Lemon Curd Raspberry Cake

A special cake for special occasions - tangy lemon curd & raspberries nestled in tender cake and frosted with a light cream frosting.

Our special occasion cake is only served occasionally for my special husband’s birthday. It is one of those celebration treats he has come to expect that I have tweaked over the years to become the recipe it is today. You remember, don’t you, in the early days of your special relationship when you cooked to please your loved one? Question - “Well, what kind of dessert would you like for your birthday?” Answer - “Well, my mom always made me a lemon cake.” Response - “What kind of lemon cake?” Answer - “It had several layers of cake with lemon pie filling in between the layers. Question - “What was it frosted with it?” Answer- “Oh, I don’t know, some kind of lemony frosting.” The challenge - how to replicate his childhood birthday cake.

Yes, I could have asked his mother for the recipe and now that I think of it, I don’t know why I didn’t. She was a good cook for her time with the basics but I suppose I didn’t want to be tied down to her recipe but wanted to exercise my creative flair to see if I could top what “Mom” used to make. (I promise, there was no competition there, as my husband early on had said I was a better cook than his mom.)

For many years, I did use lemon filling, the same as you would make for lemon meringue pie and that was good But then the discovery of curds opened up a new world to me and the curd filling was better. Then borrowing from my own mother, the cream frosting was one she used for my birthday cake, except with a chocolate version. The frosting is basically whipped cream with a stabilizer like the curd added (and in my mother’s case, cocoa) and is so light and the cream so lovely, that it stayed in the recipe. The raspberries - well, weren’t lemon and raspberry predestined to be together?

lemon curd and raspberry cake

3 cups sifted all-purpose flour

2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter, softened to room temperature

1 3/4 cups granulated sugar

3 large eggs, at room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature

1 heaping tablespoon lemon zest (about 2 lemons)

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)

4 large egg yolks

2/3 cups granulated sugar

1 tablespoon finely grated lemon rind

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

pinch of salt

6 tablespoons butter at room temperature

2 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 cup powdered sugar

2 cups lemon curd

2 cups fresh raspberries, cut in half, lengthwise

extra whole raspberries for garnish

TO MAKE CAKE:

-Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two 10-inch cake pans, line with parchment paper, then grease the parchment paper. Dust with flour.

-Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside. Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.

-Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract on high speed until combined, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients just until combined. With the mixer still running on low, add the buttermilk, lemon zest, and lemon juice and mix just until combined. Using a whisk, mix a few times by hand to incorporate all the dry ingredients into the mixture. The batter will be a little thick.

-Pour batter evenly into cake pans. Bake for about 25 minutes or until the cakes are baked through. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick of knife into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, it’s done. Allow cakes to cool about 10 minutes set on a wire rack. Turn cakes out of pans onto wire rack and allow to cool completely before frosting and assembling.

-When cool, cut cakes horizontally in half, using a sharp and long serrated knife. Place cakes on a flat plate on a counter in front of you or prop it up on a cake stand and turn the cake as you gently saw back and forth. You can mark the halfway point on the sides of the cake with toothpicks at a few intervals, to guide your knife, if desired.

TO MAKE THE CURD:

-Place egg yolks, granulated sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt into a medium, heavy-bottomed, non-aluminum saucepan. Cook over medium heat, using a silicone whisk to whisk until completely blended, then continue to whisk as the curd cooks. Constant whisking prevents the egg yolks from curdling. Whisk and cook until the mixture becomes thick, resembling the texture of hollandaise sauce, about 10 minutes or until mixture coats the back of a spoon, just before it’s about to break into a boil.

-Remove pan from heat. Cut the butter into 6 separate pieces, then whisk into the curd until the butter is melted and blended. Pour curd into a bowl and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top so it is touching the top of the curd. (This prevents a skin from forming on top.) The curd will continue to thicken as it cools. Once cool, the plastic wrap can be removed.

-Can be refrigerated for up to about 10 days.

TO MAKE CREAM FROSTING:

-Briefly mix cream and powdered sugar in mixing bowl. Place in refrigerator and chill for 30 minutes. Remove from fridge and begin to whip. Continue until semi-stiff peaks form. Add 1/3 cup cooled lemon curd and blend into the whipped cream with a whisk until smooth, stirring as little as possible. Chill until ready to use.

TO ASSEMBLE CAKE:

-Place one cake layer in front of you. Cover with 1/3 cup cooled lemon curd. Cover the curd layer with fresh raspberries halves. Then frost with 3/4 cups cream frosting. Place another cake layer over first layer.

-Repeat process for the next 2 layers, then place final layer on top, creating 4 layers in all.

-Frost the entire cake with the cream frosting. Garnish with more whole fresh raspberries and lemon slices as desired.

-Chill until ready to serve or at least 1 hour. Serves 12 - 14

Prepare batter and pour into two 10-inch cake pans.

Prepare lemon curd according to recipe.

Spread lemon curd on each cake layer.

Spread 1/3 of lemon curd on one cake round. Top with fresh raspberries, then cover with cream frosting.

Generously frost entire cake.

It’s a beauty! Beautiful flavor, contrast and texture!

PERSNICKETY NOTES:

*Sometimes we want to make everything from scratch - it some how expresses love better than taking shortcuts. But let’s face it, there are those days then there are other days. For the other days, use a store purchased lemon cake mix and lemon curd. Dickinsons, McKays and Bonne Maman are all excellent brands.

*The lemon cake on its own is wonderful - I add the raspberries for an extra punch of yum, but I often make it without. You might try fresh strawberries or blueberries in the cake if you prefer!