Lemon Meringue Cake

The Improv Challenge for this month, hosted by Kristen at the Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker, was to use lemon and sour cream in a recipe. There are so many ways to use these two ingredients, and there are several recipes that I love for cakes, frostings, and doughnuts using lemon and sour cream, but I wanted to make something new. I had a big bowl of egg whites that I needed to use, so I put together a few of our favorite things and ended up with this Lemon Meringue cake. I made discs of crispy meringue, layered them with a lemon curd filling, and finished the whole thing with whipped cream combined with sour cream. I do have to admit that the sour cream is an afterthought in this recipe. It gives the topping a nice tang, but honestly you could omit it. 

We liked that this dessert is easy to make ahead, either in its entirety, or just the components. Boy Mimi liked the crispy, just assembled version best, while Mimi Jr. liked it once it had been in the refrigerator for a few hours; it still had a slight meringue crunch, but the lemon filling had begun to soften the layers just a bit.If you are in a jam and you don't have time to make the meringue and lemon curd, you could easily make this with store bought lemon curd and meringue cookies. In that case, I would use a spring form pan to help hold the layers together. Once the cake has chilled for a few hours, release the sides of the pan and cover the the sides and top of the cake as directed in the recipe.

Lemon Meringue Cake

Meringue disks 

Lemon curd

2 cups heavy whipping cream 

1/4 cup sour cream 

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

lemon zest 

Meringue disks

4 egg whites

1/2 teaspoon cream of tarter

1 cup sugar 

1 teaspoon vanilla 

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Grease and flour 2 baking sheets or line with silpats. 

In a stand mixer whisk the egg white and cream of tarter until frothy. Continue beating and add the sugar one tablespoon at a time. When all the sugar is incorporated, add vanilla and beat for 1 –2 minutes more. When the beater is lifted out the whites should be very stiff with unbending peaks.

Using a pastry bag or spoon and spatula pipe or spread meringue onto prepared pans in three 8 inch circles (I put 2 on one pan and the third on the second pan).

Bake in a 250 degree oven for 1 1/2 hours. Meringues should be white to pale amber when done. Turn off the heat and leave meringues in the closed oven for 3 to 4 hours. Store cooled disks airtight at room temperature as long as 5 days.

Lemon Curd

Via the Cake Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum 

4 large egg yolks 

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoon sugar  

1/2 cup lemon juice

2 oz unsalted butter, softened 

pinch of salt 

2 teaspoons lemon zest

In a heavy (Non-corrodible) sauce pan beat egg yolks and sugar until well blended. Stir in the butter, lemon juice and salt. Cook over medium-low heat without bringing to a boil, stirring constantly until thickened and the mixture coats the back of a spoon (I cooked mine for a total of 10 minutes). The mixture will be opaque. When the curd has thickened, pour through a fine mesh strainer over a bowl, pressing with the back of a spoon until only coarse residue remains. Stir in the lemon zest and cool. Pour into an air tight container and refrigerate until cold. The curd will continue to thicken while it chills. 

To assemble: 

Beat 1 1/2 cups of the heavy whipping cream with 1/4 cup sugar until stiff peaks form. 

Fold 2/3 of the cream into the lemon curd. Set aside 1/2 cup of the lemon curd mixture.

Place one meringue disk on a plate and cover with 1/2 of the lemon curd and cream mixture. Top with a second meringue layer and cover with remaining lemon mixture. Top with the third meringue layer. 

Add the reserved lemon curd/cream mixture to the remaining whipped cream. Fold together until fully incorporated. Use this to lightly cover the sides and top of the cake.

Beat together the remaining 1/2 cup of cream with 1/4 cup sour cream and 2 tablespoon sugar until soft to firm peaks form. Cover the top of the cake with this and sprinkle with lemon zest.

Refrigerate cake for 3 hours or overnight to mellow for easy cutting, or serve soon for a crispier (and slightly messier) cake. 

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Link:Foodie Friday at Design by Gollum

       

Creamy Lemon Bars

There is something about citrus that transcends all seasons. In winter it is bright and lively, and in summer it is cool and refreshing. These lemon bars are an easy variation on the traditional recipe. They are smooth and creamy and cool, perfect for a make ahead summer dessert. The sweet-tart filling is almost like a custard and is delicious all by itself, but the buttery crust underneath provides the right amount of contrasting texture.

Creamy Lemon Bars

Everyday Foods- Fresh Flavor Fast

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup confectioner's sugar, plus more for dusting

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup all purpose flour

4 large egg yolks

1 can (14oz) sweetened condensed milk

3/4 cup fresh lemon juice, about 4 lemons

Lemon zest from two lemons

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter an 8 inch square pan. Line with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides. Butter the paper.

