Lemon Thyme Tower Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Separate eggs; let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Lightly brush the inside of six 6-oz. ramekins or custard cups with 1 tablespoon melted butter. Dust each with 1/2 teaspoon sugar. , Preheat oven to 350°. In a small saucepan, combine milk and herbs; bring just to a boil. Immediately remove from heat; let stand 10 minutes. Strain milk through a fine-mesh strainer; discard herbs., Place flour and 2 tablespoons sugar in a large bowl; whisk in yolks, lemon zest, lemon juice, remaining melted butter and strained milk. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Gradually add remaining 4 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high after each addition until sugar is dissolved. Continue beating until stiff glossy peaks form; fold gently into flour mixture. Divide among ramekins., Bake until tops spring back when lightly touched, 17-20 minutes. (Cakes will fall slightly.) Sprinkle with coarse sugar; cool 5 minutes on a wire rack. Serve warm.

Steps:

• Using a Japanese mandoline, slice the lemon as thinly as possible; set slices aside.
• In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and 2 cups water. Bring liquid to a boil over medium-high heat Add lemon slices; return to a boil. Remove pan from heat. Let cool completely; transfer syrup and slices to an airtight container. Store, refrigerated, up to 1 week.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Butter and flour three 6-inch-round cake pans, and set aside.
• Combine eggs, sugar, salt, and lemon zest in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Mix on high speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Sift flour and cornstarch over egg mixture; fold in with a rubber spatula. Pour batter into pans.
• Bake until cakes spring back to the touch and cakes begin to pull away from sides of pans, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove cakes from oven; transfer to a wire rack to cool.
• Turn out cakes. Using a serrated knife, level the tops; slice each cake horizontally into two even layers. Place one layer on a 6-inch cardboard round. Using a pastry brush, brush 5 layers generously with the candied-lemon syrup. Spread the pastry cream over 5 layers, about 3/4 cup per layer. Stack layers on the cardboard, ending with the one uncoated layer. To stabilize cake, insert a 6-inch wooden skewer through center. Overlap the candied lemon slices and thyme sprigs on top of the cake. Refrigerate until pastry cream has set, at least 1 hour. Serve.

Steps:

• Prepare pie filling as directed.
• Cover surface with waxed paper and chill.
• Spread 1/2 the chilled filling between layers of cake.
• Whip cream; fold in remaining 1/2 of the filling.
• Spread mixture over top and sides of cake and chill for at least 4 hours.

Steps:

• Start by making the decorations. For the crystallised thyme, put the sugar on a plate, brush the thyme with the egg white, then roll in the sugar. Shake off some of the excess, then leave the sprigs on a piece of baking parchment to dry out completely.
• For the candied lemon slices, tip the sugar into a saucepan with 200ml water. Heat gently to dissolve the sugar, then bring the syrup to the boil. Drop in the lemon slices and cook for 15 mins until softened. Carefully remove the slices from the syrup and place on a piece of baking parchment to dry. (Lift them gently as they will be quite delicate, and you want to keep them in rounds if possible.) Keep the remaining syrup for brushing over the cake.
• Heat oven to 180C/160 fan/gas 4. Grease and line the bases of two 20cm springform cake tins. Make the four sponges in two batches. To make the first batch, in a stand mixer or in a large bowl using an electric hand whisk, beat 175g butter with 175g sugar and the zest of 1 lemon until creamy. Gently beat three of the eggs together in a jug. Gradually add the egg to the mixture, scraping down the side and whisking well after each addition. In a separate bowl, mix together 200g self-raising flour, 1 tsp baking powder and a pinch of salt, and fold this into the cake mixture. Finally, stir in 300g courgette and 1 tbsp thyme leaves. Divide the mixture between the tins and bake for 25 mins or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
• While the sponges are still warm, prick all over with a skewer and brush over a little of the reserved lemon syrup. Once cool enough to handle, remove from the tins and place on a wire rack. Make and cook the second batch of cakes using the remaining ingredients - you can use the same baking parchment, just re-grease the parchment and the sides of the tins.
• When the cakes are cool, make the icing. Whisk all the ingredients together with a pinch of salt until smooth and fluffy.
• Using a cake turntable, if you have one, sandwich the cakes together with a little of the icing. Using a palette knife, spread a thin layer of icing all around the cake and chill for 30 mins to set. (This layer is known as a 'crumb coat' because it traps any loose crumbs on the surface of the cake - so when you put a second layer of icing on, the cake will be nice and smooth.) If you are short of time, put it in the freezer for 5 mins.
• Once chilled, completely cover the cake in a second layer of icing to achieve a smooth finish. Stick the crystallised thyme and candied lemon slices over one side of the cake and top as if they are cascading.
• Return the cake to the fridge or freezer until the icing has completely set. For extra shimmer, use a thin paintbrush to brush a little of the gold paint across the lemon slices for a burnished, autumnal effect, and dot pieces of gold leaf as you go, if you like.