White Cake with Lemon

It has been one heck of a Spring for me! There has been a lot going on, both good and bad. Just quite a bit all at once!

Nothing like a bit of comfort food for when your overwhelmed. At least that's what I'm telling myself! Oddly enough, chocolate is not my go-to comfort food. Lemon is. I think it's because my Dad made me lemon pie (sans meringue) for me when I was little and I always remember home when I have lemon. I stepped outside my little lemon pie comfort zone, however, and made a lemon-y cake! I can't say lemon cake because it's technically a white cake, but there is no way to miss the lemon in this one!

This is a Martha Stewart white cake, which blew me away. I will definitely be using it again. The cake is very soft and moist, without being mushy, and tastes very light (although its most certainly not!). I used my lemon curd as a filling between layers and made a lemon-butter icing to top it with. I think the icing might have been a little much (even for me). Next time, I will probably just use a whipped cream-type frosting with a little lemon juice added in!

White Cake with Lemon

Cake:
From Martha Stewart

3 cups cake flour (not self-rising)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 1/4 cups sugar

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup milk

8 large egg whites

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 9-by-2-inch round cake pans; line bottoms with parchment paper rounds. Butter parchment, and dust with flour, tapping out excess; set aside.

Into a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and 2 cups sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in three parts, alternating with milk and beginning and ending with flour; beat until just combined. Transfer mixture to a large bowl; set aside.

In the clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites on low speed until foamy. With mixer running, gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar; beat on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 4 minutes. Do not overbeat. Gently fold a third of the egg-white mixture into the butter-flour mixture until combined. Gently fold in remaining whites.

Divide batter evenly between prepared pans, smoothing with an offset spatula. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until cakes are golden brown and a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool 20 minutes. Invert cakes onto rack; peel off parchment. Reinvert cakes, and let them cool completely, top sides up.

Lemon Butter Frosting
From Allrecipes.com

4 cups confectioners' sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

2 tablespoons milk

In large bowl, beat confectioners' sugar, 1/2 cup butter, 2 tablespoons lemon juice and 1 teaspoon lemon zest until smooth. Beat in milk, and increase speed and continue to beat until light and fluffy.

To Assemble:

Using a serrated knife, split each cake layer in half horizontally, making 4 layers. Place 1 layer, cut side up on a cake stand or serving plate. Spread with lemon curd. Repeat with remaining layers. Frost top and sides of cake with frosting. Refrigerate cake.