Summer Berry Lemon Layer Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. You will need 2 x 20cm loose-bottomed sandwich tins, greased and bases lined with baking parchment. Measure all the cake ingredients into a large bowl (reserve a little orange zest for decoration) and beat with a wooden spoon or electric hand mixer until combined and smooth.
• Divide evenly between the 2 tins. Bake for 20-25 mins or until well risen, lightly golden and shrinking away from the sides of the tins. After 5 mins, remove from the tins and leave to cool on a wire rack.
• To make the icing, put the butter and icing sugar into a bowl and mix with an electric hand mixer until light and fluffy. Stir in the orange zest.
• Remove the paper from the cakes. Sit 1 cake upside down on a plate. Make the glaze by putting the caster sugar and orange juice into a saucepan, stirring over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Boil until reduced by half, then brush half on the upside-down cake, using a pastry brush. Spread half the butter icing over the glazed cake. Sit the other cake on top, brush with the remaining glaze, then spread with the remaining butter icing. Scatter with the reserved orange zest. The cake is best eaten on the day, but will keep for up to 3 days in a cool place. It freezes well un-iced or filled.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Butter and line the bases of three 23cm cake tins. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then add the almond extract and lemon zest. Use a fork to whisk the yogurt with the eggs. With the mixer on a low speed, add the flour, ground almonds and 1/2 tsp salt to the butter and sugar, alternating with the yogurt and eggs.
• Divide the batter between the tins and bake for 35-40 mins or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool in the tins for 5 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack, remove the parchment and leave to cool.
• Beat the mascarpone to loosen it. Whip the cream until it holds its shape. Combine the cream, mascarpone and lemon juice, then carefully add the icing sugar and flower water to taste.
• Assemble the cake just before serving. Toss the berries with the caster sugar. Spread the flattest cake with half the cream, then add half the fruit. Top with a second cake, spread with the rest of the cream and top with the rest of the fruit. Finish with the last cake, sift over icing sugar, then decorate with rose geranium petals and rose geranium leaves (as long as they're small).

Steps:

• Make cake layers:
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Brush cake pans with canola oil. Line bottom of each pan with a round of parchment or wax paper, then oil paper.
• Whisk together flour mix, salt, baking powder, and xanthan gum until combined well. Stir together milk, canola oil (1 cup), vanilla, and zest in another bowl.
• Beat together sugar and eggs in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed just until combined, about 1 minute. Reduce speed to low and add flour and milk mixtures alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture and mixing until just combined.
• Divide batter evenly between cake pans, smoothing tops, and bake until a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center of each cake layer comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.
• Cool cake layers in pans on racks 10 minutes. Run a thin knife around edge of 1 cake layer and invert rack over cake pan, then invert cake onto rack. Repeat with second layer. Peel off paper and cool layers completely.
• Make curd:
• Whisk together zest, lemon juice, sugar, yolks, a pinch of salt, and guar gum in a 1-quart heavy saucepan. Add butter and cook over moderately low heat, whisking constantly, until curd is thick enough to hold marks of whisk and first bubbles appear on surface, about 5 minutes. Whisk in extract. Immediately pour curd into a bowl, then cover surface with wax paper and chill until cold, about 30 minutes.
• Make frosting:
• Beat butter with an electric mixer at high speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Reduce speed to low and add confectioners sugar, lemon juice, extract, and zest, then mix until creamy and smooth, about 2 minutes.
• Frost cake:
• Halve each cake layer horizontally using a long serrated knife. Spread bottom half of each cake layer with half of lemon curd, then top with remaining cake layers to form two sandwiched cakes. Put 1 sandwiched cake on a cake stand or platter and spread a heaping 1/2 cup frosting over top, then cover with remaining sandwiched cake. Frost top and sides of cake with remaining frosting.

