Lemon Mascarpone Layer Cake
Lemon Mascarpone Layer Cake – I baked up this exquisite cake for this month’s Blogger Clue reveal. Four layers of lemon cake were filled with lemon curd and mascarpone cream to create a lemon masterpiece!
Blogger Clue
Besides my maternal grandmother’s Ginger Crisps and Overnight Fruit Salad, the memories of her layered lemon poppy seed cake with a custard filling is a securely etched memory. My mom recreated this Lemon Cake recipe only twice…and my sisters and I were in heaven each time. Our usual dessert was a bowl of vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce, so a real layer cake was definitely a special treat. When I spied this Lemon Mascarpone Layer Cake dessert on my blog match for December, I knew my grandmother would approve!
The Big Reveal!
I was thrilled to be assigned the blog of my dear friend, Alice, of A Mama, Baby & Shar-pei in the Kitchen for this month’s Blogger C.L.U.E. We met through French Fridays with Dorie and have been cooking together from Around My French Table for years. We’ve also met in person twice which just bonded the friendship even more! And the belly laughs we had at the expense of some drunken Canadians earlier this fall will not soon be forgotten. Alice is the mom to two beautiful daughters and will be moving from California to Japan in just a few weeks. She’s one of the nicest people I know!
Lemon Mascarpone Layer Cake
This Lemon Mascarpone Layer Cake has four layers of lemon sponge cake, homemade lemon curd, and citrusy whipped cream mascarpone filling combined for the ultimate lemon dessert! My mother-in-law was in town and she joined the rest of the family inhaling our slices after dinner. My only complaint was that my Lemon Mascarpone Layer Cake was on the dry side even after soaking with the lemon sugar syrup. I may have overbaked them, but next time, I’d swap out that recipe out for a sponge cake with a little butter added. Or (gasp, don’t tell anyone I said this, but even a boxed butter cake would work nicely. Just add some lemon zest!) Nobody else seemed to mind (or even notice) as they whittled away at this Lemon Mascarpone Layer Cake. Another success!
This Month’s Blogger Clue Participants:
- Lemon Mascarpone Layer Cake from Liz at That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Beef Barley Soup from Kate at Kate’s Kitchen
- Scrambled Egg Sandwich from Christiane at Taking on Magazines
- Mexican Hot Chocolate Mix from Debra at Eliot’s Eats
- Ginger Snap Cookies from Lisa at Authentic Suburban Gourmet
- Scalloped Potato Cottage Pie from Ramona at Curry and Comfort
- Lemon Chicken Thighs from Janet at From Cupcakes to Caviar
- Cranberry Cream Cheese Dream Bars from Christy from Culinary Diva
- Persimmon Syrup and Persimmon Smash Cocktail from Alice at A Mama, Baby & Shar-pei in the Kitchen
- Apple Butter and Body Lotion from Kelli at Kelli’s Kitchen
- Hershey’s Candy Cane Cookies from Susan from Create Amazing Meals
- Brats and Kraut from Lea Ann at Cooking on the Ranch
- Pumpkin Scones from Anna at Anna Dishes
- Roasted and Stuffed Eggplant from Stacy at Food Lust People Love
- Swedish Dark Rye Bread from Wendy at A Day in the Life On a Farm
- Spelt Dinner Rolls from Jean at Lemons and Anchovies
- Rum Spiked Chocolate Chip Cookies from Liz at That Skinny Chick Can Bake
More Lemon Recipes:
Lemon Bar Cheesecake
Lemon on a Cloud
Tart au Citron
Meyer Lemon Poppy Seed Tea Cakes
The Recipe: Lemon Mascarpone Layer Cake
A lemon layer cake with a delectable mascarpone filling
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 6 eggs, separated
- 6 ounces (14 tablespoons) sugar, divided use
- 6 ounces (1 3/4 cups) sifted cake flour
- Zest of one lemon
For the lemon syrup:
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
For the lemon curd:
- 5 eggs
- 5 egg yolks
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 9 tablespoons (4 1/2 ounces ) cold unsalted butter, cubed
For the mascarpone filling:
- 2 1/2 cups (20 ounces ) heavy whipping cream
- 3 ounces (7 tablespoons) granulated sugar
- 1 pound mascarpone
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375º. Line two 9″ cake pans with parchment paper, but do not grease.
- Whip the egg yolks with half of the sugar (7 tablespoons) in the bowl of a large stand mixer on high speed for 5 minutes, till very thick and light in color. Transfer the yolks to a separate bowl and wash the mixing bowl and whisk very well (any grease will prevent the whites from whipping properly).
- Whip the egg whites till soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining 7 tablespoons sugar a on high speed, until the egg whites hold firm peaks.
- Fold one-third of the egg whites into the yolks with a spatula, then sift half of the cake flour on top and gently fold it in. Fold a second third of the egg whites into the yolks, sift the remaining cake flour on top, then fold that in. Finally, add the last of the egg whites, and when they’re almost incorporated, add the lemon zest and fold until everything is mixed together.
- Divide the batter between the two pans and bake for 18-22 minutes, until the tops are golden, firm, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer the cakes to a rack to cool completely.
- To make the lemon syrup, heat the sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and the liquid is clear. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice. Cool completely.
- To make the lemon curd, place the eggs, yolks, and sugar in the top of a double boiler and whisk until blended. Add the lemon juice and mix well. Cook, whisking constantly, until the curd reaches 180º on a candy thermometer (do not let the curd boil).
- Strain the curd through a metal strainer into a bowl. Add the cold butter pieces to the curd, and whisk gently until the butter is melted. Press some plastic wrap onto the surface of the lemon curd and chill 3-4 hours or overnight.
- To make the mascarpone filling, place the cream and sugar in the large bowl of a stand mixer and whisk just until they form firm peaks.
- In a large bowl, combine the mascarpone and 1-1/2 cups of lemon curd, and stir until they’re well-mixed. Gently fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture but don't overmix.
- To assemble the cake, use a sharp serrated knife to cut each of the cakes in half, making 4 thin cakes. Place one round on a serving plate, brush it with a quarter of the lemon syrup.
- Spoon about ⅓ cup of the mascarpone filling on top of the cake round, and use a spatula to spread it evenly around. Top the mascarpone with about ⅓ cup of lemon curd, and spread it in a thin layer.
- Place another cake round on top of the first, and brush with lemon syrup. Repeat the layer of cake rounds, lemon syrup, mascarpone, and lemon curd until you have added the final cake round to the top of the cake. Brush the top with the remaining lemon syrup.
- Spread the remaining mascarpone mixture along the top and sides of the cake. You may want to reserve some to pipe decorations on top of the cake.
Notes
Adapted from The Art and Soul of Baking by Cindy Mushet and Alice of of a Mama, Baby & Shar-pei in the Kitchen
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 735Total Fat: 35gSaturated Fat: 19gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 329mgSodium: 240mgCarbohydrates: 91gFiber: 1gSugar: 36gProtein: 15g
