This cake is not for the impatient or novice.
It involves a lot of time and bowls.
There’s the separating of eggs, whipping of whites for the cake; the whipping of cream for the filling and frosting.
And there’s the assembly and the frosting of the cake.
My kitchen is still a wreck. But as you can see it is pretty has a pleasing taste.
The simpler idea would be to brush limoncello over the outside of a lemon or plain pound cake before slicing.
But of course I didn’t go that way and discovered an unexpected cake for a special occasion.
SERVES:8
For the sponge cake:
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 5 eggs, separated
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- grated zest of 1 lemon (optional)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the limoncello cream:
- 9 eggs yolks
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon limoncello
- 1 cup whipping cream
For garnish:
- 2 1/2 cups whipping cream
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
To layer:
- 6 tablespoons limoncello
METHOD
For the sponge cake:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Generously butter a 10” springform pan.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl; set aside.
Beat the egg yolks and sugar in an electric mixer using the whisk attachment until thick and pale yellow on high speed for 2 minutes.
Reduce to medium speed: slowly add 5 tablespoons of boiling water; the lemon zest and vanilla.
Return to high speed; beat for 5 minutes or until thick.
Add the flour mixture, little by little, still beating with the whisk attachment.
Turn out into a bowl.
Beat the egg whites in a clean bowl until stiff peaks form.
Fold into the egg yolk mixture with a rubber spatula, being careful not to deflate it.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
Cool on a rack and slice into three layers with a serrated knife.
For the limoncello cream:
Beat the egg yolks, sugar, and salt in a large stainless steel bowl over a pot of simmering water.
Whisk in the limoncello. Whisk vigorously for 5 minutes, or until the mixture is thick and triples in volume.
Remove and let cool over a seperate bowl filled with ice cubes, continue to whisk until completely cooled.
Beat the cream until soft peaks form.
Fold into the limoncello mixture; refrigerate until needed.
For the garnish:
Beat the cream until soft peaks form in an electric mixture; add 1/4 cup of the sugar by the spoon until all is incorporated; beat until firm. Refrigerate.
Layer the cake:
Place the bottom layer of one cake on a serving platter.
Brush with 2 tablespoons of the limoncello using a pastry brush.
Top with one-quarter of the limoncello cream, spreading it almost to the edges.
Continue with this procedure with the second layer.
Finish with the top cake layer; turning it upside down first, to brush on the limoncello.
Using a metal spatula, cover the top and sides of the cake with the whipped cream.
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