12 to 15 Servings
YouTube instructional video is at the bottom
Note- This is a cake flour only recipe. Do not use any other flour.
What you’ll need
Cake flour
Baking powder
Baking Soda
Salt
Sugar
Cream of tartar
Unsalted butter (Room temp)
Heavy whipping cream (Room temp)
Large eggs (Room temp)
Lemon instant pudding
1 large lemon (Room temp)
Lemon extract
Butter extract
Vanilla extract
Yellow gel paste or liquid food coloring
Confectioners sugar
Tool’s you’ll need
Hand or stand mixer
Baker’s joy non stick baking spray
Two nine inch round cake pans
Mesh strainer
Citrus juicer
Citrus zester
Thermometer
Small Stainless steel bowl
Offset spatula
Preparation of ingredients
Dry ingredients (Cake flour mixture)
Step 1- Sift 2 1/2 cups Cake flour, 1 tablespoon lemon instant pudding, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/4 teaspoon salt into a medium sized bowl. Stir all ingredients together and set aside.
Lemon
Step 2- Rinse 1 large lemon . Once done, zest the entire lemon using the citrus zester, Cut the lemon in half and juice half of the lemon using the citrus juicer.
Wet ingredients (Lemon cream mixture)
Step 2- Add 1 1/4 cups Heavy whipping cream (Room temp), 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice (Room temp), 1/4 cup lemon zest, 2 teaspoons lemon extract, 1 teaspoon butter extract, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1/8 teaspoon yellow gel paste or liquid food coloring into a separate medium sized bowl. Stir all ingredients with a whisk until combined and set aside.
Preparation of cake batter
Step 3- Add 2 sticks unsalted butter (Room temp), and 2 1/3 cups sugar into stand mixer bowl fitted with paddle attachment. Mix on high speed for 6 minutes. Make sure you stop your mixer at some point during those 6 minutes and scrape down sides of bowl.
Step 4- Add 4 large eggs (Room temp), into the batter one at a time while mixing on a medium speed.
Step 5- Add the (Cake flour mixture) and the (Lemon cream mixture) into the batter 3 separate times. Mix on a medium low speed until incorporated all 3 times. Make sure you scrape down sides of mixing bowl before and after mixing process.
Assembly and Baking the Lemon cake layers
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Step 6- Spray baking pans with Baker’s Joy non stick baking spray. Add lemon cake batter into each baking pan as even as possible. Spread the batter around with the back of a spoon and shake each pan slightly to make batter more even.
Step 7- Place into a preheated 325 degree oven for 35 minutes. Once the baking time ends remove cakes from oven. Toothpick inserted should come out clean. Let the cake layers cool for 3 to 4 hours before flipping or let cool completely.
Preparation of the Lemon frosting
Step 8- Separate 3 eggs (Room temp) into 2 separate bowls. Add egg whites into a small stainless steel bowl and the egg yolks into a separate bowl. Add 2/3 cup sugar into stainless steel bowl with egg whites. Stir with a spatula until combined.
Preheat fire to medium heat.
Step 9- Add a small amount of water into a small pot and let come to a boil. Add the small stainless steel bowl with the egg whites in it on top of the small pot. Stir mixture with a whisk until temperature on the thermometer is 120 degrees F.
Step 10- Transfer stainless steel bowl onto a dry towel and add 1 teaspoon cream of tartar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon butter extract, 1 teaspoon lemon extract, 1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon lemon instant pudding. Stir all ingredients together until combined and let mixture cool completely.
Step 11- Add egg white mixture into stand mixer bowl fitted with whisk attachment, and mix on high speed for 5 minutes or until mixture is stiff peaks.
Step 12- Add 1/4 or 1/8 teaspoon lemon gel paste or liquid food coloring, 1 stick unsalted butter (Room temp) and 1 1/4 cups confectioners sugar. Mix on a medium speed using the paddle attachment until combined. Scrape down sides of bowl.
Step 13- Add 1 stick unsalted butter (Room temp), and 1 cup confectioners sugar until combined. Scrape down sides of bowl.
Step 14- Add 1 stick unsalted butter (Room temp), 1/2 or 1 teaspoon lemon extract, 1/2 or 1 teaspoon lemon instant pudding and 1/ cup confectioners sugar. Mix on a medium speed until combined. Once done Mix on high speed until frosting is thick about 4 to 5 minutes. If you’re having trouble with the frosting becoming too runny, place into fridge for freezer for 10 minutes. From there, add bowl back onto stand mixer and mix until frosting is thick.
Assembling and decorating the cake
Step 15- Trim domes off top of each cake layer. Apply a small amount of the lemon frosting in the middle of cake serving dish and spread it around. Add one of the cake layers on top and press down slightly to seal.
Step 16- Add 1 1/2 cups lemon frosting on top of cake layer and spread around as evenly as possible using an offset spatula.
Step 17- Add second cake layer on top of the lemon frosting and press down slightly. Apply a small amount (2 tablespoons for top portion of cake and 1/4 cup for the sides) around the top and sides of cake. This is called the crumb coat. It prevents the cake crumbs from appearing on the final layer of cake frosting. Once done, place cake into fridge for freezer for 20 minutes.
Step 18- Remove cake from freezer. Add the rest of the lemon frosting (About 3 cups) on top of cake. Spread the frosting around the top of cake with an offset spatula. As the frosting reaches the edge of the cake, it will free fall along the sides. Take offset spatula and spread the frosting around the sides of the cake as well. Once done create a swirl pattern using the offset spatula. If not, you can by heat the spatula until it’s warm and glide it around the top and sides of the cake for a more smooth appearance.
YouTube instructional video
