Friday, January 13, 2012

Meyer Lemon Chiffon Cake



I can't get enough of meyer lemons right now.  They have such a beautiful color, pack a ton of flavor, and add so much brightness to desserts.  To me they're like a little burst of sunshine in winter.  I picked up a few pounds of them this week, and the first thing I did was make a big batch of meyer lemon curd. I've made many different desserts using meyer lemons, but for some reason it always go back to curd.  I love the silky texture of it, and how it really showcases the flavor of the meyer lemons.
I wanted to use the lemon curd in a layer cake that would be light, bright, and bursting with flavor.  I really think chiffon cake fits that job description perfectly.  It is so unbelievably light, not too sweet, and packed with tons of citrus goodness.  It lets the curd shine, but definitely holds its own.  The last thing I made for this triple lemon layer cake was some boozy meyer lemon syrup.  I wasn't kidding when I said I can't get enough meyer lemons right now!  I made a simple syrup using lemon juice, and then added a few tablespoons of Grand Marnier to it.  The Grand Marnier really adds a nice bite to the syrup.  After slicing the cake I brushed each layer with the syrup, and filled it with the curd.  Once assembled this cake is like a lemon dream.  I love how the lemon curd just kind of peeks out through the layers of cake.  I topped it with some fresh whipped cream and loads of blueberries and blackberries.  It's like a little taste of Spring right in the middle of January!            

Amazing how much flavor you get from the zest of just one meyer lemon, and look at the beautiful color on them!

Meyer Lemon Chiffon Cake

  • 5 egg yolks
  • 3 oz. vegetable oil
  • zest & juice of 3 meyer lemons
  • 5.5 oz. cake flour
  • 1/2t. salt
  • 2 oz. sugar
  • 1 & 1/2 t. baking powder
  • 5 egg whites
  • 6 oz. sugar
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare pans by greasing ONLY THE BOTTOM.  Recipe makes 10" cake.  I made one 8" and one 6" from this recipe.
  2. Whisk together yolks, oil, and lemon juice & zest.
  3. Sift together cake flour, 2 oz. sugar, & baking powder.
  4. Add dries to yolk mixture and stir together till there are no lumps.  I use a whisk for this.
  5. Prepare a meringue with egg whites and 6 oz. sugar.  Whip the meringue until it is stiff and holds it shape.  
  6. Gently fold the meringue into the batter & pour into the prepared pans.
  7. 6" cake bakes approx. 25-30 minutes. An 8" cake bakes approx 35 minutes. A 10" cake will bake approx. 40 minutes.
  8. Once cakes were completely cooled, I removed them from cake pans, wrapped them in plastic, and popped them in the freezer over night.
Meyer Lemon Curd

  • 8 egg yolks
  • 1 & 1/4 cups sugar
  • zest of 1 meyer lemon
  • 3/4 cup meyer lemon juice
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, cubed
  1. Whisk all ingredients together in a saucepan and cook over low heat until thickened.  Do not boil.
  2. Remove from heat and strain.
  3. Once curd is cool, cover with plastic and refrigerate.
Boozy Meyer Lemon Syrup
  • 1/4 cup meyer lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 - 2T. Grand Marnier
  1. Combine lemon juice, water, and sugar in saucepan.
  2. Bring to a soft boil just to dissolve sugar.
  3. Remove from heat, stir in Grand Marnier, and refrigerate till ready to use.
Assembly
  1. Remove cake from freezer and slice into 3 layers.
  2. Brush bottom layer with syrup and then layer the curd.
  3. Repeat with the second layer.
  4. