Lemon Berry Cake
This Lemon Berry Cake has moist lemon cake layers with smooth lemon curd and a mixed berry compote in between frosted with a rich cream cheese frosting.
Servings 12 servings
Equipment
- 1 Cake Leveler
- 1 Strainer
Ingredients
Lemon Curd
- 4 egg yolks
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp heavy cream
- 6 tbsp butter
Mixed Berry Compote
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- 1 6 oz carton of blackberries
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp water
Cake
- 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp butter, room temperature
- 4 eggs + 1 egg white, room temperature
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 3 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp + 1 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup buttermilk, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
Frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 5 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Lemon Curd
- In a small saucepan, place the egg yolks, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, cornstarch and heavy cream; whisk by hand to combine. Cook over low to medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture becomes thick, about 5-10 minutes.Remove the curd from the heat and immediately strain through a fine mesh sieve by pushing the curd through using a spoon or rubber spatula. Discard any small pieces of cooked egg left in the sieve. Add the butter, and whisk until it’s completely melted. Place the curd in an airtight container. Refrigerate it for 2 hours or overnight.
Mixed Berry Compote
- Add blueberries and blackberries to a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the sugar, lemon juice and water. Cook the fruit for 15-20, stirring every few minutes until the berries start to break down. Remove from heat and cool. Once cooked, place into a container with a lid, and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.
Cake
- In a bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, beat the eggs and sugar on medium speed for 3-4 minutes, until the mixture is fluffy and lighter in color. Add the butter, oil, vanilla extract, lemon juice and lemon zest and beat the mixture for about 30 seconds. Add in the sour cream and buttermilk and mix until incorporated. Add the baking powder, baking soda and salt, then add the flour 1 cup at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. After adding the last portion of flour, beat the batter just until combined. Divide the batter into 3 eight inch pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few crumbs. Cool completely on a wire rack.
Frosting
- Add butter, cream cheese and powdered sugar to a stand mixer. Mix on medium speed while adding vanilla and heavy cream. Set aside.
Assembly
- Level each cake layer with a knife or a cake leveler. Place one layer on a cake plate. Place about 1 cup of the cream cheese frosting into a piping bag or a plastic zip bag, and cut off about 1/2 inch of the tip of the bag. Pipe a ring of frosting around the outside. With an offset spatula, spread 2-3 tablespoons of the lemon curd inside the ring of frosting. Spread to cover the whole area. Add 2-3 tablespoons of the mixed Berry compote on top of the lemon curd. Place a second layer of cake on top. Repeat adding the frosting ring, lemon curd and berry compote on the second layer. Place the third layer on top face down.Pipe the frosting around the cake starting from the bottom until you get to the top. Pipe more frosting on top, then use an offset spatula to smooth the frosting on top and around the sides. Use a large scraper to scrape the sides while leaving parts of the sides of the cake exposed. This will give the cake a more rusted look. Refrigerate the cake again for about 30 minutes or until the frosting is completely set. Garnish the cake with flowers, blueberries and blackberries.