LEMON BLUEBERRY CAKE

You will learn 3 things from this recipe, the cake, lemon curb and swiss meringue buttercream. 

A bit tedious but honestly its worth. The cake is divine, soft and moist, it’s loaded with blueberries and plenty of lemon flavor.

The irresistibly swiss meringue butter cream frosting compliments the lemon curb flavor in the cake and balances out the sweetness of the cake perfectly.

Lemon Blueberry Cake

For the Cake:

2 cups plus 6 tablespoons (290 g) all-purpose flour, sifted

2 teaspoons (9 g) baking powder

1 teaspoon (7g) salt

3 cups fresh blueberries

1/2 cup (120 ml) sour cream

1/2 cup (120 ml) whole milk

2 teaspoons (10 ml) pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) pure lemon extract

1 teaspoon (5 ml) lemon zest

1 cup (2 sticks)(227 g) unsalted butter, softened

1-1/2 cups (300 g) white sugar

4 large eggs, at room temperature

For the Lemon Curd:

4 lemons 

2 whole eggs plus 4 egg yolks (set whites aside for buttercream)

1 cup sugar (200 g)

4 tablespoons (60 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into small even cubes

For the Lemon Swiss Meringue Buttercream:

7 egg whites (210 g)

1-1/2 cups (300 g) sugar

Pinch of salt

2 cups (454 g) unsalted butter, softened and cut into cubes

1/4 cup (60 ml) lemon curd

1 teaspoon (5 ml) pure vanilla extract

Few drops of soft gel paste colour, yellow (I used electric yellow)

Instructions

For the Cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare three 8" round cake pans with parchment paper, butter and flour. Sift dry ingredients into medium bowl. Transfer 1 tablespoon flour mixture to larger bowl. Add fresh blueberries and toss to coat them with flour. Set remaining flour mixture and blueberries aside.
2. Stir sour cream, whole milk, vanilla extract, lemon extract and lemon zest in small bowl.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar, until pale yellow and very fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time, until well combined.
4. Mix in flour mixture alternately with milk mixture, starting and ending with flour mixture. Stir until just combined. Gently fold in blueberries.
5. Divide batter equally among prepared pans. Bake cakes until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on racks for about 10 minutes, then invert onto racks until completely cool.

For The Lemon Curd

1. Wash lemons really well ,get 2 teaspoons (30 ml) of the zest, and set aside.
2. Slice the lemons in half crosswise  get 2/3 cup (160 ml) of the strained juice.
3. Get your double boiler ready by filling a saucepan with 1″ of water, then placing a metal bowl on top of the saucepan. 
4. Whisk the juice, whole eggs, egg yolks and sugar in the bowl until smooth. Add the butter cubes to the bowl, but don’t stir.
5. Heat the water in the saucepan over low heat until it simmers (not boils) and place the bowl atop the rim. Stirring gently, but constantly, using heatproof spatula or wooden spoon, cook until the curd has thickened and all of the butter has melted and is incorporated, about 10 minutes (this can vary). To test if the curd is thick enough, remove the spatula or spoon from the curd and check that it’s coated.
6. Strain the curd over a bowl using a fine-mesh sieve and then stir in the zest. Cover with plastic wrap pressed directly against the curd (to prevent a skin from forming) and chill for at least 3 hours . It also thickens up a bit more while chilling. Keep refrigerated.

For the Lemon Swiss Meringue Buttercream:

1. Add egg whites, sugar and salt, and simmer over a pot of water (not boiling), whisking constantly but gently, until temperature reaches 160°F, or if you don't have a candy thermometer, until the sugar has completely dissolved and the egg whites are hot.
2. With whisk attachment of mixer, begin to whip until the meringue is thick, glossy, and the bottom of the bowl feels neutral to the touch (this can take up to 10 minutes or so). *Don't begin adding butter until the bottom of the bowl feels neutral, and not warm.
3. Switch over to paddle attachment and, with mixer on low speed, add butter cubes, one at a time, until incorporated. Increase mixer speed to medium and whip until it has reached a silky smooth texture (if curdles, keep mixing and it will come back to smooth). *If mixture is too runny, refrigerate for about 15 minutes and continue mixing with paddle attachment until it comes together. Add lemon curd and vanilla, continuing to beat on medium speed until well combined. 

Assembly of the Triple-Lemon Blueberry Layer Cake:

1. Spread thin dollop of frosting on an 8-inch thin cake board or cake plate. Transfer 1 cake layer to board, face up.
2. Create a dam around the perimeter of the layer using frosting in a pastry bag fitted with a coupler, then spread lemon curd (apprx 1 cup) inside the dam--this prevents the curd from reaching out over edges.
3. Top with second layer, face-up; repeat frosting around perimeter and lemon curd filling.
4. Top with third cake layer, face-down (brown smooth side up). Spread thin layer (crumb coat) of over top and sides of cake, using offset palette knife and bench scraper for smooth finish. Place cake in refrigerator for about 30 mins to chill.
5. from refrigerator and using same method, frost cake with generous layer of frosting, smoothing again. For ruffled border, add frosting to piping bag with petal tip (Wilton #123), and with skinny end facing out, use back and forth/up and down motion to create short ruffles.

RECIPE SOURCE:  http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2014/02/09/lemon-blueberry-layer-cake/

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