One of my favorites parts of being a pastry chef is the fact that using my knowledge, I get to create new recipes, perfect old ones or totally transform them. And this is exactly what happened with this recipe. Using my Red Velvet Cake recipe as a base, I created this Lemon Velvet Cake – a dense and yet fluffy sponge, filled with the most delicate lemon curd and vanilla whipped cream. It sounds simple and it actually is! It’s not as complicated as my usual entremets and it tastes amazing! It’s a refreshing cake, fitted for this springy weather we are having at the moment.
The sponge will impress you with its moisture and delicate texture, I fell in love with it and I’m planning to keep perfecting it and using it in many other combinations, including as base for my entremets. I love that I don’t have to soak it up in syrup and it doesn’t go all hard in the fridge either due to having two types of fat (actually three if you count the sour cream too). The lemon curd used for filling is one of the best I ever made – and believe me, I’ve tried a few so far.
- 380g all-purpose flour
- 40g shredded coconut (unsweetened)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 125g butter, softened
- 125ml vegetable oil
- 300g sugar
- 2 eggs
- 125g sour cream
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 400ml heavy cream
- 40g powdered sugar
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 5 large egg yolks (6 small)
- Zest from 2 lemons
- 90ml fresh lemon juice
- 210g white sugar
- 100g butter
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- Preheat your oven to 330F (160C).
- Line 2 baking pans with baking paper or grease them with butter. I used 2 18cm diameter pans and had 4 layers of sponge in the end, but you can use bigger pans too, the only difference being that you won't get as many layers as I did.
- Mix the buttermilk with lemon juice and baking soda.
- Mix the flour with coconut, salt and baking powder.
- Mix the butter, oil, sugar and vanilla in a bowl until creamy and double in volume. Stir in the lemon zest then add the eggs, one by one.
- Stir in the sour cream.
- Begin folding in the flour and buttermilk, alternating them. Always start and end with flour.
- Divide the batter between the two prepared pans and bake in for 50 up to 60 minutes. Check the cakes with a toothpick.
- Whip the heavy cream with powdered sugar until stiff. Add more sugar if you like it sweeter.
- Stir in the vanilla extract.
- Pour one cup of water in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium flame.
- To make the curd, prepare a heatproof bowl that fits the saucepan but its bottom doesn't touch the boiling water.
- Combine all the ingredients into the bowl and mix roughly.
- Place the bowl over the boiling water and cook for 20-25 minutes, mixing often.
- It is a slow process, but the final curd is well worth the result.
- Cook until the mixture begins to thicken then remove from heat and strain through a fine sieve.
- Let it cool in the fridge before using.
To fill the cake, see the picture below. One layer of whipped cream and one layer of lemon curd will yield a bautiful pattern and also a balanced taste.
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ROMANIAN!
Porning de la reteta mea de Red Velvet/Catifea Rosie, am creat acest tort aromat, onctuos, absolut delicios, cel putin dupa papila mea. Nu e un tort exagerat de dulce (doar daca folositi crema de unt intre straturi), nu e nici prea acrisor. In schimb, e aromat si bine balansat. Pentru ca nu sunt un mare fan al cremei de unt, am umplut si decorat tortul cu frisca vanilata si mi s-a parut ca lamaia si frisca se completeaza foarte bine, insa e doar o chestie de gust personal. Despre curd am vorbit aici si e absolut delicios! Am umplut tortul cu straturi alternande de frisca si curd de lamaie nu doar pentru a balansa gustul, ci si pentru a crea un contrast de culori, asa cum se vede in sectiune (a se vedea fotografia de mai sus).
Modificarile aduse retetei sunt minime. Am eliminat colorantul rosu si am inlocuit o parte din faina cu nuca de cocos. In plus, am adaugat putina coaja de lamaie pentru mai multa aroma. Am obtinut un blat umed, incredibil de aromat, mai putin sfaramicios decat blatul Catifea Rosie, insa la fel de delicat.
Ingrediente blat:
- 380g faina alba, cernuta
- 40g nuca de cocos
- 2 lingurite praf de copt
- 1/2 lingurita sare
- 125g unt moale
- 125ml ulei vegetal
- 300g zahar
- 2 oua
- 125g smantana acra
- 1 lingurita coaja de lamaie
- 1 lingurita extract de vanilie
- 1 cana lapte batut (250ml)
- 2 linguri suc de lamaie
- 1 lingurita bicarbonat de sodiu
Mod de preparare:
- Preincalziti cuptorul la 160C si tapetati 2 tavi rotunde cu hartie de copt. Eu am folosit 2 tavi de 18cm iar blatul a crescut suficient pentru a fi taiat in jumatate si a obtine 4 straturi de blat, insa daca folositi tavi mai mari veti obtine mai putine straturi. Va recomand sa coaceti in doua tavi diferite pentru ca timpul de coacere e destul de extins chiar si asa. Punand tot aluatul intr-o tava mare riscati sa nu se coaca suficient sau sa ramana prea dens in centru.
- Amestecati faina, nuca de cocos, praful de copt si sarea intr-un vas.
- Intr-un bol, mixati untul, uleiul, zaharul si vanilia pana compozitia devine cremoasa. Adaugati ouale, unul cate unul, si coaja de lamaie.
