Lemon Gateau

I am falling in love with this lemon cake. It lightness and softness make me crave for more. The combination of soury lemon curd and a bit of fresh cream give a wonferful refreshing effect that you will not feel enough for it. I regret not to try it earlier. 

Recipe for the lemon curd: 

4 large eggs

120g caster sugar

130g lemon juice 

2-3 lemon zest

90g Butter

Combine the eggs, sugar, lemon juice and zest and cook over a double boiler until smooth and thicken.  Add butter and stir for the final shining and silky consistency. Set aside to cool while preparing for the sponge cake.

Recipe for an 8 inches sponge cake:

recipe adapted from Nasi Lemak Lover

83g butter (salted)

83g cake flour

5 egg yolks (A size)

92g milk

5 egg whites (A size)

83g caster sugar

10g corn starch

Method

1. Prepare a cake pan, don’t need to line paper.

2. Immediate separate cold eggs from fridge (easy to separate this way) into two mixing bowls. Set aside to return to room temperature.

3. Melt butter in a saucepan, once you see small bubbles, remove from heat.

4. Immediately add in flour, quickly stir to become batter (at this stage, the batter is thick. Also suggest to transfer this batter to another clean mixing bowl), then add in milk, mix well.

5. Add in egg yolk one at a time, stir well on each addition. The batter is slightly runny if compare to normal chiffon batter.

6. Mix sugar and corn starch together. Beat egg whites till foamy, gradually add in sugar and corn starch mixture (in three batches) and continue beat until approaching stiff peaks (meringue stand straight up with a little curve at the tip) or till stiff peaks (this stage is a bit difficult to fold with egg yolk mixture)

7. Take 1/3 of meringue and use a hand whisk to mix well with egg yolk batter.

8. Fold in 1/3 of meringue and use a silicone spatula, gently fold with egg yolk batter till slightly combined. Fold in the balance meringue and gently fold till well combined.

9. Pour into cake tin, bake at pre-heated oven at 140C (no fan) for 25mins at low rack, then increase to 170C (no fan) for another 25mins.

10. Once baked, turn your chiffon tin upside down and cool completely before remove from the tin.

Assemble the cake:

Cut out three equal pieces of sponge cake horizontally. Whip up 300g of whipping cream with 1 tablespoon of icing sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. 

Place a piece of sponge cake on a plate or cake board. Spread some lemon curd on the cake follow by some whipped cream. Place another piece of sponge cake on the top and spread some lemon curd and whipping cream. Cover the last piece of sponge at the top then spread the whole cake with whipped cream. Freeze the cake until the cream harden then drizzle all the lemon curd on the cake evenly. 

Chill in the fridge. It is best serve cold from the fridge. Enjoy!