Old Fashioned Lemon Layer Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Line bottoms of 2 greased 9-in. round baking pans with parchment; grease parchment., Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Add eggs and egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in lemon zest and juice. In a small bowl, mix sour cream and milk. In another bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda; add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream mixture., Transfer to prepared pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 24-28 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes before removing to wire racks; remove parchment. Cool slightly., For syrup, in a small saucepan, combine sugar and lemon juice. Bring to a boil; cook until liquid is reduced by half. Cool completely., For frosting, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth; beat in confectioners' sugar, lemon juice and salt until blended., Using a long serrated knife, cut each cake horizontally in half. Brush layers with warm syrup; cool completely., Place 1 cake layer on a serving plate; spread with 1 cup frosting. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining cake layer. Frost top and sides with remaining frosting. If desired, top with lemon slices or edible flowers. Refrigerate leftovers.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour 3 9-inch cake pans. In a bowl, whisk together 3 1/4 cups of flour, baking powder, and salt.
• Cream 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons softened butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until smooth, then mix in 2 1/4 cups of sugar until thoroughly blended and fluffy. Beat 6 egg yolks into the butter mixture, one at a time, beating well after each yolk is added. Beat the flour mixture into the butter mixture in thirds, alternating with milk. Mix in 3/4 teaspoon of grated lemon peel and 1 3/4 teaspoon of lemon juice.
• With clean beaters, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks in a bowl; lightly fold the egg whites into the batter; use a rubber spatula or wire whisk to fold 1/3 of the beaten egg whites into the batter. Gently run the spatula through the center of the bowl, then around the sides of the bowl, repeating until fully incorporated. Add the remaining egg whites, folding just until incorporated.. Pour the batter into the 3 prepared cake pans.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cake comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Allow cakes to cool in pans for 10 minutes; then turn out onto a rack to finish cooling.
• To make filling, whisk 2 1/4 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons of grated lemon peel, 1/2 cup of lemon juice, 5 1/2 tablespoons of flour, and beaten egg together in a saucepan. Cook the mixture over low heat, whisking constantly, until the filling almost comes to a boil; cook until thickened and smooth, about 1 minute. Whisk in 2 tablespoons of butter until melted. Allow the filling to cool.
• To assemble, place each cake layer down on a work surface, and place one hand lightly on the top of the cake. Use a serrated knife to slice the cake in half horizontally, with a light sawing motion, to create 2 layers from each cake (6 total layers). Brush crumbs from the layers. Place a cake layer onto a serving dish, and spread with 1/6 of the filling; repeat with all the layers and filling, ending with a layer of lemon filling for the top of the cake.

Steps:

• Cream butter; gradually add sugar, beating well at medium speed of an electric mixer. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix well after each addition. Stir in lemon rind and juice. Beat egg whites (at room temperature) until stiff peaks form; fold into batter. Pour batter into 3 greased and floured 9 inch round cakepans. Bake 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes; remove layers from pans, and let cool completely. Split each layer in half horizontally. Spread lemon filling between layers and on top; garnish with additional lemon rind and lemon twist if desired. Yield: one 9 inch layer cake. LEMON FILLING: Combine first 5 ingredients in heavy saucepan; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until smooth and thickened. Remove from heat. Add butter; stir until melted. Cool. Yield: about 2 1/2 cups.

Steps:

• Beat 3/4 cup butter at medium speed of an electric mixture until creamy; gradually add 3/4 cup sugar and 2 tbsp lemon zest, beating well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.
• Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; add to the butter mixture. Mix at low speed until blended. Stir in the lemon extract. Pour the batter into a greased and floured 9 inch round cakepan with 2 inch sides.
• Bake at 325 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes; remove from pan. Place cake on a wire rack on a baking sheet.
• Combine 2/3 cup powdered sugar and 1/3 cup lemon juice in a small bowl, stirring until blended. Drizzle the glaze over the top of the warm cake. Let the cake cool completely.
• Combine 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 1 1/2 tbsp butter, and remaining 1 tbsp lemon zest in a medium bowl; beat well. Spread on top of the cooled cake. Serve with strawberries if desired.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease three 9-inch cake pans and line with parchment or waxed paper. Mix flour, baking powder and salt and sift onto a piece of waxed paper or parchment.
• In a large mixing bowl, beat sugar and butter until light and fluffy, scraping sides as needed. Whisk egg whites until well blended but not foamy, and add to batter in 4 batches, making sure each addition is well incorporated.
• Add dry ingredients and milk to batter, alternately, in 4 batches, mixing each only until just blended. Mix in vanilla.
• Divide batter among 3 pans. Gently drop each one on a counter to eliminate large air bubbles. Bake for about 20 minutes or until cake springs back in center when pressed or a cake tester comes out clean. Let rest for 5 minutes, then remove cake from pan and cool completely on rack.
• Meanwhile, make curd: Put all ingredients in a non-reactive saucepan and whisk to blend. Set over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until filling thickens and a candy thermometer registers 170 degrees. This can take 10 to 15 minutes. Do not let filling simmer or boil. Remove from heat and pour into a bowl to cool to room temperature.
• Place a cake layer on a cake stand or plate and spread 2/3 cup curd on top to the edges. Stack another layer and continue until all layers have been used. Use remaining curd on top and sides. Filling is somewhat translucent, so layers will be visible through curd on sides. If layers slide while frosting, push 3 or 4 long wooden skewers through them to hold until cake sets. Cake is best left covered at room temperature overnight.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 9 inch round cake layer pans.
• Combine the cake mix, instant vanilla pudding, milk, vegetable oil and the 3 whole eggs. Mix until blended. Pour batter into the prepared pans.
• Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 25 minutes or until cakes test done. Set aside cakes to cool.
• To Make Lemon Cheese Filling: In the top half of a double boiler combine the egg yolks, white sugar, butter or margarine, flour, grated lemon rind and lemon juice. Cook stirring constantly over medium heat until mixture is thick enough to spread. Let cool before spreading between cooled cake layers.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease three 8-inch cake pans.
• With a standing or hand mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add dry ingredients alternately with milk. Fold in egg whites until thoroughly combined; do not overmix.
• Divide batter into greased pans and transfer to the oven. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until top springs back when lightly touched. Cool on racks before removing from pans; let cool completely.
• Combine all ingredients in top of double boiler set over boiling water. Cook, stirring constantly until very thick, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let cool completely before using.
• Combine all ingredients in top of double boiler. Beat with a rotary beater or hand mixer for 1 minute, then set over boiling water and beat for about 7 minutes more or until frosting stands in glossy peaks. Remove from the heat and continue beating until frosting is cool and thick enough to hold firm swirls. Let cool completely before using.
• Spread the lemon filling between the layers and on top. Spread the frosting on the sides of the cake and press with shredded coconut.