Citrus - Cake by Courtney

The Best Lemon Blueberry Cake with Lemon Curd and Lemon Buttercream

Courtney Rich — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 16:12:00 +0000

Lemon Blueberry Cake – Lemon cake layers with fresh blueberries, lemon curd, and lemon buttercream.

Excited to share with you my Lemon Blueberry Cake recipe. The combination of lemon and blueberry is such a classic duo and is good in so many forms: pancakes, muffins, baked french toast, and of course, cake!

Lemon Blueberry Cake

This popular flavor combination has been done by many before, but I love how each cake or muffin or pancake recipe is a little different. One of my favorite versions of a Lemon Blueberry Cake is from Sweetapolita. Rosie’s recipe is one of the first cakes I ever made and I’ve always loved her flavor combinations and sprinkles!

Cake Layers

My version of a Lemon Blueberry Cake is inspired by Rosie’s cake. I’ve altered my lemon cake layers from my Lemon Bar Cake. The one difference you’ll see between the Lemon Bar Cake and this Lemon Blueberry Cake is that I’m not using lemon pudding mix. Instead, I’ve subbed some of my buttermilk with fresh lemon juice. The texture and flavor are just as awesome as the Lemon Bar Cake. I just decided to give you another option for a lemon cake in case you can’t get your hands on lemon pudding.

When you’re making the cake layers, make sure you allow for plenty of time (a couple of hours, usually) for the wet ingredients to get to room temperature. Room temperature ingredients are better absorbed by dry ingredients, and that helps your cake to rise better.

Size Matters

Also, try to find the smallest blueberries possible. The smaller the blueberries, the better they’ll stay in place as they bake in the cake batter. You’ll also want to make sure you dust your blueberries in flour to help prevent them from sinking, as well.

You can see some of my blueberries held great in their spot and some of the bigger ones definitely fell to the bottom.

The Most Delicious Lemon Buttercream

The buttercream for this cake is the same buttercream I use in my Lemon Bar Cake. To get a bright yellow color, you’ll want to add some yellow food coloring. I like using Americolor food gels. For the cake layers and buttercream, I added a few drops of “lemon yellow.”

Assembly

Don’t forget to:

Chill your cake layers before assembly
Pipe a rim of buttercream around the edge of your cake layers
Not to overfill your cake layers with too much lemon curd. Save leftover curd to serve with each slice of cake (or to use on toast in the morning!)
Apply a crumb coat before your final coat of frosting

Video Tutorial

Tools

You can find the spatulas and scrapers I used over on SHOP.CAKEBYCOURTNEY.COM.

You’ll also find my first cookbook, “CAKE, by Courtney” with this recipe and so many more HERE.

More Cakes to Love

Lemon Blueberry Cake

Lemon cake layers with fresh blueberries, lemon curd and lemon buttercream

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Intermediate, Lemon Blueberry Cake, Lemon Cake

Servings

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 3/4 cups (350 g) granulated sugar
1 tbsp (9 g) lemon zest, one large lemon
1/2 tsp (2.8 g) salt
3 tsp (12 g) baking powder
3 cups (345 g) cake flour
6 eggs whites, at room temperature
1/2 cup lemon juice about three large lemons
3/4 cup (194 g) buttermilk, at room temperature
1 cup (140 g) blueberries, try to find the smallest ones
3 drops yellow food coloring, optional (I used Americolor Lemon Yellow)

FOR THE CURD

1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
1 tbsp (9 g) grated lemon zest, one large lemon
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice, about 3 large lemons
3 large eggs
4 egg yolks
4 tbsp (56.5 g) unsalted butter, cold

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

2 cups (446 g) unsalted butter, slightly cold
6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar, measured and then sifted
2 tsp (8.4 g) lemon extract
1/4 cup (57.5 g) heavy whipping cream
pinch of salt
4 drops yellow food coloring, optional (I used Americolor Lemon Yellow)
*This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake, as decorated above. If you want additional piping, you'll want to make an extra 1/2 batch.

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch round cake pans or four 6-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray, line the bottoms with parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.
In a medium-size mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking powder. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
In a small mixing bowl, combine the buttermilk and lemon juice. Set aside.
In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar and zest together on medium speed, until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl and begin to add the egg whites, one at a time, scraping down the sides and the bottom of the bowl and mixing well between each addition. Mix on medium-high speed until no grains of sugar remain, about 2 to 3 minutes.
With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and the buttermilk mixture, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Be sure not to over mix. Over mixing your cake batter will cause it to sink. ***As you add the last of the buttermilk mixture, this is a good time to start coloring your batter if you'd like it a brighter yellow.
Coat your blueberries in a tablespoon of flour and then gently fold them into the cake batter.
Divide the batter evenly between the three pans, about 18 ounces in each 8-inch pan or about 13 ounces in each 6-inch pan. Bake the cake layers for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out with a few moist crumbs on it. Allow the cake layers to cool in the pans on wire racks for about 10 to 15 minutes. Invert cake layers onto a wire rack to cool completely. TIP: spray your wire rack with nonstick spray to prevent the cake layers from sticking.
Allow to cool completely before wrapping in plastic wrap and storing in the freezer until ready to decorate.

FOR THE CURD

This element is best done a day or two ahead of stacking and decorating your cake.
Whisk the sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Whisk in the whole eggs and yolks in a small bowl and then whisk them into the lemon mixture.
Cook the mixture over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until it's thick like pudding, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter, a few pieces at a time until incorporated.
Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl, pushing it through with a rubber spatula. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until completely set, at least 4 hours and up to 5 days.

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Turn the mixer to low and gradually add the powdered sugar, followed by the cream, salt and lemon extract. Mix until combined. Add yellow food coloring, if using. Mix until incorporated completely. Turn the mixer to medium-high and beat the frosting for about 5 minutes.
Before applying the buttercream to your cake, use wooden spoon to beat the frosting by hand for about 2 minutes to push out any air pockets.

ASSEMBLY

Spread a small dollop of frosting onto a cake board. Place the first cake layer, top side up, on the board.
Spread about a half cup of frosting over the cake layer and pipe a rim of frosting around the edge of the cake to create a barrier to the filling.
Spread about 1/4 cup of the curd in the center of the cake, carefully spreading it to the edge of the piping.
Place a second cake layer on top of the piped frosting and filling and repeat step 2 and 3. Place the final cake layer, top side up, on the second layer of filling.
Lightly coat the cake with a thin layer of frosting to lock in the crumbs. Freeze the cake for about 10 to 15 minutes to set the frosting.
Finish frosting and decorating the cake with the remaining frosting. Serve a spoonful of the remaining lemon curd with each slice of cake.

The post The Best Lemon Blueberry Cake with Lemon Curd and Lemon Buttercream first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The Most Delicious Lemon Bar Cake

Courtney Rich — Wed, 16 Apr 2025 02:53:00 +0000

Lemon Bar Cake – lemon cake layers baked on a shortbread crust, filled with lemon curd and topped with a lemon buttercream.

Is it Springtime Yet?

This winter is proving to be a long one and even though spring is supposed to officially start in just a couple weeks, I’m doubtful it will really come. We’ve had so much snow and so many freezing cold days this winter. And just when you think it’s over with the arrival of blue skies and 55 degree weather, winter comes back with a vengeance. It hit hard again last week for a couple days and I couldn’t help but dream of springtime… and spring baking. Flavor combinations started flooding my head and the one that seemed most appropriate was a cake inspired by lemon bars.

Lemon Bars

Why lemon bars, you ask? Well, this past weekend was my mom’s 60th birthday and she’s a huge fan of lemon bars. She actually makes the most delicious lemon bars and I’ve been eager to get another lemon cake recipe on the blog for a while. It seemed like the perfect inspiration for a new cake.

Plus, a few months ago, my brothers, sister and I decided to surprise my mom with US for her birthday! Yup, the four of us together would be our big gift to her. But I didn’t want to show up empty handed, and we all know that every birthday needs a cake… so, it was the perfect time to try out this new recipe.

Lemon Bar Cake

This cake has all the makings of a lemon bar, but in cake form, of course. I started with a shortbread crust that you’ll bake on it’s own for about 8 minutes. I then added a lemon cake on top of the crust. This lemon cake is so divine and would be equally delicious without the crust if you wanted to just have a basic lemon cake.

I’ve filled the inside with a lemon curd and lemon buttercream.

I realize that sounds like a lot of lemon, but trust me, it all blends so beautifully that it doesn’t feel over powdering. Plus, the savory shortbread crust is the perfect contrast to the tartness and sweetness of the rest of the cake.

I was able to share this cake with friends and family and it’s been a hit all around!

Tips:

Make the lemon curd a few days in advance.
Make sure not to put too much curd in between the layers so it doesn’t lose stability. Instead, use only about 1/4 to 1/3 cup curd in the cake and serve extra on the side of each slice.
Make sure to use a sharp knife to cut the cake.

Enjoy!

