Luscious Layered Lemon Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Line bottoms of 2 greased 9-in. round baking pans with parchment; grease parchment., Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Add eggs and egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in lemon zest and juice. In a small bowl, mix sour cream and milk. In another bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda; add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream mixture., Transfer to prepared pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 24-28 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes before removing to wire racks; remove parchment. Cool slightly., For syrup, in a small saucepan, combine sugar and lemon juice. Bring to a boil; cook until liquid is reduced by half. Cool completely., For frosting, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth; beat in confectioners' sugar, lemon juice and salt until blended., Using a long serrated knife, cut each cake horizontally in half. Brush layers with warm syrup; cool completely., Place 1 cake layer on a serving plate; spread with 1 cup frosting. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining cake layer. Frost top and sides with remaining frosting. If desired, top with lemon slices or edible flowers. Refrigerate leftovers.

Steps:

• Prepare cake batter and bake in 2 (9-inch) round pans as directed on package, blending dry drink mix and lemon zest into batter before pouring into prepared pans. Cool in pans 10 min. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.
• Add boiling water to gelatin mix; stir 2 min. until completely dissolved. Add chocolate; stir until melted. Stir in milk and lemon juice. Refrigerate 15 min. or until thickened but not set. Gently stir in COOL WHIP.
• Cut each cake layer horizontally into 2 layers. Stack on plate, spreading COOL WHIP mixture between layers and on top of cake.

Steps:

• 1. To make the lemon cake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottom and sides of two 9-inch round cake pans. Dust the pans with flour and tap out the excess.
• 2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir together the dry ingredients with a whisk. Set aside.
• 3. In an electric stand mixer, using the paddle attachment or beaters, beat the butter on medium speed for about 30 seconds, or until creamy. Gradually add the sugar, increase the speed to medium-high, and continue to beat until the mixture is light, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
• 4. Add the whole eggs and egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and lemon zest. Reduce the speed to low and gradually beat in he lemon juice (the batter will appear curdled at this point smooth out after you add the dry ingredients). Beat in the dry ingredients in 3 additions alternately with milk in 2 additions. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat for another 10 seconds. Scrape the batter into the prepared pans.
• 5. Bake the cakes for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean. Cool the cakes in the pans on wire racks for 20 minutes. Invert the cakes onto the rakcs and cool completely.
• 6. To make the lemon filling, in a medium nonreactive saucepan, whisk together the yolks and sugar until combined. Whisk in the lemon juice, butter, and salt. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for 5 to 6 minutes, or until the mixture turns opaque, thickens, and coats the back of the spoon. Do not let the filling boil, or it will curdle. Pour the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a medium bowl. Stir in the lemon zest and allow the filling to cool.
• 7.Cover with plastic wrap, pressing directly onto the surface, and refrigerate for 1 hour, or until chilled.
• 8. In a clean bowl of the electric mixer, using the whisk attachment or beaters, beat the heavy cream on high speed until soft peaks form. Remove the lemon filling from the refrigerator and whisk until smooth. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the whipped cream into the filling. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the filling until ready to assemble the cake.
• 9. To make the lemon frosting, in the large bowl of the electric mixer, using the paddle attachment or beaters, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 30 seconds. Gradually beat in the confectioners' sugar on low speed. Add the cream, lemon juice, vanilla, and lemon zest. Increase the speed to medium-high, and beat for about 3 minutes, or until the frosting is light and fluffy.
• 10. To assemble the cake, place 1 cake layer on a serving plate. Pile the lemon filling onto the center using a small offset metal spatula, and spread it into an even layer, leaving a 1-inch border around the edge of the cake layer. Top with the second cake layer. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the lemon frosting. (If some of the filling oozes out from the middle, just blend it with the frosting around the sides of the cake.) Serve the cake immediately, or refrigerate and bring to room temperature before serving.

Steps:

• Prepare and bake cake mix according to package directions for three 8 inch round pans. Cool cakes completely, then split each in half to make 6 layers.
• For the Lemon Custard: In a large saucepan or double boiler combine sugar and cornstarch. Mix well, then stir in egg yolks, lemon zest and lemon juice. slowly whisk in the boiling water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened. Remove from heat and stir in butter. Set aside to cool.
• Place the bottom layer of cake on a serving plate. Spread with approximately 1/5 of the lemon custard. Repeat layers. Frost top and sides with Seven Minute Frosting (see footnote for link to recipe).

Steps:

• Place cake layers, top sides up, in 2 clean 9-inch round pans. Pierce cakes with large fork at 1/2-inch intervals.
• Add boiling water to gelatin mix; stir 2 min. until completely dissolved. Carefully pour over cake layers. Refrigerate 3 hours.
• Beat pudding mix and milk in large bowl with whisk 2 min.; stir in COOL WHIP. Dip 1 cake pan in warm water 10 sec.; unmold onto plate. Spread with about 1 cup pudding mixture. Unmold second cake layer; carefully place on first cake layer. Frost top and side of cake with remaining pudding mixture. Refrigerate 1 hour.

Steps:

• In a bowl, cut butter into flour until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; stir in pecans. Press into an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack. , In a large bowl, combine cream cheese and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Fold in whipped cream; spread over cooled crust. , In a saucepan, combine 1 cup water, pudding mix, sugar, and egg yolks until smooth. Stir in the remaining water. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture reaches 160° or is thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon; cool. Spread over cream cheese layer. , In a large bowl, beat cream until it begins to thicken. Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla; beat until stiff peaks form. Spread over lemon layer. Cover and refrigerate until serving.

Steps:

• Make cake layers:
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Brush cake pans with canola oil. Line bottom of each pan with a round of parchment or wax paper, then oil paper.
• Whisk together flour mix, salt, baking powder, and xanthan gum until combined well. Stir together milk, canola oil (1 cup), vanilla, and zest in another bowl.
• Beat together sugar and eggs in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed just until combined, about 1 minute. Reduce speed to low and add flour and milk mixtures alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture and mixing until just combined.
• Divide batter evenly between cake pans, smoothing tops, and bake until a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center of each cake layer comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.
• Cool cake layers in pans on racks 10 minutes. Run a thin knife around edge of 1 cake layer and invert rack over cake pan, then invert cake onto rack. Repeat with second layer. Peel off paper and cool layers completely.
• Make curd:
• Whisk together zest, lemon juice, sugar, yolks, a pinch of salt, and guar gum in a 1-quart heavy saucepan. Add butter and cook over moderately low heat, whisking constantly, until curd is thick enough to hold marks of whisk and first bubbles appear on surface, about 5 minutes. Whisk in extract. Immediately pour curd into a bowl, then cover surface with wax paper and chill until cold, about 30 minutes.
• Make frosting:
• Beat butter with an electric mixer at high speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Reduce speed to low and add confectioners sugar, lemon juice, extract, and zest, then mix until creamy and smooth, about 2 minutes.
• Frost cake:
• Halve each cake layer horizontally using a long serrated knife. Spread bottom half of each cake layer with half of lemon curd, then top with remaining cake layers to form two sandwiched cakes. Put 1 sandwiched cake on a cake stand or platter and spread a heaping 1/2 cup frosting over top, then cover with remaining sandwiched cake. Frost top and sides of cake with remaining frosting.