The Perfect Cake?

I am NOT a baker and making this Gluten Free Lemon Cake recipe cleared that right up! Clearly the image above was done by a pro, and you can scroll down to see what my cake actually looks like. I have to say, it is quite tasty even if it looks like a complete disaster! Hard to go wrong with butter, sugar and lemon!

There are tons of lemons on the trees right now, so it’s time to make good use of those lemons besides lemonade! Who doesn’t like lemon anything? The tanginess combined with sweet and creamy…all the best flavors in one beautiful (mine not so much) cake! You can make this gluten free or use regular flour for this recipe.

I made the lemon curd first and set it aside, then tackled the cake. I have included some tips at the bottom of the recipe based on my fails during this recipe.

HAPPY BAKING…..I’m going to eat some more cake, since there is no one to share it with!

Gluten Free Lemon Cake with Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients

For the cake:
1 cup vegetable oil (or oil of choice)
1 ½ cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 ½ cups all-purpose gluten-free flour blend (I used Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 gluten-free flour blend)
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder
1 cup dairy-free milk or whole milk
2 teaspoons lemon extract
Zest from one medium lemon

For the filling and frosting:
1 cup dairy-free butter (2 sticks), room temperature
6 cups powdered sugar
Juice from the same medium lemon (about ¼ cup)
2 drops yellow food coloring (optional)
½ cup lemon curd (you can also buy this already made)

Lemon Curd:
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
3 eggs
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cubed
3/4 cup sugar

Instructions

For the cake: Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Position rack in center of oven. Oil two 9-inch cake pans and dust with flour; set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl combine oil and sugar.
Add eggs and beat with an electric mixer at medium speed for one minute.
Add flour, salt, baking powder, dairy-free milk, lemon extract, and lemon zest; beat at medium speed for one minute.
Spoon batter evenly into cake pans. Bake for 28-32 minutes or until the centers springs back when touched and the centers are set. The time may vary on your elevation and oven temperature accuracy.
Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan on the rack for five minutes. Run a rubber spatula along the edges of each cake to loosen them. Invert onto the cooking rack.

For the frosting: In a medium mixing bowl, beat butter smooth and creamy.
Gradually add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, beating well. Alternate one cup of powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice until all ingredients are blended.
Beat in additional lemon juice if needed to obtain desired constancy. Add optional food coloring and blend well.

For the lemon curd: In 2 quart saucepan, combine lemon juice, lemon zest, eggs, butter and sugar. Over medium-low heat, stir with wire wisk until first bubbles appear on the surface, about 6 minutes.

Place on cake, dome side down, on a plate or cake platter. Spread a ¼ inch layer of frosting on it. Spoon lemon curd into the center and spread until it’s a half inch from the edges.
Add second cake to the top and frost the sides and tops.

 

TIPS:

1. Put frosting in a piping bag and pipe in on, then spread it. It helps eliminate crumbs getting mixed into the frosting and adds the right amount of frosting.

2. Be sure the cake is COMPLETELY cooled before applying the frosting!

3. Make the frosting once the cake is cooled and then apply right away. You don’t want the frosting sitting out too long and if you put it in the fridge it won’t spread.

3. Place a dab of frosting on the bottom of the plate, the put the cake on top. This will stop the cake from sliding around the plate while you are frosting it.

4. Watch a cake frosting video for how to do it right. I SUCK at frosting cakes, and I clearly needed a tutorial before tackling this!

 

LEMON CURD INGREDIENTS

LEMON CAKE INGREDIENTS

LEMON FROSTING INGREDIENTS

CAKES OUT OF THE OVEN

CAKES COOLING

WHAT IT WAS SUPPOSED TO LOOK LIKE….

Photo Credit: GlutenFreePalate.com

WHAT IT TURNED OUT TO LOOK LIKE…

Photo Credit: Sue Bonzell

 

This was was a near recipe disaster, except for the flavor. If you want to see more recipes (successes and fails), visit my food and drink blog.

Cheers!