Lemon Bar Cake

Lemon cake layers baked on a shortbread crust, with lemon curd filling and lemon buttercream.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Lemon Bar Cake, Lemon Bars, Lemon Cake, Lemon curd

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 30

Total Time 1 30

Servings

Author Courtney Rich

Ingredients

FOR THE SHORTBREAD CRUST

1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
12 tablespoons (169.5 g) unsalted butter room temperature
2 1/2 cups (300 g) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon (2.8 g) Kosher salt

FOR THE CAKE

3 cups (345 g) cake flour
1 3/4 cup (350 g) granulated sugar
1/4 cup (2 oz.) instant lemon pudding mix
1/2 teaspoon (3 g) salt
2 teaspoons (8 g) baking powder
12 tablespoons (169.5 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cup (300 g) buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon (4.2 g) lemon extract
6 egg whites, at room temperature
Yellow food coloring optional

FOR THE LEMON CURD

1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon (9 g) grated lemon zest one large lemon
1/2 cup lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
3 large eggs
4 egg yolks
4 tablespoons (56.5 g) cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces

FOR THE LEMON FROSTING

2 cups (452g) unsalted butter, slightly cold
6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar, measured and then sifted
2 teaspoons (8.4 g) lemon extract
4 tablespoons (60 g) heavy whipping cream
Pinch of salt
Yellow food coloring optional
*This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping, you’ll want to make an extra 1/2 batch.

Instructions

FOR THE SHORTBREAD CRUST

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch or four 6-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray, line each pan with parchment and spray again. Set aside.
Combine the sugar and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat for 1 to 2 minutes until creamy. Stir in the salt and flour. If the mixture is too crumbly, you can add another tablespoon of butter.
Evenly divide the shortbread cookie crumbs into each cake pan (about 8 ounces in the 8-inch pans or 6 ounces in the 6-inch pans). Using the back of a spoon, press the shortbread cookie crumbs into an even layer on the bottom of the pan.
Bake for about 6 minutes. Will be light in color. Let cool while you make the cake batter.

FOR THE CAKE

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.
In a medium size bowl, lightly whisk the egg whites and add the lemon extract. Set aside.
In another medium size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, and pudding mix together on medium speed, until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl and begin to add the egg mixture in 3 separate batches, mixing until well combined, about two minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure all the batter has been incorporated. Continue to beat the batter on medium-high speed until smooth.
With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and the buttermilk, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Mix until combined. Fold in food coloring, if using.
Divide batter evenly among your pans, right on top of the shortbread crust, about 16 oz of batter in each 8-inch pan or 12 oz in each 6-inch pan.
Bake the cakes (on the shortbread crust) until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs inserted into the center, about 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool on wire racks for 10 minutes before inverting them onto cooling racks to cool completely. The cake will stick to the shortbread crust and flip out of the pan together.

FOR THE LEMON CURD

Whisk the sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Whisk in the whole eggs and yolks in a small bowl and then whisk them into the lemon mixture.
Cook the mixture over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until it's thick like pudding, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter, a few pieces at a time until incorporated.
Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl, pushing it through with a rubber spatula. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until completely set, at least 4 hours and up to 5 days.

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Turn the mixer to low and gradually add the powdered sugar, followed by the cream, salt and lemon extract. Mix until combined. Add yellow food coloring, if using. Mix until incorporated completely. Turn the mixer to medium-high and beat the frosting for about 5 minutes.
Use wooden spoon to beat the frosting by hand for about 2 minutes to push out any air pockets.

ASSEMBLY

Spread a small dollop of buttercream onto a cake board. Place the first cake layer, top side up, on the board.
Spread a thin layer of buttercream over the cake layer and pipe a rim of buttercream around the edge of the cake to create a barrier to the filling. Spread about 1/4 cup of the curd in the center of the cake, carefully spreading it to the edge of the piping.
Place a second cake layer on top of the piped buttercream and filling and repeat step 2. Place the final cake layer, top side up, on the second layer of filling.
Lightly coat the cake with a thin layer of buttercream to lock in the crumbs. Freeze the cake for about 10 to 15 minutes to set the buttercream.
Finish buttercream and decorating the cake with the remaining frosting. Serve a spoonful of the remaining lemon curd with each slice of cake.
The cake can be stored in the freezer for about a week, in an airtight container. Give the cake about 8 hours to return to room temperature before serving.

The post The Most Delicious Lemon Bar Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The Best Lemon Cake Recipe

Courtney Rich — Mon, 29 Apr 2024 20:16:40 +0000

This flavorful and moist Lemon Cake recipe with homemade lemon curd and a light and fluffy lemon buttercream is truly a delicious, bright cake that will easily become a new fan favorite.

Moist Lemon Cake Recipe

Hard to believe that with all the lemon flavored cakes on my blog, I actually don’t have a basic lemon cake recipe. That is, until now!

A lemon cake recipe is long overdue on CakebyCourtney.com and I’m so excited to share with you this delicious, new lemon cake recipe with lemon curd and lemon buttercream.

So what’s different about this lemon cake?

You’ll notice, I have several lemon cake recipes on my blog. Some are light and fluffy, some are slightly more dense, some are flavored with Jell-O, while others are flavored naturally. It’s really fun to create different types of cake recipes that have the same flavor profile, because we all like different flavors and textures of cake.

Here’s a little rundown of the cakes:

Lemon Oreo Cake – this one has a light, fluffy texture thanks to cake flour. It also has a subtle lemon flavor from lemon extract and lemon Oreos.
Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake – also light and fluffy, with a slightly air-y texture thanks to cake flour and all egg whites. The lemon flavor is enhanced with a lemon glaze using fresh lemons.
Lemon Biscoff Cake – this lemon cake has a denser texture because I used ricotta in the cake layers. It’s incredibly moist and tender, but not light and fluffy.
Lemon Kit Kat Cake – this one is a combination of ingredients, such as all egg whites like the bundt and some lemon Jell-O like the lemon bar. The texture is tender and fluffy. Not as light as the poppy seed Cake
Lemon Bar Cake – very similar to the base of the Lemon Kit Kat where we’re using lemon Jell-O to enhance the lemon flavor.
Lemon Blueberry Cake – this crumb is also light and fluffy and naturally flavored. You add egg whites, lemon zest, lemon juice and buttermilk.

So we’ve got a few variations, which hopefully means you find the perfect lemon cake for you!

For my new Lemon Cake recipe, my number one goal was to make sure it was MOIST! Sometimes, cakes with only egg whites, can over bake easily and taste dry. The goal for this one was to make it as fool proof as possible.

Ingredients You Need for Lemon Cake

Cake flour
Baking powder
Baking soda
Salt
Unsalted butter
Granulated sugar
3 large lemons
Eggs
Buttermilk
Food coloring, optional

How to Make Moist Lemon Cake from Scratch

To make a moist lemon cake from scratch, be sure to follow these tips:

Use room temperature ingredients – any ingredient you store in the refrigerator should be room temperature before you start making your cake. Room temperature ingredients better blend together and are better absorbed by the dry ingredients – which both help to create a high rise and moist cake.
Beat the butter, sugar and eggs well – these first few ingredients need to be mixed on a medium high speed for a few minutes before you add anything else. Specifically, start with beating the butter and sugar together on a medium-high speed to lighten the texture and create a little air in the mixture. You’ll then add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. THEN, after the eggs are adding, scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and continue to mix on medium-high speed for a couple minutes. We want the mixture to be smooth, lighter in color, and fluffy in texture.
Don’t over-mix the batter when you add dry ingredients – once you start adding dry ingredients, you’ll want to make sure your mixer is on low speed. Over-mixing the cake batter can cause it to be dense and sink because you overwork the gluten (the flour).
Be sure not to over-bake the cakes – sometimes are cakes taste dry because we’ve simply over-baked them. As you bake recipes, from me or any author, be sure to watch the baked good during the last few minutes of baking. Take note if your oven bakes faster or slower than given times. You may need to adjust for your oven, since all ovens act so differently.

How to Make Homemade Lemon Curd

Adding lemon curd to any cake is almost unfair to the cake because no matter how delicious the cake is, homemade lemon curd always steals the show!

You will only need a handful of simple ingredients to make the lemon curd:

Granulated sugar
Lemon zest from one large lemon
Lemon juice
Eggs
Egg yolks
Unsalted butter

First, whisk the sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan. In a separate bowl, whisk together your eggs and egg yolks, and then whisk them into the lemon mixture. Do this before you turn on the stove, or right at the beginning. Adding the eggs too late after the sugar mixture has been heating can create an egg-y flavor in the curd.

Cook the mixture over medium-low heat, whisking constantly until it’s thick like pudding. This usually takes 6 to 8 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and then whisk in the butter, a few pieces at a time, until it is all incorporated.

Once everything is all mixed in together nicely, strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl. It helps to push it through with a rubber spatula. Lastly, press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the lemon curd to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate it until it is completely set. I recommend at least 4 hours. But it can be stored for up to 5 days!

Tips for the Best Buttercream Frosting

Making homemade buttercream is a game changer, compared to anything you’ll buy at the store. I have a couple key tips for making the best buttercream frosting every time:

Sift the powdered sugar
Beat the butter on its own for a few minutes
Use a little heavy whipping cream
Beat all of the ingredients together on medium-high for a few minutes.

Read more about how to make the best buttercream HERE.

You may notice my lemon curd in this picture is extra bright. I used organic eggs that had a more orange yolk, which added a real pop of color to the curd!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make the cake layers ahead of time?