- Incorporati smantana acra.
- Amestecati laptele batut cu zeama de lamaie si bicarbonatul.
- Incorporati faina in aluat, alternand-o cu laptele batut. Intotdeauna incepeti si terminati cu faina.
- Turnati blatul in formele de copt si coaceti 50-60 minute pana creste frumos si devine usor auriu. Pentru siguranta, testati tortul cu o scobitoare.
- Cand blaturile sunt coapte, lasati-le sa se raceasca complet apoi taiati-le in jumatate (daca inaltimea blatului va permite, desigur).
- Pentru umplutura si decor, am folosit 400ml frisca batuta bat cu 40g zahar pudra si 1 1/2 lingurite extract de vanilie, insa si o portie de curd de lamaie.
- Decorati tortul cu zmeura proaspata daca doriti si dati la rece.
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Oana, this cake is beautiful, and the way you describe the texture of the cake makes it sound so delicious! I can’t wait to give it a try.
Thank you, Elizabeth! My words didn’t describe it as good as it actually tastes, especially if you like tangy, refreshing cakes!
Oana, I can never ever frost like this, I am so bad with frosting, you will only see naked cakes on my blogs….i admire people who can do this. Love your description of the came, makes me want to eat it.
Thank you, SImi!
Well, I can teach you a thing or two about frosting cakes and you can teach me food photography 😛 Fair trade!
This cake is absolutely stunning Oana! The frosting, the layers, the filling – just perfect 🙂 I love all lemon desserts and am totally drooling over a big slice of this – amazing job!
Thank you! Lemons are my new love as well!
This cake is beautiful Oana! I love the way you made that pattern with the filling, it looks so neat on the cut pieces of cake. Definitely need to try that technique!
Thank you! The pattern was a moment thing as I wanted to balance out the tartness of the lemon curd and it turned out great.
The list of ingredients mentions shredded coconut, but I don’t see that referenced in the directions. Can you clarify where the coconut is used, please?
Thanks for letting me know, Jeni. It’s fixed now.
Ce fain e! Salvez reteta, vreau sa il incerc cat de curand 🙂
Multumesc, Narcisa. Spor la treaba, te astept cu impresii 🙂
Oana, cum ai facut decorul tortului?
E un tort foarte bun. Desi nu era specificata insiroparea blatului…eu l-am insiropat si a devenit putin cam sfaramicios.Data viitoare voi respecta reteta intocmai :). Multumiri pentru reteta.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10153052475462739&set=a.10151232448152739.473607.718432738&type=3&theater
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10153081058757739&set=a.10151232448152739.473607.718432738&type=3&theater
Where can I go to break down the grams & millititers into measurement amounts.
Here’s just one of the many measurement coverters out there 🙂 http://www.jsward.com/cooking/conversion.shtml
2nd time making, awesome taste.
My layers in 9″ spring pans, never rise mpre than 1″ pn edges, 1.5″ dome in middle. What may be
causing the low rise? I think ea layer has yo be about 1″ thick, right? I ended up baking another pair of layers to yield workable layers.
Curd is excellent, very much like the lemom merengue pie filling my mom made, my father’s gavorite -mine too.
I bake these in 18cm diameter pans, so smaller than yours, this could be one of the causes. Another cause for the dome could be the material your pans are made of, it may conduct heat differently.
But you need to trim off the dome.
Buna Olguta,
As vrea sa fac acest tort insa experientele anterioare cu frisca naturala lichida (35% grasime) au fost cel putin dezastruoase. Frisca, indiferent ca o bat la mixerul manual sau cel profesional, nu are stabilitate, este foarte moale. O pot folosi doar la mousse-uri si ganache. Daca o bat prea mult, ajunge unt. Ai idee ce pot face pentru a avea frisca tare? As vrea sa o pot folosi si la o Pavlova, de exemplu. Multumesc anticipat, spor la ce faci 🙂
Marius
Marius, cred ca trebuie sa stai cu ochii pe smantana si sa o opresti din mixat cand e ferma, dar nu taiata. Nu e niciun secret la mixat. Ce brand folosesti?
Pilos sau LaDorna, uneori Elle&Vire. Rece, bolul rece, uscat si foarte curat.stau mereu cu ochii pe ea si totusi, e prea moale.
Eu zic sa o mai lasi putin la batuta. Mie imi reuseste, nu am avut niciodata problema asta. Dar nu e niciun secret implicat. Doar timpul de mixare.
Okay, multumesc mult! Off topic: nu reusesc sa folosesc gelul colorant de la drOetker. Nu iese nimic cand apas pe tub, in conditiile in care il incalzesc in palma, asa cum este indicat la instructiuni. Am introdus tubul si intr-un pahar de apa calduta, dar nimic. Nu inteleg ce mai pot face..
Cred ca solutia e sa cumperi un colorant de calitate. Gasesti pe desertonline.ro de exemplu. Sau pe cakedecor.ro
Sigur, atunci cand vor avea :(. Am incercat sa cumpar Americolor de pe Desertonline, dar nu este pe stoc. In plus, site-ul nu a mai fost actualizat de mult timp,o mare parte din produsele listate nu sunt pe stoc,.. o sa imi incerc norocul cu Cakedecor. Multumesc inca o data.