2. With an electric mixer on high speed, cream butter, confectioner's sugar, and salt until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low and add flour, mix until just combined. Press dough in the bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of prepared pan. Prick all over the bottom with a fork. Bake until lightly golden, about 15 minutes.

3. While the crust bakes, whisk together egg yolks, condensed milk, lemon juice and lemon zest until smooth.  Pour over the hot crust in pan; return to oven and bake until filing is just set, 25-30 minutes. Cool completely in pan.

4. Refrigerate, covered, until filling is firm, about 2 hours.  Using paper overhang lift bars onto a cutting board. Cut in 2 inch squares. Dust with confectioner's sugar just before serving.

printable recipe

These bars could be made in mini cheesecake pans for individual desserts, or you could use lime juice and zest to change up the flavors. Although tradtional lemon bars are hard to beat, these were really good and super easy, and a great way to use up any leftover egg yolks.

We are sending these lemon bars to the Foodie Friday event over at Designs by Gollum

Daring Bakers Tiramisu

LimoncelloTiramisu

The Daring Bakers challenge is a group project at our house. This month Mini Me joined me in the kitchen to make Limoncello Tiramisu. I hadn't made mascarpone cheese before and she had not made ladyfingers, so we knew our assignments.

The February 2010 Daring Bakers’challenge was hosted by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen and Deeba of Passionate About Baking. They chose Tiramisu as the challenge for the month. Their challenge recipe is based on recipes from The Washington Post, Cordon Bleu at Home and Baking Obsession.

Since we love classic tiramisu and make it often, this was our chance to experiment with flavor. I have been wondering what to do with the bottle of limoncello that my neighbor Mrs. M had made. It's the perfect drinking limoncello, full of bright lemon flavor, but I have been itching to make something with it. The mascarpone was made with lemon, and had a slight lemon flavor, so we went with the lemon theme, and made limoncello tiramisu.

Mascarpone is really simple to make, but you need to plan in advance because it takes about 24 hours.
 
Mascarpone:

(Source: Vera’s Recipe for Homemade Mascarpone Cheese)

2 Cup heavy cream
1 Tablespoon lemon juice.

Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a wide skillet. Reduce the heat to medium-low so the water is barely simmering. Pour the cream into a medium heat-resistant bowl, then place the bowl into the skillet. Heat the cream, stirring often, to 190 F. If you do not have a thermometer, wait until small bubbles keep trying to push up to the surface.

It will take about 15 minutes of delicate heating (This took longer than 15 minutes. I was impatient, so I poured my cream in a sauce pan and heated it directly over low heat). Add the lemon juice and continue heating the mixture, stirring gently, until the cream curdles. Do not expect the same action as you see during ricotta cheese making. All that the whipping cream will do is become thicker, like a well-done crème anglaise. It will cover a back of your wooden spoon thickly. You will see just a few clear whey streaks when you stir. Remove the bowl from the water and let cool for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, line a sieve with four layers of dampened cheesecloth and set it over a bowl. Transfer the mixture into the lined sieve. Do not squeeze the cheese in the cheesecloth or press on its surface (be patient, it will firm up after refrigeration time). Once cooled completely, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate (in the sieve) overnight or up to 24 hours.

Keep refrigerated and use within 3 to 4 days.

 The next step was to make Savoiardi Biscuits. I have made ladyfingers many times, and homemade are just incredible in taste and texture. My tried and true recipe comes from the Fannie Farmer Cookbook. I thought we should try the recipe provided since it was slightly different than my favorite one. Mini Me did a beautiful job, the biscuits were light and airy, but they were more spongy than the Fannie Farmer ones which we prefer.

LADYFINGERS/ SAVOIARDI BISCUITS

(Source: Recipe from Cordon Bleu At Home)
This recipe makes approximately 24 big ladyfingers or 45 small (2 1/2" to 3" long) ladyfingers.