You bet! You can make each element ahead of time, actually, and store things separately.

If you make the cake layers ahead of time, allow them to cool completely, wrap in plastic wrap and then freeze them.

The lemon curd can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

The buttercream can also be store in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Just be sure to let it get back to room temperature and re-beat it before using.

Can I make the entire cake ahead of time?

Yes again! After you assemble and decorate the cake, place it in the freezer for about 30 minutes. This will set the outer buttercream design. Once the buttercream is set, wrap it with plastic wrap.

The night before you want to serve it, move it to the refrigerator with the wrap still on. About 6 to 8 hours before serving, place the cake at room temperature and remove the plastic wrap. If you have a cake dome, it’s best to cover the cake while it thaws completely.

More Lemon Cakes to Try!

Lemon Cake

Lemon cake layers with lemon curd and lemon buttercream

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Intermediate, Lemon buttercream, Lemon Cake, Lemon curd

Servings

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

3 cups (345 g) cake flour
2 tsp (8 g) baking powder
1/2 tsp (2 g) baking soda
1/2 tsp (3 g) salt
1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
1 tbsp (9 g) lemon zest, one large lemon
2 eggs, at room temperature
2 egg whites, at room temperature
1/3 cup (83 g) fresh lemon juice, about three large lemons
1 cup (240 g) buttermilk, at room temperature
1-3 drops yellow food coloring, optional (I used Americolor Lemon Yellow)

FOR THE CURD

1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
1 tbsp (9 g) grated lemon zest, one large lemon
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice, about 3 large lemons
3 large eggs
4 egg yolks
4 tbsp (56.5 g) unsalted butter, cold

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

2 cups (446 g) unsalted butter, slightly cold
6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar, measured and then sifted
2 tsp (8.4 g) lemon extract
1/4 cup (57.5 g) heavy whipping cream
pinch of salt
*This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake, as decorated above. If you want additional piping, you'll want to make an extra 1/2 batch.

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch round cake pans or four 6-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray, line the bottoms with parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.
In a medium-size mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
In a small mixing bowl, combine the buttermilk and lemon juice. Set aside.
In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar and zest together on medium speed, until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl and begin to add the eggs and egg whites, one at a time, scraping down the sides and the bottom of the bowl and mixing well between each addition. Mix on medium-high speed until no grains of sugar remain, about 2 to 3 minutes.
With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and the buttermilk mixture, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Be sure not to over mix. Over mixing your cake batter will cause it to sink. ***As you add the last of the buttermilk mixture, this is a good time to start coloring your batter if you'd like it a brighter yellow.
Divide the batter evenly between the three pans, about 18 ounces in each 8-inch pan or about 13 ounces in each 6-inch pan. Bake the cake layers for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out with a few moist crumbs on it. Allow the cake layers to cool in the pans on wire racks for about 10 to 15 minutes. Invert cake layers onto a wire rack to cool completely. TIP: spray your wire rack with nonstick spray to prevent the cake layers from sticking.
Allow to cool completely before wrapping in plastic wrap and storing in the freezer until ready to decorate.

FOR THE CURD

This element is best done a day or two ahead of stacking and decorating your cake.
Whisk the sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Whisk in the whole eggs and yolks in a small bowl and then whisk them into the lemon mixture.
Cook the mixture over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until it's thick like pudding, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter, a few pieces at a time until incorporated.
Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl, pushing it through with a rubber spatula. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until completely set, at least 4 hours and up to 5 days.

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Turn the mixer to low and gradually add the powdered sugar, followed by the cream, salt and lemon extract. Mix until combined. Add yellow food coloring, if using. Mix until incorporated completely. Turn the mixer to medium-high and beat the frosting for about 5 minutes.
Before applying the buttercream to your cake, use wooden spoon to beat the frosting by hand for about 2 minutes to push out any air pockets.

ASSEMBLY

Spread a small dollop of frosting onto a cake board. Place the first cake layer, top side up, on the board.
Spread about a half cup of frosting over the cake layer and pipe a rim of frosting around the edge of the cake to create a barrier to the filling.
Spread about 1/4 cup of the curd in the center of the cake, carefully spreading it to the edge of the piping.
Place a second cake layer on top of the piped frosting and filling and repeat step 2 and 3. Place the final cake layer, top side up, on the second layer of filling.
Lightly coat the cake with a thin layer of frosting to lock in the crumbs. Freeze the cake for about 10 to 15 minutes to set the frosting.
Finish frosting and decorating the cake with the remaining frosting. Serve a spoonful of the remaining lemon curd with each slice of cake.

The post The Best Lemon Cake Recipe first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Lemon Biscoff Cake with Lemon Buttercream and Lemon Curd

Courtney Rich — Mon, 18 Mar 2024 20:40:36 +0000

Loving all things lemon lately and this cake is no exception! Get ready for a delicious combination of flavors with my new Lemon Biscoff Cake, made with lemon ricotta cake layers baked on a Biscoff cookie crust and filled with lemon curd and lemon buttercream.

Lemon Biscoff Cake

Last week in cake class at Orson Gygi we made my Lemon Bar Cake. It has the most delicious lemon cake layers baked on a shortbread crust and is filled with lemon curd. Between classes, Heather (who runs the classes and is basically family!) grabbed a Biscoff cookie from the pantry and encouraged me to dip it in the lemon curd.

What a combination! Like, wow!

I immediately was thinking of how to make a cake with these two flavors and the texture of the Biscoff cookie.

I originally thought of using my Biscoff cake layers, but Heather convinced me to go with my lemon ricotta cake layers from my Olive Oil Ricotta Cake, and I am so happy I listened.

This Lemon Biscoff Cake is beyond delicious and each flavor and texture really stand out and compliment one another.

Lemon Ricotta Cake

These cake layers are my favorite. I have used them in several cakes because the texture and flavor is so versatile. Here are just a few of my faves:

Cakes with Ricotta Cake Layers

You’ll notice the weight of the cake is heavier than most of my other cakes. We can thank the two cups of ricotta for that! The ricotta helps to create a moist and tender texture. While I’d call this a dense cake, it’s not a small, tight crumb (like a pound cake). Rather, it’s a bigger, slightly loose crumb with some denseness to it.

NOTE: you can swap the grapeseed oil for a light olive oil.

How to Make Lemon Curd

Lemon curd was a must for this cake since it was the combination of the Biscoff cookie and the lemon curd that inspired this one. If you’ve never made lemon curd before, you’re in for a treat! Once you make homemade lemon curd, you’ll never go back to store-bought. Homemade is easy to make and tastes 100x better than anything you’ll get at a store.

You will only need a handful of simple ingredients to make the lemon curd:

Granulated sugar
Lemon zest, from one large lemon
Lemon juice
Eggs
Egg yolks
Unsalted butter

You’ll need 3 large lemons for the amount of lemon juice needed for this recipe. And the unsalted butter should be cold and cut into small pieces when adding it to your lemon mixture. Other than that, the recipe is pretty straightforward!

First, whisk the sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan. In a separate bowl, whisk together your eggs and egg yolks, and then whisk them into the lemon mixture.
Cook the mixture over medium-low heat, whisking constantly until it’s thick like pudding. This usually takes 6 to 8 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and then whisk in the butter, a few pieces at a time, until it is all incorporated.
Once everything is all mixed in together nicely, strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl. It helps to push it through with a rubber spatula. Lastly, press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the lemon curd to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate it until it is completely set. I recommend at least 4 hours. But it can be stored for up to 5 days!

How to Schedule Baking the Lemon Biscoff Cake

Beyond that, this cake is actually quite simple to make:

Biscoff cookie crust
Lemon ricotta cake layers
Lemon curd
Lemon buttercream

Tip for Scheduling Baking

Because this cake has quite a few elements, I suggest spreading the baking and prep out over the course of a few days.

Day 1: lemon curd

Day 2: cookie crust and cake layers

Day 3: buttercream and assembly

Remember, the curd can be stored in the fridge and the cake layers can be wrapped and stored in the freezer. Just be sure to take the cake layers out about an hour before you start assembly.

ENJOY!

Lemon Biscoff Cake

Lemon ricotta cake layers baked on a Biscoff cookie crust with lemon curd and lemon buttercream.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword biscoff, Lemon, Lemon Biscoff Cake, Lemon buttercream, Lemon curd, Lemon Ricotta Cake

Servings

Ingredients

FOR THE BISCOFF COOKIE CRUST

25 Biscoff cookies, finely ground
1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup (66.7 g) granulated sugar

FOR THE LEMON RICOTTA CAKE

3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon (12 g) baking powder
1 teaspoon (6 g) salt
1 cup (218 g) grapeseed oil
1 3/4 cups (350 g) granulated sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
1 tablespoon lemon zest
2 cups (480 g) ricotta cheese

FOR THE LEMON CURD

1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/2 cup (55 g) lemon juice, about 3 lemons
3 large eggs
4 egg yolks
4 tablespoons (56.5 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

FOR THE LEMON BUTTERCREAM

2 cups (452g) unsalted butter, slightly cold
6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar, measured then sifted
2 teaspoons (8.4 g) lemon extract
4 tablespoons (60 g) heavy whipping cream
Pinch of salt
Yellow food coloring, optional
*This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping you’ll want to make an extra 1/2 batch.

