fun-loving. He enjoys cold beer, shrimp cocktail, and hot dogs. He is easy to please and maybe that’s why I love making his birthday cake each year! (Check out the Root Beer Iced Vanilla Cake I made in 2008 and the Boston Cream Pie I made in 2009.)
In addition to Boston Cream Pie, his other favorite dessert is Lemon Meringue Pie. For his birthday this year I wanted to make cake (not pie) so I translated his love for lemon into a cake filled with fresh lemon curd!
A trick I learned at Flour Bakery (while I was a recipe-testing intern) is called the “dam.” Whenever you fill a cake with something other than frosting (in this case lemon curd) you should pipe a circle of frosting (a “dam”) around the edge of the cake so that the filling does not ooze out. Check it out:
You pipe the “dam” first, and then spoon the lemon curd within its border. You then place the second cake layer on top and you are ready to frost!
Cake with Fresh Lemon Curd Filling:
(I prepared the lemon curd the evening before I assembled the cake.)
Lemon Curd:
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1/4 water
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 4 large egg yolks
Over medium heat, in a non-reactive saucepan, combine the butter, sugar, water, lemon juice, lemon rind, cream of tartar, and egg yolks. Stir briefly using a wooden spoon then whisk continuously for several (approximately 8) minutes until thickened. Strain through a fine sieve. Cover with a piece of plastic wrap touching the curd. Refrigerate until firm.
Cake:
I used this brown sugar cake recipe.
Frosting:
I used (of course) cream cheese frosting to complement the lemon curd filling.
Happy Birthday Dad!!!
Filed under: cake, cream cheese, Dessert, eggs, Flour Bakery, frosting, icing, lemon | 3 Comments »
Kitchenbelle 