Lemon Poppyseed Cake with Raspberry Curd and Lemon Buttercream Frosting

Since I am at Girl's Camp my sister, Emily is helping me out.  Yeah!!!

That's one long title for such a simply delicious dessert. I didn't even mention the candied lemon part, sheesh!

 

This cake is a lemon lovers dream! I was asked to make a cake for a family friend with the specifications of "oh just something lemon." So lemon I made! The raspberry curd sets off the lemon nicely makes and it's so that you don't slip into a lemon coma (Not that a lemon coma is a bad thing!). Maybe I should rename this to the near lemon coma cake. Now that has a nice ring to it!  It's way shorter too. All in favor of a name change signify with an "aye."
I'd say we're all in favor. [:

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake with Raspberry Curd and Lemon Buttercream Frosting

(click here for printable version)

Ingredients:
For cake:
2 1/3 cups cake flour
2 3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tbsp. poppy seeds
5 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 tsp. tsp cream of tartar
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tbsp. finely grated lemon zest
12 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup whole milk

For raspberry curd:
8 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 pint ripe raspberries or 12 oz. package frozen raspberries, thawed
5 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
3/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt
2-3 tsp. fresh lemon juice

For the lemon buttercream frosting:
16 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tbsp. finely grated lemon zest
3 cups sifted confectioners sugar
3 tbsp. lemon juice

Fresh raspberries or a lemon for garnish

Directions:
To make the cake, position a rack in the middle of the oven & preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour two 9 inch cake pans. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and poppy seeds in a bowl; set aside. In the clean, dry bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and increase the speed to medium-high. Beat  just until stiff peaks form when the whisk is lifted. Transfer the egg whites into a separate bowl, clean the the mixer bowl and reattach it with the paddle attachment.

Add the butter to the mixer bowl and beat on medium speed until just blended. Reduce the speed until smooth. Gradually add sugar and beat until incorporated. Mix in the lemon zest. Beat the mixture on medium-high until light and fluffy. Add the 1/4 cup of the milk and beat until just blended. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture alternately with the remaining milk in three batches, beginning and ending with the flour, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Beat until just blended. Using a rubber spatula, fold one quarter of egg whites into the batter, being careful not to deflate the mixture. Once incorporated, add the rest of the whites and gently fold in until well combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan & bake until golden and passes the toothpick test, about 19-21 minutes. Cool the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a thin knife around the edges of the pan and gently turn the cake out. Allow to cool completely.

To make the raspberry curd, melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the raspberries, egg yolks, sugar and salt, andcook, mashing the berries. Stir frequently at first and then constantly at the end, until thickened, about 10 minutes. Pour mixture through a coarse strainer set over a bowl, pressing hard on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Cool to room temperature; the curd will continue to thicken as it cools. Stir in lemon juice to taste. Coverand refrigerate until ready to serve.

Cut the cake into rounds as desired. Layer the rounds with the cooled raspberry curd. Once layered, allow the assembled cakes to cool in the refrigerator to help them set. In the meantime, make the frosting. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and zest on medium speed until light and fluffy. Gradually add the sugar and beat until smooth. Add the lemon juice and beat for one minute longer.

Frost the chilled cakes with the lemon frosting and garnish with fresh raspberries or candied lemons as desired.

To make the candied lemons: slice a lemon very thinly with a serrated knife and poke out any seeds with a toothpick. Combine a cup of sugar and a cup of water in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Heat the mixture until the sugar is dissolved. Add the lemon slices to the misture so that they are in a single layer (none overlapping), reduce the hear to medium-low and let simmer for about 20 minutes, turning the slices at least once. Remove from heat and store lemons in the syrup until ready to use.

Cake Source: Annie's Eats
Candied Lemon source: Annie's Eats