Ingredients:
3 eggs, separated
6 tablespoons /75gms granulated sugar
3/4 cup/95gms cake flour, sifted (or 3/4 cup all purpose flour + 2 tbsp corn starch)
6 tablespoons /50gms confectioner's sugar

Preheat your oven to 350 F (175 C) degrees, then lightly brush 2 baking sheets with oil or softened butter and line with parchment paper.
Beat the egg whites using a hand held electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Gradually add granulate sugar and continue beating until the egg whites become stiff again, glossy and smooth.
In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks lightly with a fork and fold them into the meringue, using a wooden spoon. Sift the flour over this mixture and fold gently until just mixed. It is important to fold very gently and not overdo the folding. Otherwise the batter would deflate and lose volume resulting in ladyfingers which are flat and not spongy.
Fit a pastry bag with a plain tip (or just snip the end off; you could also use a Ziploc bag) and fill with the batter. Pipe the batter into 5" long and 3/4" wide strips leaving about 1" space in between the strips.
Sprinkle half the confectioner's sugar over the ladyfingers and wait for 5 minutes. The sugar will pearl or look wet and glisten. Now sprinkle the remaining sugar. This helps to give the ladyfingers their characteristic crispness.
Hold the parchment paper in place with your thumb and lift one side of the baking sheet and gently tap it on the work surface to remove excess sprinkled sugar.
Bake the ladyfingers for 10 minutes, then rotate the sheets and bake for another 5 minutes or so until the puff up, turn lightly golden brown and are still soft.
Allow them to cool slightly on the sheets for about 5 minutes and then remove the ladyfingers from the baking sheet with a metal spatula while still hot, and cool on a rack.
Store them in an airtight container till required. They should keep for 2 to 3 weeks.

TIRAMISU
(Recipe source: Carminantonio's Tiramisu from The Washington Post, July 11 2007 )
This recipe makes 6 servings
Ingredients:
Zabaglione, Pastry Cream,  Whipped Cream,Savoridi Biscuits,

 Working together we made the zabaglione and pastry cream. substituting limoncello when ever we could.

For the zabaglione:
2 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons sugar/50gms
1/4 cup/60ml Marsala wine (or port or coffee)-we used limoncello
1/4 teaspoon/ 1.25ml vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Method:
Heat water in a double boiler. If you don’t have a double boiler, place a pot with about an inch of water in it on the stove. Place a heat-proof bowl in the pot making sure the bottom does not touch the water.
In a large mixing bowl (or stainless steel mixing bowl), mix together the egg yolks, sugar, the Marsala (or espresso/ coffee), vanilla extract and lemon zest. Whisk together until the yolks are fully blended and the mixture looks smooth.
Transfer the mixture to the top of a double boiler or place your bowl over the pan/ pot with simmering water. Cook the egg mixture over low heat, stirring constantly, for about 8 minutes or until it resembles thick custard. It may bubble a bit as it reaches that consistency.
Let cool to room temperature and transfer the zabaglione to a bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight, until thoroughly chilled.

For the vanilla pastry cream:
1/4 cup/55gms sugar
1 tablespoon/8gms all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon/ 2.5ml vanilla extract
1 large egg yolk
3/4 cup/175ml whole milk

Mix together the sugar, flour, lemon zest and vanilla extract in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. To this add the egg yolk and half the milk. Whisk until smooth.
Now place the saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring constantly to prevent the mixture from curdling.
Add the remaining milk a little at a time, still stirring constantly. After about 12 minutes the mixture will be thick, free of lumps and beginning to bubble. (If you have a few lumps, don’t worry. You can push the cream through a fine-mesh strainer.)
Transfer the pastry cream to a bowl and cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic film and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight, until thoroughly chilled.

For the whipped cream:
1 cup/235ml chilled heavy cream (we used 25%)
1/4 cup/55gms sugar
1/2 teaspoon/ 2.5ml vanilla extract
Combine the cream, sugar and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. Beat with an electric hand mixer or immersion blender until the mixture holds stiff peaks. Set aside.

To assemble the tiramisu:
2 cups/470ml brewed espresso, warmed
1 teaspoon/5ml rum extract (optional)
1/2 cup/110gms sugar
1/3 cup/75gms mascarpone cheese
36 savoiardi/ ladyfinger biscuits (you may use less)
2 tablespoons/30gms unsweetened cocoa powder
To assemble the tiramisu:
Have ready a rectangular serving dish (about 8" by 8" should do) or one of your choice.(we used a spring from pan)
Mix together the warm espresso, rum extract and sugar in a shallow dish, whisking to mix well. Set aside to cool. (we used limoncello)
In a large bowl, beat the mascarpone cheese with a spoon to break down the lumps and make it smooth. This will make it easier to fold. Add the prepared and chilled zabaglione and pastry cream, blending until just combined. Gently fold in the whipped cream. Set this cream mixture aside.
Now to start assembling the tiramisu.
Workings quickly, dip 12 of the ladyfingers in the sweetened espresso,(limoncello) about 1 second per side. They should be moist but not soggy. Immediately transfer each ladyfinger to the platter, placing them side by side in a single row. You may break a lady finger into two, if necessary, to ensure the base of your dish is completely covered.
Spoon one-third of the cream mixture on top of the ladyfingers, then use a rubber spatula or spreading knife to cover the top evenly, all the way to the edges.Repeat to create 2 more layers, using 12 ladyfingers and the cream mixture for each layer. Clean any spilled cream mixture; cover carefully with plastic wrap and refrigerate the tiramisu overnight.To serve, carefully remove the plastic wrap and sprinkle the tiramisu with cocoa powder using a fine-mesh strainer or decorate as you please. Cut into individual portions and serve.