Steps:

• Make cake:
• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Butter bottom of 12-inch-diameter cheesecake pan(not springform) with 3-inch-high sides and removable bottom. Line bottom of pans with parchment paper.
• Beat eggs, sugar, and oil in large bowl of heavy-duty mixer and medium-low speed 5 minutes. Increase speed to medium and beat until mixture is very thick and falls in heavy ribbon when beater is lifted, about 5 minutes. Whisk cheese, orange juice, lemon peel, liqueur, lemon juice, and vanilla in medium bowl until well blended. Add cheese mixture to egg mixture; beat at low speed until just blended. Transfer to extra-large bowl (at least 6-quart capacity). Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into large bowl. Sift dry ingredients over batter in 5 additions, whisking to blend after each addition. Transfer about 11 cups batter to 12-inch prepared pan and about 5 cups batter to 8-inch prepared pan (batter should be of equal depth in both pans).
• Bake cakes until golden brown in firm (tops may crack) and tester inserted into center comes out clean, rotating pans occasionally for even baking and covering loosely with foil if browning too quickly; about 1 hour 30 minutes. Transfer to racks; cool completely.
• Make lemon filling:
• Whisk eggs to blend in medium bowl. Combine butter, 1 1/4 cups sugar, lemon juice, and peel in heavy medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until butter melts, sugar dissolves and mixture comes to a boil. Gradually whisk lemon mixture into eggs. Return to same pan. Stir over medium heat until curd thickens and just begins to bubble, about 3 minutes. Strain curd into large bowl. Chill until cold and thick, stirring occasionally, about 4 hours.
• Beat cream and 6 tablespoons sugar in medium bowl until firm peaks form. Fold into curd in 4 additions. Chill filling until very cold, about 2 hours.
• Make lemon syrup:
• Stir all ingredients in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat; bring to boil. Chill syrup until cold, about 1 hour. (Cakes, filling, and syrup can be made 1 day ahead. Cover cakes; store at room temperature. Cover filling and syrup; keep refrigerated.
• Make preliminary assembly:
• Cut around sides of cakes to loosen. Push up pan bottoms, releasing cakes from pan. If necessary, cut between parchment and pan bottoms to loosen cakes. Invert cakes onto surface. Peel off parchment. Wash and dry pans and reassemble.
• Using long serrated knife, cut off doomed top of 8-inch cake to level. Cut cake horizontally into 3 equal layers. Place bottom cake layer, cut side up, on 8-inch cardboard. Place cake on cardboard back into pan. Brush bottom layer with 1/4 cup lemon syrup. Spread with 1 1/2 cups lemon filling. Sprinkle with 1 1/2 cups raspberries. Place top cake layer atop raspberries; press cake lightly to compact. Brush with 1/4 cup syrup. (Assembled cake may be higher than pan sides.) Cover tightly with plastic wrap.
• Using long serrated knife, cut off doomed top of 12-inch cake to level. Cut cake horizontally into 3 equal layers. Place bottom layer, cut side up, on 12-inch cardboard. Place cake on cardboard back into pan. Brush with 1/2 cup lemon syrup. Spread with 3 cups lemon filling. Sprinkle with 2 cups raspberries. Using 10- or 11-inch diameter tart pan as aid, slide top layer onto raspberries. Press cake lightly to compact. Brush with 1/2 cup syrup. (Assembled cake may be higher than pan sides.) Cover tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate both cakes overnight.
• Make frosting:
• Whisk yolks and 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar in large bowl to blend. Bring milk and lemon peel just to boil in heavy large saucepan. Gradually whisk hot milk into yolk mixture. Return to same saucepan. Stir custard over medium heat until thick, about 3 minutes ( do not allow custard to boil). Strain custard into extra-large (6-quart) metal bowl; add vanilla extract. Using handheld electric mixer, beat custard until custard lightens and custard cools to room temperature, about 15 minutes. Gradually add butter; beat until well blended, scraping down sides of bowl often. (If buttercream appears curdled at any time, place bowl directly over heat for several seconds. Remove from heat and beat well; repeat warming and beating as necessary to achieve smooth texture). Set buttercream aside at room temperature.
• Stir 2 1/4 cups sugar and 3/4 cup water in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Attach clip-on candy thermometer to side of pan. Increase heat and boil syrup without stirring until thermometer registers 240°F, occasionally brushing down sugar crystals from sides of pan with wet pastry brush, about 7 minutes.
• Meanwhile, beat egg whites in large bowl of heavy-duty mixer until stiff but not dry. Gradually add 5 tablespoons sugar and beat until firm glossy peaks form. Gradually beat hot sugar syrup into egg whites. Continue to beat 2 minutes longer. Place bowl of meringue into larger bowl filled with ice and water. Using handheld electric mixer with clean beaters, continue to beat until meringue cools to room temperature, about 10 minutes. Gradually add meringue to buttercream, beating until well blended.
• Cut around all sides of 8-inch cake. Push up pan bottom, releasing cake from pan. Remove pan bottom, leaving cake on cardboard base. If desired, place cake on revolving cake stand. Using offset spatula, spread thin layer of frosting (about 2 1/3 cups) over top and sides of cake to anchor crumbs. Refrigerate cakes on their cardboard bases until frosting is firm, about 1 hour.
• Spread enough frosting (about 1 1/2 cups) over top and sides of 8-inch cake to coat. Spread enough frosting (about 3 cups) over tops and sides of 12-inch cake to coat. Dip large offset spatula into very hot water to warm blade; wipe dry. Run spatula over sides and tops of cakes, warming spatula repeatedly as necessary, until frosting is smooth. Using pastry bag fitted with small plain round tip, pipe border of small frosting dots around top edge of each cake. Refrigerate both cakes uncovered on their cardboard bases until frosting hardens, about 4 hours. (Once frosting is hardened, cakes can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated up to two days or double-wrapped with plastic and frozen up to two weeks. Before continuing with recipe, thaw wrapped frozen cakes overnight in refrigerator.)
• Final assembly and decoration:
• Insert 1 dowel straight down into center of 12-inch cake to cardboard base. Mark dowel about 1/4 inch above top of frosting. Remove dowel and cut with serrated knife at marked point. Cut 2 more dowels to same length. Press 3 cut dowels into cake, positioning about 3 1/2 inches inward from cake on platter. Using large metal spatula as aid, place 8-inch cake on its cardboard atop dowels in 12-inch cake, centering carefully.
• Wrap 3-foot long ribbons around base of 8-inch cake; cut to fit with slight overlap. Press ribbons gently into frosting to adhere. Wrap 4-foot long ribbons around base of 12 inch cake; cut to fit with slight overlap. Press ribbons gently into frosting to adhere.
• To serve:
• Transfer 8-inch cake to work surface; cut cake into 16 slices. Remove dowels from 12-inch cake. Staring 2 inches inward from edge and inserting knife straight down, cut 8-inch-diameter circle in center of cake. Cut outer portion of cake into 16 slices. Cut middle portion of cake into 8 slices. Cut inner 4-inch portion of cake into 4 wedges. Serve cake.