Instructions

FOR THE BISCOFF COOKIE CRUST

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch round cake pans with non-stick spray, line with parchment, and then spray again. Set aside.
In a medium size mixing bowl, combine the Biscoff cookie crumbs, melted butter, and sugar. Stir until all the crumbs are damped by the melted butter. Alternatively, you can add the melted butter and sugar to your food processor after you've pulverized the cookies.
Divide evenly between the three pans (about 5 ounces in each pan) and press down firmly with your hand or the back of a measuring cup to form the crust.
Bake for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool while you make the cake batter.

FOR THE LEMON RICOTTA CAKE

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.
In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the grapeseed oil and sugar on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Stir in the lemon zest.
Add the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue to beat the minxture for an additional 2 to 3 minutes. The mixture should be smooth and look lighter in color.
With the mixer on low, alternately add the flour mixture and the ricotta, starting and finishing with the flour. Stir until incorporated.
Evenly distribute the batter among the three cake pans on top of the crusts (about 16 ounces of batter in each pan) and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
Remove from oven, and let the cakes cool in pans for 15 minutes before inverting the layers onto a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, you can cover with plastic wrap and store in your refrigerator overnight or freezer for longer.

FOR THE LEMON CURD

Whisk the sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Whisk in the whole eggs and yolks in a small bowl and then whisk them into the lemon mixture.
Cook the mixture over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until it’s thick like pudding, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter, a few pieces at a time until incorporated.
Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl, pushing it through with a rubber spatula. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until completely set, at least 4 hours and up to 5 days.

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Turn the mixer to low and gradually add the powdered sugar, followed by the cream, salt and lemon extract. Mix until combined. Add yellow food coloring, if using. Mix until incorporated completely. Turn the mixer to medium-high and beat the frosting for about 5 minutes.
Use a spatula to beat the buttercream by hand to push out any air pockets.

ASSEMBLY

Spread a small dollop of buttercream onto a cake board. Place the first cake layer, top side up, on the board.
Spread a thin layer of buttercream (only about a half cup) over the cake layer and pipe a rim of buttercream around the edge of the cake to create a barrier to the filling. Spread about 1/4 cup of the curd in the center of the cake, carefully spreading it to the edge of the piping.
Place a second cake layer on top of the piped buttercream and filling and repeat step 2. Place the final cake layer, top side up, on the second layer of filling.
Lightly coat the cake with a thin layer of buttercream to lock in the crumbs. Freeze the cake for about 15 minutes to set the buttercream.
Remove the cake from the freezer and contiue decorating the cake with the remaining buttercream. Serve a spoonful of the remaining lemon curd with each slice of cake, or add it to the top of the cake as pictured.

The post Lemon Biscoff Cake with Lemon Buttercream and Lemon Curd first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Holiday Favorite Flavors: Chocolate Orange Cake

Courtney Rich — Sun, 11 Dec 2022 15:17:46 +0000

Chocolate Orange Cake – Dark chocolate cake layers with a hint of orange zest, covered with a chocolate orange buttercream.

Chocolate Orange Cake

Oh, this cake was due for an update! I first came up with this recipe years ago when I went to Fox 13’s The Place, a local lifestyle show here in Salt Lake City. It was a super simple recipe back then, and still is today, but one that is totally going to win you over.

Christmastime Chocolate Orange

My goal was to make the cake taste exactly like the chocolate orange I used to get in my Christmas stocking as a child. It’s a flavor combination that will always make me think of Christmastime. And I think you’ll really like it in cake form!

The Best Chocolate Cake

I used my go-to chocolate cake recipe and added some orange zest for a hint of flavor in the cake.

Remember: it’s super important to use room-temperature wet ingredients to get the best rise out of your cake layers.

How to Make Buttercream Frosting

It’s the buttercream, however, that I think really steals the show. To add flavor to the buttercream, I used orange emulsion by Lorann. Emulsions are a lot like extracts but are water-based. Extracts are alcohol-based. I typically lean toward emulsions because I like the flavoring better, but an extract will work too. Just sub it 1-for-1 in the recipe.

To get a light and fluffy homemade buttercream frosting for this cake, I have a detailed post: HOW TO MAKE THE BEST BUTTERCREAM to give you in-depth instructions for making your buttercream unreal! Here’s a quick overview.

- Sift your powdered sugar
- Use slightly cold butter and mix on its own for 2 to 3 minutes
- Use heavy whipping cream
- Beat for 5 minutes
- Stir by hand

I don’t think this cake needs a lot of added decorations, but love how a little rosemary and dried oranges give the brown some contrast.

Excited for you to whip this one up!

For more Christmas cake recipes, check out this post: 10 Cakes Perfect for the Holidays.

For my cookbook and cake tools, make sure to check out Shop.CakebyCourtney.com.

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Chocolate Orange Cake

Dark chocolate cake layers and buttercream with a hint of orange.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword chocolate buttercream, Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Orange Cake, Orange

Ingredients

For the cake

2 cups (240g) all purpose flour
1 3/4 cup (350g) granulated sugar
3/4 cup (88g) good quality cocoa powder
2 tsp (8g) baking soda
3/4 tsp (3g) baking powder
1 tsp (5.6) kosher salt
zest of two large oranges
1 cup (240g) buttermilk room temperature and shaken
1/2 cup (109g) vegetable oil
3 large eggs room temperature
1 tsp (4.2g) pure vanilla extract
1 cup (236g) hot water or hot coffee

For the frosting

2 cups (452g) unsalted butter slightly chilled
10 ounces (187g) good quality dark chocolate chips
1/4 cup (57.7g) heavy whipping cream
5 cups (625g) powdered sugar, measured and then sifted
2 1/2 tsp (8.4g) orange emulsion
pinch of salt
*This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping, you’ll want to make an extra 1/2 batch.

Instructions

For the cake

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch or four 6-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray. Line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper and spray the pans again.
Combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. Add the zest and mix until combined.
In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, coffee or water and vanilla.
With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pans and bake for about 23 t0 28 minutes.
Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.
Wrap in plastic wrap and chill until ready to use. You're still going to want to level your cake layers to ensure a completely even surface for frosting and stacking.

For the Buttercream

In a microwave safe bowl, heat the heavy whipping cream for about one minute. Pour the heated cream over the chocolate chips and stir until the chocolate chips are melted. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter on medium-high speed for 2 minutes.
Turn the mixer to low and gradually add the powdered sugar, orange emulsion and pinch of salt.
With the mixer on low speed, add the chocolate ganache. Beat for another 3 to 5 minutes on medium-high.
Before frosting your cake, give the frosting a good stir with a wooden spoon to push out any air bubbles.

The post Holiday Favorite Flavors: Chocolate Orange Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Strawberry Lemonade Cake with Sweet and Tart Lemon Curd Filling

Courtney Rich — Wed, 09 Jun 2021 06:00:00 +0000

Strawberry Lemonade Cake – strawberry lemon cake layers, filled with homemade lemon curd and topped with a strawberry cream cheese buttercream – the perfect spring or summer cake.

Making Lemonade Out of Lemons

My mom just moved into a new home in Los Angeles. One of the best things about her new place are the lemon trees in her backyard. She also has a herb garden and a few other fruit trees. (I’m so jealous! It’s making me want to get started on my garden boxes stat!). Well, being the fabulous mom that she is, she didn’t just bring me fresh lemons during her recent visit to Utah, she also brought me homemade lemon curd! There’s not a lot of things better in this life than homemade fruit curd. You can literally put it on or in anything – toast, croissants, tarts, cupcakes, and of course, cake! I love the punch of flavor it provides without being overwhelming. I also love a curd because once you have the basic recipe down, switching between flavors is so easy.

Strawberry Lemonade Cake

For this cake, I decided to pair the lemon curd with my strawberry cake. I had heard from a couple readers that my original strawberry cake recipe sank a little during baking. Though I haven’t had the problem, I didn’t want this to be an issue for anyone else! So, I made a few tweaks to the strawberrycake layers and am now confident they’ll rise perfectly for anyone.

There’s also some lemon zest in the cake layers, accentuating the flavor of the curd just a tad. The frosting is a strawberry cream cheese frosting, made with only a small amount of cream cheese and strawberry emulsion, neither of which are too strong but pair beautifully together.

I think one bite of this cake will get your taste buds dancing and make you think of summer!

Enjoy!

More Summer-Inspired Cakes You’ll Love

Strawberry Lemonade Cake

Strawberry lemon cake layers, filled with lemon curd and topped with strawberry cream cheese buttercream.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Intermediate, strawberry cake, Strawberry lemonade cake

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

3 cups (339g) cake flour
4 1/2 teaspoons (18g) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon (3g) salt
1 cup (226g) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/3 cups (266g) granulated sugar
1 3 oz. package of strawberry flavored Jell-O
3 teaspoons lemon zest
5 large or extra large egg whites at room temperature
1 tablespoon (13g) pure vanilla extract
1 cup (240g) buttermilk at room temperature

FOR THE CURD

1 cup (200g) sugar
1/2 cup (115g) lemon juice about 3 large lemons
1 tbsp grated lemon zest
Pinch of salt
3 large eggs
3 egg yolks
4 tbsp (56.5g) cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

2 cups (452g) unsalted butter slightly cold
6 oz. (170g) cream cheese slightly cold
6 cups (750g) powdered sugar measured and then sifted
1 teaspoon strawberry emulsion
3 tablespoons (42g) heavy whipping cream
Pinch of salt
*If you want to pipe swirls around the cake like I did, add an extra half batch of buttercream.