We could  make this again with a few simple changes. I would make a lemon simple syrup to mix with the limoncello for dipping the biscuits, I think this would give them more of a lemon flavor. Or perhaps I might add lemon zest to the ladyfinger batter before baking. I would definitely use the Fannie Farmer ladyfinger recipe, they were more delicate and creamy than the Savoiardi biscuits recipe.

Thank You Deeba and Aparna for hosting this challenge. If you want to see what the other Daring Bakers put together visit our blogroll.

Lemon Buttermilk Cake

Lemon Buttermilk Cake

It's citrus season in California. My trees are full of ripe grapefruits, tangerines, limes and oranges. Alas my new little lemon tree is fruitless, but there are plenty of lemons to be had from friends and neighbors.

 My oldest daughter, Mimi Jr., made this lemon buttermilk cake for me this week. She is turning into a very fine baker. Mimi J found the basic recipe  in an old issue of Bon Appetit magazine (February 2005). As this delicate lemon  cake bakes  a  lemon curd  sauce forms on the bottom of the baking dish. The cake is so velvety smooth it melts in your mouth. The lemon sauce has just the right tang, to balance the sweetness of the cake and the blueberries are the perfect finishing touch.  This cake is like sunshine in a dish and  will surely make your winter  a little warmer.

Lemon Buttermilk Cake

adapted from Bon Appetit

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1 cup sugar divided

4 large egg yolks

1/3 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

1/8 teaspoon salt

3 large egg whites.

Fresh berries

Whipping cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. butter an 8x8x2 inch glass baking dish. Blend buttermilk, 1/2 cup sugar egg yolks lemon juice, flour, butter and salt in blender until smooth.

Using an electric mixer beat egg whites until soft peaks form.  Gradually add remaining 1/2 cup sugar and beat until stiff but not dry.  Gently fold the buttermilk mixture into white in 3 additions, batter will be runny.

Pour batter into prepared dish.  Place dish in a roasting pan. Pour enough not water into roasting pan to come half way up the sides of dish.  Bake until entire top is evenly browned and cake moves very slightly in center but feels slightly springy to touch, about 45 minutes.  Remove dish from roasting pan, place dish on cooling rack and cool cake completely. Refrigerate 3-6 hours, until cold. Serve with fresh berries and lightly whipped cream.

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Enjoy!

Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake

It's almost the end of the local blueberry season. Since my last lemon blueberry cake was such a hit, I wanted to try another lemon blueberry cake before the blueberries are gone from the markets.

While visiting over at Dragon’s Kitchen http://dragonskitchen.blogspot.com/ I ran across this recipe for Lemon Blueberry Cake. It was so completely different from my previous lemon blueberry cake that I decided to give it a try.

This cake disappeared almost as fast as the last one. I am lucky this time; they saved me a piece to photograph the next morning.

The cake was delicious, it had great texture but was a little lite on the lemon flavor, so next time I would increase the lemon juice and zest. Also I would add the blueberries after the cake is in the pan, scattering them over the cake batter hoping they won't all congregate on the bottom of the pan.

Lemon Blueberry Cake

Recipe by Dragon

Ingredients:
2 ¾ cup of flour
1 ½ teaspoons of baking powder
¼ teaspoon of baking soda
¼ teaspoon of salt
1 cup of unsalted butter, room temperature
1 ¾ cup of sugar
4 eggs
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
1 tablespoon of lemon zest
1 ½ teaspoons of vanilla extract
1 cup of buttermilk
½ cup sour cream
1 ½ cups of blueberries tossed in 1 tablespoon of flour
1/2 blueberries for garnish

Glaze:

1 ½ cups confectioner’s sugar
4 teaspoons of lemon juice
3 teaspoons of limoncello (or replace this with 3 teaspoons of lemon juice)
1 tablespoon of maple syrup (or corn syrup)
Lemon zest for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350. Butter and flour a 12 inch bundt pan.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
3. In another large bowl, beat butter until smooth. Add sugar and beat for 2 to 3 minutes until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat well after each addition. Add sour cream, lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla and beat until combined.
4. Beat in flour in 3 additions, alternating with the buttermilk. Beat for 2 minutes on medium-high. Fold in blueberries. Spoon into prepared pan.
5. Bake at 350 for 50 – 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Run a sharp knife around the edges of the pan. Turn out and cool completely.
6. For the glaze, in a small bowl, mix together confectioner’s sugar, lemon juice, limoncello and syrup until smooth. Drizzle over the top of the cake and let it roll down the sides.
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Lemon Blueberry Marble Cake

Lemon Blueberry Cake with Lemon Buttercream Frosting

Why an empty cake plate you ask?

