LEMON LAYER CAKE WITH LEMON CURD AND MASCARPONE

By gaster16

Ingredients

• Lemon Curd:
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 3 large eggs
• 3 large egg yolks
• 1/4 cup chilled unsalted butter cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• Cake:
• 6 large eggs separated
• 14 tablespoons sugar
• 1-3/4 cups sifted cake flour (sifted then measured)
• 1/4 teaspoons salt
• Filling and Frosting:
• 2 cups chilled heavy whipping cream
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3-8 oz. containers chilled mascarpone cheese
• Syrup:
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Preparation

Step 1

Whisk first 4 ingredients in medium metal bowl. Set bowl over saucepan of simmering water (do not allow bottom of bowl to touch water). Whisk constantly until thickened and instant-read thermometer inserted into mixture registers 160 degrees about 10 minutes. Remove bowl from over water. Add butter, whisk until melted. Transfer 1 cup curd to small bowl for spreading on cake layers. Reserve remaining curd for filling. Press plastic wrap directly onto surface of both curds. Chill overnight. Can be made 3 days ahead. Keep chilled.

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375 degrees. Line bottom of two 9” cake pans with 1-1/2 inch high sides with parchment paper (do not grease pans or parchment). Using electric mixer, beat egg yolks and 7 tablespoons sugar in large bowl until mixture is very thick and slowly dissolving ribbons form when beaters are lifted, about 4 minutes. Using clean dry beaters, beat whites in another large bowl until soft peaks form. Add remaining 7 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoons at a time, beating until stiff and glossy. Fold half of whites into yolk mixture, then sift half of flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt over and gently fold in until incorporated. Fold in remaining whites, then sift remaining flour over and fold in just until combined, being careful not to deflate batter.

Syrup: Place sugar in small metal bowl. Add 1/2 cup boiling water, stir to dissolve sugar. Stir in lemon juice.

Divide batter between pans, smooth tops. Bake until tester inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Cool in pans on racks. Run knife around edge of pans to loosen cakes. Invert cakes onto 9” diameter cardboard rounds, tapping on work surface, if necessary to release cakes. Cut each cake horizontally in half, (layers will be thin). Peel off parchment.

Beat whipping cream and sugar in large bowl until peaks form. Add marscapone to lemon curd in medium bowl, whisk until blended. Fold whipped cream into lemon-mascarpone mixture.

Place 1 cake layer, flat side up, on platter. Brush with 1/4 of syrup. Spread 1/4 cup lemon curd over, then 1 cup lemon-marscapone filling. Top with second cake layer, brush with 1/4 of syrup and spread with 1/4 cup lemon curd and 1 cup lemon-mascarpone filling. Repeat with third cake layer, syrup, lemon curd, and filling. Top with fourth cake layer. Brush with remaining syrup, then spread remaining lemon curd over. Spoon 2 cups lemon-mascarpone filling pastry bag fitted with 1/4” star tip (to be used for rosettes). Spread remaining lemon-mascarpone filling as a frosting over sides of cake. Pipe small rosettes of frosting over top of cake covering completely. Refrigerate at least 6 hours and up to 1 day.