Work in this order: cake layers → lemon curd → lemon syrup → frosting cream.
Make the génoise (sponge cake) the same way as for the Milk Flavor Cake, then trim off the rough top and bottom and cut it into 3 layers.
Grate the lemon with a zester to make lemon zest. Take only the yellow part of the peel; the white pith can taste bitter and astringent.
Cut the zested lemon in half and squeeze it with a juicer to get the lemon juice.
Put the lemon juice, egg, egg yolk, and sugar in a pot.
Cook over low heat, whisking, until the cream thickens; then turn off the heat and add the butter.
Once the butter melts, strain the mixture through a sieve once.
Stir in the lemon zest from step 3. Chill the finished lemon curd in the refrigerator.
Bring the water, sugar, and lemon juice to a boil in a pot to make the lemon syrup. Turn off the heat as soon as the sugar dissolves and let it cool before using.
In a bowl, break up the cream cheese and sugar with a sturdy spatula.
Add a third of the heavy cream and loosen the cream cheese further with a hand mixer.
Add the rest of the heavy cream and whip on high speed. In every season except winter, set the bowl over ice water so the cream doesn’t melt.
Stop once the cream starts to show ridges and thickens.
It’s ready when the cream bends slightly at the tip as you lift the beaters. Set aside a small amount of the finished cream for decorating later.
Brush the lemon syrup evenly over the cake layers with a pastry brush.
Assemble in this order: génoise → lemon syrup → frosting cream → lemon curd. Repeat once more.
Place the last génoise layer on top, brush it with lemon syrup, then spread the frosting cream over the top and sides with an offset spatula.
Smooth the cream neatly and spoon the last of the lemon curd on top of the cake.
Put the remaining frosting cream into a piping bag fitted with a decorative tip and pipe a border around the edge. Before piping, whip the decorating cream a little stiffer with a hand mixer or whisk.
Finish with lemon slices and a sprinkle of lemon zest. Thyme or rosemary also make a nice garnish.
Tips
The process is on the fussy side, so it can be a bit of a challenge for beginner home bakers who aren’t confident with frosting, but follow it step by step and you’ll end up with a gorgeous cake.
Wash the lemons at least twice using fruit wash, baking soda, or coarse salt, then dry them before using.
Always refrigerate whipped cream cakes and eat them within 2–3 days. Cakes with syrup-brushed génoise get even moister after resting for a day.
Lemon Cream Cake
Equipment: oven, mixing bowl, kitchen scale, sieve, pot
Ingredients (1 batch)
- unsalted butter 20g
- egg 150g
- cake flour 95g
- sugar 90g
- salt 1g
- honey 7g
- milk 20g
- vanilla extract 3g
- unsalted butter 30g
- egg 50g
- egg yolk 10g
- sugar 50g
- lemon juice 60g
- lemon 1g, zest
- water 40g
- sugar 30g
- lemon juice 7g
- cream cheese 70g
- heavy cream 420g
- sugar 45g
- lemon a little, sliced and zested, for topping
Instructions
1. Work in this order: cake layers → lemon curd → lemon syrup → frosting cream.
2. Make the génoise (sponge cake) the same way as for the Milk Flavor Cake, then trim off the rough top and bottom and cut it into 3 layers.
3. Grate the lemon with a zester to make lemon zest. Take only the yellow part of the peel; the white pith can taste bitter and astringent.
4. Cut the zested lemon in half and squeeze it with a juicer to get the lemon juice.
5. Put the lemon juice, egg, egg yolk, and sugar in a pot.
6. Cook over low heat, whisking, until the cream thickens; then turn off the heat and add the butter.
7. Once the butter melts, strain the mixture through a sieve once.
8. Stir in the lemon zest from step 3. Chill the finished lemon curd in the refrigerator.
9. Bring the water, sugar, and lemon juice to a boil in a pot to make the lemon syrup. Turn off the heat as soon as the sugar dissolves and let it cool before using.
10. In a bowl, break up the cream cheese and sugar with a sturdy spatula.
11. Add a third of the heavy cream and loosen the cream cheese further with a hand mixer.
12. Add the rest of the heavy cream and whip on high speed. In every season except winter, set the bowl over ice water so the cream doesn't melt.
13. Stop once the cream starts to show ridges and thickens.
14. It's ready when the cream bends slightly at the tip as you lift the beaters. Set aside a small amount of the finished cream for decorating later.
15. Brush the lemon syrup evenly over the cake layers with a pastry brush.
16. Assemble in this order: génoise → lemon syrup → frosting cream → lemon curd. Repeat once more.
17. Place the last génoise layer on top, brush it with lemon syrup, then spread the frosting cream over the top and sides with an offset spatula.
18. Smooth the cream neatly and spoon the last of the lemon curd on top of the cake.
19. Put the remaining frosting cream into a piping bag fitted with a decorative tip and pipe a border around the edge. Before piping, whip the decorating cream a little stiffer with a hand mixer or whisk.
20. Finish with lemon slices and a sprinkle of lemon zest. Thyme or rosemary also make a nice garnish.
https://hong-recipe.pages.dev/en/recipes/lemon-cream-cake/
Hong's Recipe