Well, there has been an abundance of blueberries in our area, so I searched the web for a lemon blueberry cake and found this recipe for Lemon Blueberry Marble Cake on Monica's blog, Lick the Bowl Good. It's a beautiful three layer cake, with homemade blueberry jam as the filling and a light lemon buttercream frosting. I made a few minor modifications to the original Sky High recipe, my tasters (the kids) thought the buttercream tasted too much like butter, so I added 1/2 cup powdered sugar and that seemed to please them. Also, as per Monica, I omitted the ginger and added lemon zest. My version of the recipe is below. The cake was so good that by the time I went to photograph it, all I had was an empty cake plate. It truly was an excellent cake. So, if you want to see pictures of what this beautiful cake looks like, drop by Lick The Bowl Good and while your there you'll see an awesome blog get more great recipes.

Lemon Blueberry Marble Cake

adapted from Sky High

Cake
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
2 tsp grated lemon zest
1½ tsp lemon extract
7 egg whites
3 cups cake flour
4 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1¼ cups milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Butter the bottom and sides of three 8 inch round cake pans(I used 9 inch pans). Line the bottom of each pan with a round of parchment or waxed paper and butter the paper.

1. In a mixer, cream together the butter, sugar, lemon zest and lemon extract until light and fluffy. Gradually add the egg whites 2 or 3 at a time, beating well between additions and stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

2. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt, whisk gently to blend. In 2 or 3 alternating additions, beat the dry ingredients and milk into the butter mixture, scraping down the sides of the bowl several times. Beat on medium-high speed for about 1 minute to smooth out any lumps and aerate the batter.

3. Scoop 1 cup of the batter into a small bowl. Divide the remaining equally among the 3 prepared pans, smoothing the tops with a spatula. This gives you a smooth surface to work with.

4. Add 2½ tbsp of the lemon blueberry jam to the reserved batter and blend well. Drizzle heaping teaspoons of this blueberry mixture over the batter in the pans. Use a skewer to swirl the blueberry mixture in short strokes to drag it down through the lemon batter without mixing it in.

5. Bake for about 25 minutes or until a cake tester or skewer stuck in the center comes out clean and the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan. Let the layers cool for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack, peeling off the paper and leaving to cool completely.

Blueberry Lemon Jam

3 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
¾ cup sugar
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1½ tsp grated lemon zest

1. Puree the blueberries with any juices that have exuded in a blender. Pass the puree through a coarse strainer to remove the skins.

2. In a heavy medium saucepan, combine the blueberry puree with the sugar, lemon juice, and zest .

3.Bring to a gentle boil over a medium heat, stirring often for 20 minutes, or until the preserves have thickened and are reduced to 1 cup.

To check the proper thickness place a small amount of a saucer and put in the freezer until cold. Drag your finger through it. If a clear path is made through the preserve then it is ready. Let the preserves cool before using. (Can be made up to 5 days in advance).

Lemon Buttercream

1 cup sugar
¼ cup water
2 eggs
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tbsp grated lemon zest
1/2 cup powdered sugar


1. In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Bring to the boil over a medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Continue to boil without stirring, occasionally washing down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush until the syrup reaches the soft-ball stage, 238 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Immediately remove from the heat.

2. In a large mixer bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the eggs briefly. Slowly add the hot syrup in a thin stream, pouring it down the sides of the bowl; be careful to avoid hitting the beaters or the syrup may splatter. When all the syrup has been added, raise the speed to medium-high and beat until the mixture is very fluffy and cooled to body temperature. This can take 15-20 minutes.

3. Reduce the mixer speed to medium-low and gradually add the softened butter 2 to 3 tablespoons at a time, beating well between additions. As you’re adding the last few tablespoons of butter, the frosting will appear to break, then suddenly come together like whipped butter.
Beat in the lemon juice, zest and powdered sugar, the frosting is ready to use.


Assembly: To assemble the cake, place a layer, flat side up, on a cake stand. Spread half of the lemon blueberry jam over the top. Place a second layer on top of the first and spread the remaining jam over it. Finally place the third layer on top and frost the top and sides with the lemon buttercream. Decorate with fresh blueberries and serve.