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch cake pans with nonstick spray, line the bottoms with parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk the cake flour, baking powder and salt.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, sugar, Jell-O and zest. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Add the egg whites, in a few additions, beating well and scraping down the sides of the bowl between each addition. Add the vanilla and stir to combine.
With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and the buttermilk, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Mix on low, just until flour is combined.
5. Divide the batter evenly between the pans and bake for 25-30 minutes.
6. Let cool in the pans for about 10 minutes and then invert onto wire cooling wraps to cool completely. Cakes can be individually wrapped in plastic wrapped and frozen for a week. If you’d like to freeze them longer than one week, wrap each cake layer in tin foil as well.

FOR THE CURD

1. Whisk the sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and salt in a medium saucepan. Whisk in the whole eggs and yolks in a small bowl and then whisk them into the lemon mixture.
2. Cook the mixture over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it’s thick like pudding, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter a few pieces at a time until incorporated.
3. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl, pushing it through with a rubber spatula. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until completely set, at least 4 hours and up to 5 days.

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese on medium speed for about 2 minutes.
2. Turn the mixer to low speed and gradually add the powdered sugar, followed by the strawberry emulsion, cream and salt.
3. Turn the mixer to medium-high speed and beat the frosting for about 5 minutes.
4. Before frosting your cake, mix the frosting by hand with a wooden spoon to push out any air pockets. If the frosting feels too soft to frost or pipe, cover it and refrigerate it for about 30 minutes.

ASSEMBLY

1. Spread a dollop of frosting on a cake board or cake plate to hold the first cake layer in place.
2. Place the first cake layer, top side up, on the cake board and pipe a rim of strawberry frosting around the edges to act as a barrier to the lemon curd. Spread half of the lemon curd (about 3/4 cup) on the cake layer.
3. Top with the next cake layer and repeat step 2.
4. Place the third cake layer, top side down, on the second layer of filling. Apply a thin layer of frosting around the entire cake to lock in the crumbs. Freeze the cake for about 10-15 minutes to set the crumb coat.
5. If your frosting feels soft at this point, refrigerate it while the crumb coat sets.
6. Continue frosting your cake, making sure to stir the frosting with a wooden spoon to push out any air pockets.
7. If you’re not serving within the day, you can freeze the cake in a cake box or container for up to a week – just make sure to remove the cake from the freezer about 6 hours before you plan to serve it.

The post Strawberry Lemonade Cake with Sweet and Tart Lemon Curd Filling first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Easy to Make Citrus Olive Oil Cake

Courtney Rich — Mon, 14 Dec 2020 15:05:06 +0000

Citrus Olive Oil Cake – tender and moist ricotta olive oil cake, infused with lemon and orange.

Don’t Miss This

Happy Monday, friends! We’re less than two weeks away from Christmas and I still have a couple new holiday cakes to share with you.

Today’s cake is simple and humble, a lot like the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. In fact, I made this cake as part of an episode of “Don’t Miss This,” that I recorded with the hosts and my friends, David Butler and Emily Freeman, about the birth of Jesus Christ.

“Don’t Miss This,” is a video and podcast study guide to go along with scripture study outlined by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. In today’s episode (December 14th), David and Emily are discussing the birth of the Savior and sharing some beautiful thoughts to go along with the real reason we celebrate Christmas.

A few weeks ago they asked if I’d want to join them in today’s episode for the discussion and if I’d share a cake that could go along with the lesson.

I adore David and Emily and everything they do, especially “Don’t Miss This,” as it’s completely helped, enhanced and enriched my study of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. So, today, I’m sharing a new cake and my love of this wonderful Gospel.

You can catch the episode of “Don’t Miss This” and my Citrus Olive Oil Cake tutorial below:

Citrus Olive Oil Cake

I specifically chose to make an olive oil cake for the episode with David and Emily because when I think about Christ and His birth, I think about simplicity and humility and knew that I wanted a very basic, easy and humble cake to go along with their lesson. Plus, olives are used in allegories throughout the scriptures and a Jerusalem Olive Oil Cake is something very traditional of that region.

Ingredients You’ll Need For This Cake

Ricotta
Olive Oil
Flour
Lemon zest
Orange zest
Baking powder
Sugar
Salt
Eggs

Tools You’ll Need For This Cake

One 8-inch round cake pan
Mixing bowls
Hand mixer or electric mixer

How to Make a Citrus Olive Oil Cake

Room temperature ingredients: To make this Citrus Olive Oil Cake, you’ll want to make sure your ingredients are room temperature. This includes your eggs and ricotta. Allow these items to sit at room temperature for a couple hours so they are no longer cold. Room temperature ingredients better mix together and are better absorbed by the dry ingredients, which helps your cake to rise better.

Measure correctly: Also make sure you measure your flour correctly. You can use a kitchen scale to weigh the flour or you can spoon the flour into your measuring cup and lightly scrape off the excess from the top of the measuring cup.

Don’t overmix: once you add your flour to the wet ingredients, make sure to mix on low speed, just until your ingredients are blended.

How to Serve a Citrus Olive Oil Cake

This cake is delicious on it’s own, but could also be served with a drizzle of honey, plain fresh whipped cream, or whipped cream with a little ricotta or mascarpone in it.

Make Ahead

This cake is a great one to make ahead of time. Once it cools and reaches room temperature, just wrap it in plastic wrap and freeze. Let the cake thaw for a couple hours before serving.

Homemade Ricotta

This cake calls for ricotta, which can be store-bought or homemade. I love, love, love homemade ricotta. It’s really easy to make and incredibly delicious. You can check out my recipe for homemade ricotta as part of my Ricotta Beet Cake.

Citrus Olive Oil Cake

Tender and moist citrus olive oil cake.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword citrus olive oil cake, olive oil cake

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Total Time 35

Servings

Author Courtney Rich

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

1 1/2 cups (180 g) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons (6 g) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon (2.5 g) salt
1/2 cup (109g) olive oil
1 cups (200 g) sugar
2 eggs room temperature
1/2 tablespoon (3 g) lemon zest about one large lemon
1/2 tablespoon (3 g) orange zest about one large orange
1 cups (250 g) ricotta cheese at room temperature

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare one 8-inch cake pans with spray, parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.
In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside
Cream the olive oil and the sugar on medium speed in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for one minute. Stir in the lemon and orange zests.
Add the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
With the mixer on low, alternately add the flour mixture and the ricotta, starting and finishing with the flour. Combine until incorporated.
Pour cake batter into pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
Let cool in pan for about 5-10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, you can cover with plastic wrap and store in your refrigerator overnight or freezer for longer.
Serve with homemade whipped cream.

The post Easy to Make Citrus Olive Oil Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Easy Winter Cake: Wassail Crumble Cake with Orange Zest

Courtney Rich — Mon, 16 Nov 2020 18:59:29 +0000

Wassail Crumble Cake – apple and orange spice cake with an orange cinnamon crumble and an orange glaze.

Holiday Desserts

Happy Monday, friends! My apologies for skipping the last couple Mondays of new recipes! Life was a little bananas with Pinners Conference and getting things ready for holidays sales over on Shop.CakebyCourtney.com. (Which, by the way, is going to be really good!)

Now that Pinners is over, the only thing I’m thinking about are holiday desserts!

With Thanksgiving just over a week away, I’m planning on making my Sweet Potato Cake. I thought about coming up with something new, but time is just escaping me too quickly right now and that cake is one of my all-time favorite Thanksgiving desserts, so I’m sticking with an oldie this year!

Easy Christmas Dessert

But when it comes to Christmas desserts and Christmas cakes, I’m getting started right now!

Wassail Crumble Cake

To kick off my new Christmas cakes, today I’m sharing my new Wassail Crumble Cake. This cake uses my Apple Cider Donut Cake (with orange zest) as a base, and then I’ve added crumble and glaze toppings.

Have you made the Apple Cider Donut Cake yet? It’s one of my favorite cakes from the entire year and it’s so easy!

If you’ve made that one, I don’t think I’ll need to do much convincing about how delicious and moist this new Wassail Crumble Cake is!

I’ve added a good amount of orange zest to the cake batter and divided it into two 9″x5″ cake loaves – one for you and one to share with a friend!

Toppings

On top of each loaf, I added the most delicious orange cinnamon crumble (you’ll find a similar one with my French Apple Pie Cake) and a little orange glaze made with powdered sugar, orange zest, and orange juice.

Tips for Making This Wassail Crumble Cake

This recipe works for two 9″x5″ cake loaves. I use these pans.
If you only want one loaf, just split the recipe in half and bake for a little less time.
To make cupcakes, you’ll want to reduce the baking time and temperature. Start with 325 degrees F and about 15 to 18 minutes baking time.
With a little cinnamon buttercream, this cake could be really fun as a Christmas cake pop too!
To make sure your cake rises evenly, check out my post about how to bake cakes that don’t sink.
And to make sure you bake moist cakes every time, check out THIS post!

Enjoy!

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Wassail Crumble Cake

A tender and moist apple and orange spice cake with an orange cinnamon crumble and orange glaze.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Apple Cider Donut Cake, Beginner, Bundt Cake

Servings Loafs

Ingredients

For the Cake

3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour
2 tsp (5 g) ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp (1 g) nutmeg
1 tsp (5.6 g) salt
1 1/2 tbsp (21 g) baking powder
1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (110 g) brown sugar
2 tbsp orange zest
1 cup (224 g) vegetable oil
3 eggs at room temperature
1 cup (250 g) applesauce at room temperature
1 cup (248 g) apple cider at room temperature
1 tsp (5.6 g) vanilla extract

For the Crumble

1 cup (120 g) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (110 g) brown sugar packed
1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter cold
1 tbsp orange zest
1 tsp (2.5 g) ground cinnamon

For the Glaze

1/2 cup (63 g) powdered sugar
3 tbsp orange juice
1 tbsp orange zest

Instructions

For the Crumble

Combine the ingredients in a medium sized mixing bowl.
Using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until you've formed pea-sized clusters. Set aside.

For the Cake

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Spray two 9"x5" loaf pans with non-stick spray and then dust with flour. Set aside.
In a medium size mixing bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and baking powder. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the sugar, brown sugar, orange zest and oil. Mix on medium speed to combine.
Add the eggs to the sugar mixture and mix on medium speed for about two minutes.
Add the applesauce and vanilla. Mix to combine.
With the mixer on low speed, add 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by half of the apple cider. Continue alternating the flour mixture and the apple cider, finishing with the flour mixture. Mix until no streaks of flour remain. The batter will be slightly thin, not thick.
Pour the batter into the loaf pans. Divide the crumble in two and add the crumble to the top of each loaf pan. Bake the cake loafs for about 50 minutes. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs on it.
Let the cake cool for about 30 minutes in the pan before inverting the cakes into a plate for serving or to cool completely.

For the Glaze

Combine the powdered sugar, orange juice and zest in a small bowl. Drizzle the glaze onto each cake loaf.

The post Easy Winter Cake: Wassail Crumble Cake with Orange Zest first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Moist and Delicious Mojito Cake for Summer

Courtney Rich — Mon, 15 Jun 2020 23:23:15 +0000

Mojito Cake – mint and lime infused light and fluffy white cake layers with lime curd and mint buttercream.

Well, you’d have no idea it’s summer around here with the way our weather has been acting. One day it’s 90 degrees and the next it’s 60! Mother Nature may not be able to make up her mind, but I can! I’m all-in with summer around here, especially summer-inspired cake flavors!

Mojito Cake

We’re starting the week off with my new Mojito Cake and I love how excited you are for this one! Inspiration for this cake actually came from an unlikely source: a BCAA flavor from my friends at Perk. They just launched their new flavor and gave me a sneak peek at it about a month ago. I fell in love with the flavor, Mojito Lime Creme, and knew I needed to add this to my list of cakes ASAP! The fresh lime and mint are so refreshing and perfect for the warm weather months.

I got to work on the cake immediately so I wouldn’t forget how Rena and Gary (husband and wife owners of Perk) created such a beautiful blend of flavors in their drink – which is exactly how I wanted to create my cake.

Neither the lime nor the mint are super strong in this cake. In fact, they’re subtle flavors throughout, but as you take your first bite, the cake melts in your mouth and the lime and mint tickle your taste buds ever so slightly.

Flavoring

To flavor the elements of this cake, I tried to do it in a very subtle way. You’ll see that we make our own lime and mint infused sugar and then use lime in the curd and a little mint in the buttercream. Adding these flavors to the sugar and cream is an extra step, so plan accordingly, but you’ll find that it’s really easy!

Planning

As you look at the recipe and instructions, I’d suggest making the mint cream, mint lime sugar, and the curd a couple days before you plan to assemble the cake. The layers are a great element to make the day before (you’ll then cover in plastic wrap and freeze it), and the buttercream can be made day of assembly.

Ombre Buttercream

To achieve the ombre buttercream, I tinted two cups of my buttercream with Americolor food gel colors: avocado and mint green. Then, as I apply my buttercream over my crumb coat, I just use the green on bottom and white on top. As you use your scraper to smooth the sides, the green and the white will start to blend.

Can’t wait for you to get started.

Enjoy!

Mojito Cake

Mint and lime infused light and fluffy white cake layers with lime curd and mint buttercream.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Intermediate, Mojito Cake

Servings servings

Ingredients

FOR THE MINT LIME SUGAR

1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
2 limes
30 mint leaves

FOR THE CAKE

3 cups (339 g) cake flour
1 tbsp (10 g) baking powder
1 tsp (5.6 g) salt
1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 3/4 cups (350g) granulated sugar
1/4 cup (50 g) mint lime sugar, recipe above
1 cup (240 g) buttermilk, at room temperature
1/2 cup (120 g) sour cream, at room temperature
6 egg whites, at room temperature

FOR THE CURD

1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (120 g) lime juice, about 4 large limes
4 tsp (7.2 g) lime zest
3 eggs
3 egg yolks
4 tbsp (56 g) unsalted butter
green food gel optional

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter, slightly cold
6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar, measured and then sifted
1/4 cup (57.75 g) mint infused cream, recipe below
*If you want to pipe dollops of buttercream on the cake as pictured above, make an extra half batch of buttercream

FOR THE MINT CREAM

1/4 cup (57.75 g) heavy whipping cream
5 large mint leaves

Instructions

FOR THE MINT SUGAR

On a microwave safe plate, layer two paper towels. Place the mint leaves in a single layer on the paper towels and cover with another paper towel. Microwave the mint leaves on medium-high heat in 30 second intervals, until the leaves are crispy but not burnt or brown.
An alternative to dehydrating the leaves in the microwave is using an air fryer or buying dried mint leaves. If you use dried mint leaves, you'll want to use a tablespoon.
Once the leaves are dehydrated, place the leaves, zest of the two limes and the sugar in a food processor. Blend until the mint leaves and zest are well blended in the sugar.
Using a fine mesh strainer, push the sugar mixture through the strainer to get rid of any large chunks of mint and lime. You'll use this sugar in the cake recipe instructions below.

FOR THE CAKE

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch round cake pans with non-stick spray, line the bottom with parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.
In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the granulated sugar, the mint lime sugar and the butter. Beat on medium-high speed for 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down the sides and the bottom of the bowl half way through. You want the sugar and butter mixture to get light in color and texture.
Add the sour cream and mix until well blended.
With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. The mixture will be thick.
In a stainless steel bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
Fold the egg whites into the cake batter.
Evenly distribute the cake batter into the prepared pans, about 16 ounces in each of the 8-inch pans. (You can also do four 6-inch pans with about 12 ounces of batter in each pan).
Bake the cake layers for about 23 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs on it.
Allow the cake to cool in the pans on a wire rack for about 10 to 15 minutes before inverting the layers onto the racks to cool completely. To ensure your layers don't stick to your cooling racks, spray the racks with nonstick spray. Allow the cakes to cool completely before using or wrapping plastic wrap to store in the freezer for another day.

FOR THE CURD

In a small sauce pan, combine the sugar, lime juice, and lime zest over medium heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add the egg yolks and whole eggs, stirring while you add them. Continue to stir while the mixture cooks for about 5 to 6 minutes. The mixture will thicken during this time. Remove it from the heat and add the butter. Stir until smooth.
Run the curd through a fine mesh sieve. Once cooled, place plastic wrap directly on top of the curd and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

FOR THE MINT CREAM

To make the mint cream, combine the cream and mint leaves over low heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let steep for another 15 minutes. Cool completely before using in the buttercream.

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed for 2 to 3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the sifted powdered sugar, followed by the flavored cream.
Turn the mixer to medium speed and beat the frosting until it is light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Before frosting your cake, make sure to mix the frosting by hand with a wooden spoon to push out the air pockets.

ASSEMBLY

Level each cake layer with a knife or cake leveler, if needed.
Place your first cake layer, top-side up, on a cake plate or cake board. Cover the cake layer with 1/2 cup buttercream and then pipe a rim of the buttercream around the cake to act as a barrier to the lime curd.
Pour and spread about 1/4 cup over the cake layer.
Repeat these steps for the second layer of cake.
Place the final cake layer, top-side down, on the second layer of buttercream and curd. Frost the entire cake with a thin coat of frosting to lock in the crumbs. Freeze the crumb coat for 10 to 15 minutes.
After the crumb coat is chilled, continue frosting the cake and decorate with leftover buttercream and limes.

The post Moist and Delicious Mojito Cake for Summer first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Florida Orange Flower Cake

Courtney Rich — Wed, 20 May 2020 23:16:34 +0000

Florida Orange Flower Cake – light and fluffy orange cake layers with an orange flavored whipped cream filling and fresh oranges.

