Cake Slice Bakers - Lemon Chiffon Cake aka "Bad Picture Friday"

I wanted to come out with a bang for my first Cake Slice Bakers Cake. This was to be not only my first layer cake, but my first cake made from scratch EVER. And I was pretty proud of it! My layers set up perfectly! The frosting went on like magic! The cake was delightfully high! I even piped on some yellow lemons for decorations!  Let's get those photos going!

(Sound of screeching tires)  My camera and this cake did not get along for some reason.  

Let's call my camera Franz the photographer.  And this cake is Caroline Chiffon, the famous 90s supermodel.  

Well, Caroline is one of those "I don't get out of bed for less than 10,000 page impressions a day."

Franz is a low-budget, you-can-find-me-at-Target type of guy.  

They bickered.  They stopped speaking to each other. Even the sun didn't want to get involved, staying behind his cloud for the better part of the week.

Hence, the awful photos. 

But this is not about the photos. This is about the cake.

And oh, what a cake it was.  Amazingly light, fluffy chiffon cake, layered with a deliciously tart and rich lemon curd and topped with an even lighter, sweet frosting.  

Two weeks ago I hated lemon.  Then came Dorie's Lemon Cup Custard.  Then a Lemon Yogurt Cake. And now a lemon chiffon cake.  You think I'd be tired of the lemon.  But oh, no. I can't get enough.  I don't hate her because she's beautiful. 

But Caroline Chiffon really needs to fix that attitude! 

TRIPLE LEMON CHIFFON CAKE
ADAPTED FROM: Sky High Irresistible Triple Layer Cakes
BY ALISA HUNTMANS AND PETER WYNNE

FOR THE CAKE:
MAKES A 9-INCH TRIPLE LAYER CAKE

8 eggs, separated
1/4 cup walnut oil**
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon of lemon zest
1/3 cup water
1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar
1 and 1/2 cups of sugar
1 and 3/4 cups of cake flour*
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt

[*1 cup of cake flour is equal to 3/4 cup of AP flour plus 2 tablespoons of corn starch]
[**equal amount of either almond oil, hazelnut oil, or canola oil]

Preheat the oven to 350*degrees F. Line the bottoms of three 9-inch pans with parchment paper but do not butter or grease the pans. 

In a med-large bowl whisk together the egg yolks, oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, and water.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip the egg whites with the cream of tartar on medium speed until light and frothy. Slowly add 1/2 cup of sugar and continue to beat until soft peaks form.

Sift the flour, remaining sugar, baking soda , and salt into a large bowl. Whisk gently to combine. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.  Pour in the egg yolk mixture and mix to create a smooth paste. Add one-fourth of the egg whites and fold in to lighten the batter. Fold in the remaining egg whites and divide the batter among the three pans.

Bake for about 16 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Transfer to wire racks to cool in the pans. Once cool run a knife around the cake to in order to un-mold the cakes. Carefully pull off the parchment paper from the bottoms of the cakes.

To assemble the cake, place one layer on a cake stand. Top with a heaping 1/4 cup of lemon curd and spread it evenly. Repeat with the remaining layers. Frost the top of the cake and the sides with the lemon cream frosting.

RICH LEMON CURD

MAKES 1 CUP

3 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 4 lemons)
grated zest of three lemons
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter, at room temp.

Whisk together the whole eggs, yolks, sugar, lemon juice , and lemon zest together in a medium bowl. Transfer to a small non-reactive saucepan. Gently heat the mixture, whisking until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. make sure not to boil the mixture. Pour the mixture through a sieve into a heatproof bowl. Stir in the butter and cover the curd with plastic making sure the plastic touches the curd. This should prevent a skin from forming on the curd. Refrigerate until cold. Then remove 3 tablespoons of curd and set it aside for the icing.

LEMON CREAM FROSTING
MAKES 3 AND 1/4 CUPS

1 and 1/2 cups of heavy cream
2 tablespoons of sugar
3 tablespoon of lemon curd

Whip the cream and sugar in a large chilled bowl until stiff peaks form. Fold in the lemon curd, forming a stiff frosting.

 

Comments

[maria]

Congrats on your cake. It looks wonderful. I rarely make cakes, I should, I need the practice but I really don't like cake that much. I prefer cookies, brownies, ice cream, etc. But this one I think I would love. I adore lemon! Happy Friday to you!

[lisaiscooking]

I get on lemon kicks when everything I cook has lemon for a few weeks. I love it. This cake sounds delicious!

[Jackie]

YUM! Your cake looks and sounds delicious! Congrats on your first cake :)

[rachel]

I think it looks pretty...

[pinkstripes]

Oh yes, your cake is tall and wonderful like a supermodel. I find it hard to photograph cakes, even if the sun is cooperating. The cake does sound delicious. I like the piped lemons on top.

[Tracey]

That look so delicious Teanna! Love your post. You did an amazing job on your first layer cake!

[Megan]

Even though the photographer and the model didn't get along, that cake sure looks delicious.

I'm on a lemon kick too, I just bought a huge bag from costco.

Lemon Martini, anyone?

[Mary]

Congrats on the lemon cake...the tiny lemons on top are so cute..I am in a lemon-fix too...I am forcing my kids to drink lemonade instead of hot chocolate in the wintry CT weather while flurries are falling outside the window...

[Gigi]

Welcome to The Cake Slice! Congrats on baking your first cake from scratch! You did a great job. I love-love the lemons you piped on the cake!

[Jen Schall @ My Kitchen Addiction]

Your cake looks delicious, even if the camera didn't cooperate. Never would have guessed it's your first! Great way to celebrate the first day of spring.

[donna]

I think this came out gorgeous! It looks so beautiful, professional and elegant. I bet it tasted delicious also!! I love your decoration too!

[Natasha - 5 Star Foodie]

I would love to have a taste of that gorgeous and delicious-looking cake! Wow!

[steph (whisk/spoon)]

your first ever, and it is a beauty!!

[Jacque]

Wow, congratulations, you've survived your first layer cake! Woo hoo!

Fantastic!

[Maggie]

Congrats on your first cake! I love the sound of the walnut oil in the chiffon.

[Sihan]

oh don't worry, I got some aweful pictures as well. At least the last one shows how light the chiffon layers really are. Great job with the first cake!

[Margaret]

Welcome to Cake Slice. Great job on your first 'scratch' cake. Aren't they fun. Yours looks really good despite what you call your bad pics..

[Eliana Ramos]

Congratulations on your first cake. Cake is my favorite dessert so I have a bit of a soft spot for all of them. I think it looks wonderful (especially with the cute lemons on top). It's greatness shines through the picture.

[Stephanie]

I think your pictures look great! I'm bummed I didn't make the cake this month.

[Caroline]

Congrats on your first cake baked from scratch, great job!
I, too, just started to appreciate citrusy deserts and now am hooked.