Steps:

• To prepare cake, first heat oven to 350 degrees. Oil or spray a 10-inch springform pan, and line bottom with parchment paper.
• Using an electric mixer at high speed, whisk eggs and sugar together until they triple in volume, becoming thick and airy. Add vanilla and lemon zest, and whisk to combine. Reduce speed to medium-low, and gradually add flour. Remove bowl from mixer, give a final fold with a spatula and pour into prepared cake pan. Bake until risen and light golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool pan on wire rack 10 minutes, and remove sides from pan.
• When cake is cool use a long, thin knife to split it into 2 thin disks. Place bottom half cut side up on a serving platter; place other half cut side up on a large piece of foil. In a blender, combine 2 cups strawberries, confectioners' sugar and lemon juice. Purée until smooth. Set aside 1/4 cup purée, and divide remaining purée between two cake layers, pouring over cut sides and spreading with a rubber spatula.
• In a large bowl, combine reserved 1/4 cup purée with 1/2 cup blueberries, 1/2 cup blackberries, 1/2 cup red raspberries and currants or golden raspberries. Fold gently to mix.
• Whisk heavy cream with vanilla until thick but still soft. Spread half over cake sitting on serving dish. Top with fruit mixture, and place remaining cake half on top, cut side down. Spread remaining cream on top. Cut strawberries into halves or quarters, and place in a bowl. Add remaining 1/4 cup each of blueberries, blackberries and raspberries, and toss to mix. Arrange berry mixture on top of cake, and dust with confectioners' sugar.