Vintage Cakes

Time for a little mid-week pick-me-up with my first Vintage Cakes post. When my friend, Alexis, first gave me a collection of used cookbooks from the early 1900’s that she found on ETSY, I was so eager to dive in and look for recipe inspiration. I didn’t expect, however, that I’d be so drawn to the idea of actually baking everything in the books, as-is! But as I looked through each recipe’s ingredients and instructions, I was just too curious not to try one of the recipes as it was written in 1940.

Florida Orange Flower Cake

The first cake that caught my eye was a Florida Orange Flower Cake (I love the names of the cakes in these vintage cookbooks, by the way!). I haven’t done an orange cake in a while and the idea of starting with something basic and budget-friendly just felt like the perfect fit.

Round One

During round one of this Florida Orange cake, I followed the recipe and instructions exactly.

1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
1/2 cup orange juice
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes

I was immediately worried about some of the ingredients, and definitely that bake time and temperature. But, I had to remind myself, ovens were different back then and so were ingredients. This particular cookbook was published in 1940 – in the middle of a war! Some ingredients were probably really expensive and rationed, so bakers had to find inexpensive substitutes.

Anyway, I went ahead with the recipe and recorded everything in THIS Instagram video.

The bake time was definitely too long for my oven and the cakes didn’t rise well. Additionally, as the cakes cooled, they definitely tasted dry.

Round Two

In round two, I changed only a few things. My goal in re-working these “vintage” cakes is to keep the integrity of the recipe as much as possible. I just want to enhance the recipe a bit.

In order to enhance the cake, without changing the recipe too much, I switched out the shortening for butter, added buttermilk, a little more flour and one extra egg. The added egg and flour help to stabilize the cake so it doesn’t sink. And then the butter and buttermilk create a little more moisture.

Don’t those layers look delicious! I showed a great comparison of the original recipe cake layers and my updated version on Instagram in the link above. You’ll definitely want to take a look.

Perfect Cake Layer Tips

Don’t overmix the cake batter once you add the flour mixture
Use good quality pans, like Fat Daddio
Make sure cold ingredients get to room temperature before using
Use fresh ingredients
Don’t use bake even strips (at least for my cakes)

Florida Orange Flower Cake

Tender and fluffy orange cake layers with orange flavored whipped cream and fresh oranges.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Florida Orange Flower Cake, Orange Cake, Vintage Cakes

Servings people

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
zest of one large orange
3 eggs at room temperature
1/2 cup (120 g) buttermilk at room temperature
juice of one large orange
2 cups (226 g) cake flour
2 tsp (8 g) baking powder
1 tsp (5.6 g) salt

FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM

1 cup (231 g) heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup (70 g) powdered sugar
1 tsp (4 g) orange extract
zest of one large orange

GARNISH

sliced oranges

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray two 8-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray, line the bottom with parchment paper, spray again and set aside.
In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar and zest on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about two minutes.
Add the eggs, one at a time, making sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl between each addition.
With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the dry ingredients with the buttermilk and orange juice, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Mix just until the dry ingredients are incorporated.
Bake the cake layers for 20 to 23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs on it. Let the cakes cool in their pans for about 10 minutes and then invert them on to wire racks to cool completely.
TIP: spray your wire racks with nonstick cooking spray.

FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM

Combine all the ingredients in a chilled metal bowl and beat with a whisk attachment until stiff peaks form.

ASSEMBLY

Place one cake layer, top side up, on a cake stand. Evenly spread half of the whipped cream on top of the cake layer and then arrange half of the orange slices on top.
Place the second cake layer, top side down, on the filling. Evenly spread the remaining whipped cream on top of the cake and arrange the remaining orange slices on top.

The post Florida Orange Flower Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Grapefruit Poppy Seed Cake

Courtney Rich — Sun, 19 Jan 2020 22:27:21 +0000

Grapefruit Poppy Seed Cake – tender and fluffy poppy seed cake layers with a grapefruit curd and cream cheese frosting.

Grapefruit Poppy Seed Cake

Time for another cake update! This Grapefruit Poppy Seed Cake has been on the blog for nearly four years and was in serious need of a makeover. And I’m not just talking pictures. The cake itself was super yummy, but after several more years of practicing and learning more about cakes, I knew it could be even better.

Poppy Seed Cake

The first set of changes I knew I needed to make were in the cake layers. While I liked the flavor and texture of the cake, I received comments and emails that some people struggled with getting a moist cake from this recipe. I’ll write another post about how to make sure you get moist cakes, but with this one, aside from watching the bake time, I knew that using all egg whites and the poppy seeds could be causing an issue.

When we only use egg whites in a cake, we risk getting a dry cake because there’s no fat from the yolks to help create moisture. However, sometimes we don’t want to add yolks because we want to keep the cake layers nice and white. So, we need to add fat somewhere else. Similar to my Champagne Cake, I ended up adding a cup of sour cream to this cake batter to ensure a super moist cake.

I had also read, after posting my initial recipe, that poppy seeds absorb moisture and can be a reason a poppy seed cake doesn’t taste moist. To make sure this doesn’t happen, you’ll just soak your poppy seeds in water for about 5 minutes. After they’re soaked, strain the excess water and mix them into the batter as instructed.

But, above all else, making sure you don’t over bake your cake layers is the sure-fire way to make sure you don’t end up with a dry cake. Keep your eye on your cake layers toward the end of the bake time. And remember, when you insert a toothpick in the center of the cake, it SHOULD come out with a few moist crumbs on it.

Grapefruit Curd

Next up, the grapefruit curd. Have you ever made grapefruit curd? It sounds like most people haven’t, but I’m about to change your world. If you love a lemon or citrus curd of any kind, you’ll love this tart, sweet grapefruit curd.

Making homemade curd is incredibly simple. You’ll start by mixing sugar, corn starch and salt in a sauce pan. After those dry ingredients are mixed well, you’ll then add the grapefruit juice and begin to cook the mixture over medium heat. As the mixture cooks, it will thicken a bit. When this happens, it’s time to add the egg yolks. The key here is to make sure you temper the eggs so we don’t cook them into scrambled eggs when we add the hot juice mixture. In the instructions you’ll notice that we take out a little of the hot juice and add it to the yolks while stirring quickly. After we’ve tempered the eggs like this, we can then add the egg mixture into the juice mixture and continue to cook. You’ll finish up the curd by adding butter and straining it through a mesh strainer.

The curd is a great element to make ahead of time. You can store it in the fridge in an airtight container for a couple weeks.

TIP: for a true grapefruit color, add a bit of “soft pink” Americolor food gel to the curd at the end of the cooking process.

Cream Cheese Frosting

The cream cheese frosting on this cake creates an awesome culmination of flavors: sweet, tart and tangy!

I don’t use a ton of cream cheese in my cream cheese frosting because I think it can become too overpowering. Instead, I use just 4 ounces of cream cheese to give the buttercream a tangy flavor without it stealing the show.

Planning Tips

As you’re planning out the elements of this cake, here’s how I’d lay out the week:

Three days before you want to serve the cake, make the grapefruit curd. You’ll store the curd in an airtight container in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.
Two days before you want to serve the cake, make the cake layers. Once the layers are cooled, wrap each one in plastic wrap and freeze. Remove the layers from the freezer about an hour before you plan to stack and decorate the cake.
The day before you want to serve the cake, make the frosting. Once complete, store in an airtight container and refrigerate.
The day you plan to serve the cake, remove the frosting from the fridge a couple hours before you want to stack and decorate. Rebeat the frosting for a few minutes and then begin assembly.

Enjoy!

Grapefruit Poppy Seed Cake

Tender and fluffy poppy seed cake layers with grapefruit curd and cream cheese frosting.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Grapefruit Poppy Seed Cake

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter room temperature
1 3/4 cups (350 g) granulated sugar
6 egg whites room temperature, (save three yolks for the curd)
1 cup (240 g) sour cream room temperature
1 tsp. (5 g) vanilla extract
3 cups (345 g) cake flour
1 tbsp. (10 g) baking powder
1 tsp. (5 g) salt
1 cup (230 g) grapefruit juice I used fresh squeezed
3 tbsp. (27 g) poppy seeds soak in water for a few minutes, strain and then dry off with a paper towel

FOR THE GRAPEFRUIT CURD

3 yolks (save the egg whites for the cake)
1/2 cup (100 g) sugar
2 tbsp. (16 g) corn starch sifted
1 cup (230 g) grapefruit juice I used fresh squeezed
2 tbsp. (28 g) unsalted butter cold
1 drop Soft Pink Americolor Food Gel optional

FOR THE FROSTING

1 1/2 cups (339 g) unsalted butter slightly chilled
4 oz. cream cheese slightly chilled
6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar measured and then sifted
3 tbsp. (42 g) heavy whipping cream
1 tsp. (4 g) vanilla extract
pinch of salt
*This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping, you’ll want to make an extra 1/2 batch.

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch or four 6-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray, line the bottom with parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.
In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, salt and poppy seeds. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and the sugar for two minutes on medium-high speed.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl and begin to add the egg whites on medium speed, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl between addition.
Add the sour cream and beat until incorporated, about one minute.
With the mixer on low speed, add 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by 1/2 cup of the grapefruit juice. Repeat the additions, 1/3 cup flour mixture, 1/2 cup juice and the final 1/3 cup flour mixture. Add the vanilla. Only mix until the flour mixture is incorporated, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix again for another 20 to 30 seconds on low.
Pour about 18 ounces of cake batter into each of the three 8-inch cake pans or 12 ounces in each of the 6-inch pans and bake for 28-30 minutes – until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs on it. Let cool in the pans for about 15 minutes and then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely. (Tip: spray your wire cooling racks with nonstick spray).

FOR THE CURD

In a medium saucepan, add the sugar and cornstarch and whisk until combined.
Add in the grapefruit juice and whisk until incorporated into the sugar mixture. Place the saucepan over medium heat and let it come up to a boil. Whisking occasionally.
Once it comes to a boil, let it boil for 2 minutes, whisking constantly to avoid burning.
Slowing pour about 1/2 cup of the juice mixture into the egg yolks that you've set aside, whisking while you pour to avoid the eggs cooking. This is how to temper your yolks.
Add the tempered yolks into the saucepan with the juice and whisk until incorporated.
Let the grapefruit curd come up to a boil and boil for about 5 minutes, until thickened.
Remove from heat and add the cold butter. Whisk until the butter is melted and well combined. Strain the curd through a mesh strainer.
Place in a shallow dish and cover with plastic wrap. Be sure that the plastic wrap is touching the curd, otherwise it may form a skin. Let set in the refrigerator 2-3 hours. Can be made several days in advance of the cake.

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

In a large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter on medium speed until light and fluffy.
With the mixer on low speed, gradually add in the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl. Continue to beat until very fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
Add the vanilla extract, pinch of salt and heavy cream. Continue to beat the mixture for about 3 to 5 minutes, until light and fluffy.
NOTE: This type of buttercream is a bit "sticky" because of the cream cheese, which makes it hard to get really smooth sides. I recommend using a more rustic design instead.

ASSEMBLY

Place one cake layer, top side up, on a cake board or cake plate. Frost the top of the layer with about 1/2 cup to 2/3 cup buttercream. Pipe a rim of frosting around the edge of the cake layer to create a barrier for the curd.
Evenly spread about 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup of the grapefruit curd over the buttercream. Be careful not to overfill the cake layer with curd. If you use too much curd between layers, it's likely to ooze out the side of your cake and make your cake wobbly as you decorate. Stick with a small amount between layers and reserve the rest of the curd to serve a spoonful with each slice of cake.
Repeat these steps with a second layer of cake and more filling.
Place the final cake layer, top side down, on top. Apply a thin layer of frosting around the entire cake and then freeze for 10 to 15 minutes. This is the crumb coat. The crumb coat ensures that you don't have crumbs in your final coat of frosting.
After the crumb coat is set, continue to frost the cake with the remaining buttercream.

Nutrition

Serving: 20g

The post Grapefruit Poppy Seed Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Citrus Cranberry Cake

Courtney Rich — Tue, 07 Nov 2017 14:09:05 +0000

Made up of citrus cake layers, cranberry compote and citrus buttercream, my Citrus Cranberry Cake is the perfect dessert for your holiday parties.

Yes, I know I got started on this Citrus Cranberry Cake early, but I couldn’t help myself! I love, love, love the holidays! Thanksgiving and Christmas! I may be playing Christmas music already, but I’m not the type to overlook Thanksgiving. I hold both holidays close to my heart. Thanksgiving and Christmas hold so many amazing memories from the past and have the potential for so many more in the future.

Ryan and I try to spend the holidays with our extended families, carrying on the traditions of our childhoods, but since moving away from them, we’re also now starting our own traditions with our kids, and I couldn’t love it more.

HOLIDAY DESSERTS TRADITIONS

Growing up at my house during the holidays always meant sugar cookies and pies. And while you know I don’t love pie, I will say that my mom’s pies are the best! She’s nailed the pie crust, which was a recipe passed down from her mom. She’s best known for her pumpkin pie, lemon pie and apple pie. I may not eat them, but I appreciate my mom’s tradition of pie making more than she’ll ever know – because it’s not just about the pie. It’s about the tradition. It’s about the memory of learning from her in the kitchen. It’s about the time we get to spend together. Baking, whether it’s pie making or cake making (in my case), is about so much more than the food itself. Baking is memories. Baking is happiness. Baking is laughter. Baking is love.

CITRUS CRANBERRY CAKE

As the holidays approach, I’ve of course been thinking of new cake flavors. Not just any cake flavors, but flavors that you’ll hopefully always associate with the holidays and your memories of baking in the kitchen with your family. I want my cake flavors to be memorable for you, and I think this Citrus Cranberry Cake will be one of those.

These cake layers are an adaption of the vanilla bean cake layers from my White Chocolate Cranberry Cake. The layers are a little more dense than most of my cakes (more like a pound cake), but I think it’s a nice change from the light and fluffy vanilla cakes you might be used to from me.

I added some orange zest to the cake layers, as well as the cranberry compote. I also added an orange simple syrup that you’ll coat the top of your cake layers with to amp up the orange flavor. The frosting has a bit of pure orange extract in it as well, but nothing overwhelming, in my opinion.

I’m so happy with how this cake came together. The flavor is unreal and perfect for the holidays.

Enjoy!

Citrus Cranberry Cake

Citrus yogurt cake layers, cranberry compote and citrus buttercream, my Citrus Cranberry Cake is the perfect dessert for your holiday parties.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Citrus, Citrus Cranberry Cake, Cranberry Compote, Layered Cake

Servings 3-layer, 8-inch round cake

Ingredients

FOR THE CITRUS CAKE
3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons (10 g) baking powder
1 teaspoon (6 g) salt
1 1/2 cups (339 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 3/4 cups (350 g) granulated sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
3 tablespoons orange zest, about 3 medium oranges
1 cup (240 g) plain greek yogurt (can substitute sour cream)
1 cup (240 g) buttermilk

For the Simple Syrup

1/4 cup (50 g) sugar
1/2 cup (120 g) fresh squeezed orange juice

For the Compote

2 cups (200 g) fresh cranberries
1/2 cup (118.3 g) water
1 cup (200 g) sugar
1 teaspoon (orange) zest
1 tablespoon (8 g) cornstarch, sifted

For the Buttercream

2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter, slightly chilled
5 cups (625 g) powdered sugar, measured then sifted
5 teaspoons (21 g) (or to taste) orange extract
4 tablespoons (57.75 g) heavy whipping cream
*This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping you’ll want to make an extra 1/2 batch.

Instructions

FOR THE CITRUS CAKE
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare three 8-inch or four 6-inch cake pans by spraying the bottom and sides of the pan, line with parchment paper and spray parchment. Set aside.
Sift flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk in the orange zest. Set aside.
Cream the butter and the sugar on medium speed in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for two minutes, until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add the greek yogurt and mix until incorporated.
With the mixer on low speed, alternately, add the flour mixture and the milk, starting and finishing with the flour. Combine until incorporated.
Evenly distribute the batter among the cake pans and bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pans 5-10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, level if needed and then you can cover with plastic wrap and store in your freezer until you're ready to stack and decorate.
An hour before you're ready to stack and decorate, take your cake layers out of the freezer to thaw just a bit. I like working with chilled, but not completely frozen, cakes.
FOR THE ORANGE SIMPLE SYRUP
While the cakes are cooling, make the orange syrup. In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and orange juice. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
After the cakes have cooled completely and are leveled (if needed) generously brush each cake layer with the orange syrup.
FOR THE CRANBERRY COMPOTE
In a saucepan, combine the cranberries, sugar and water over medium heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar and then cover to allow the cranberries to cook and soften.
When the cranberries have softened and begin to pop, slowly add the sifted corn starch and stir until it is incorporated. (If you don't sift the cornstarch, you'll likely get white clumps in the compote that are hard to dissolve.) Add the orange zest.
Allow the cranberries to simmer for another 5-10 minutes. The mixture will become thick and somewhat jelly-like. Transfer to a heatproof bowl and let cool to room temperature or store, covered, in the refrigerator until ready to use.
FOR THE CITRUS FROSTING
In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter on medium-high speed for about two minutes.
With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the sifted powdered sugar until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue to mix for another minute.
Add the heavy cream, one tablespoon at a time. Once the cream is incorporated, add the orange extract increase the speed to medium-high and beat the frosting for five minutes. It should get lighter in texture and color.
Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a wooden spoon and mix by hand to stir out the air bubbles.
ASSEMBLY
Level cake layers if needed. Place the first cake layer, right-side up, on a cake board or plate. Using a pastry bag or a strong plastic zip-loc bag, pipe a barrier around the edge of the cake. This is done to ensure the cranberry compote won't ooze out the side of your cake as your stack.
Spread about half of your cranberry compote around the open space.
Place second cake layer on top of the compote and create another frosting barrier around the edge, filling it with the remaining compote.
Place third cake layer, top side down, on top and give the cake an even crumb coat. Chill it in the freezer for 10 minutes and then continue frosting. (While cake is chilling, I like to cover my frosting with plastic wrap so it doesn't have a chance to dry out).
Top with sugared cranberries.

The post Citrus Cranberry Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.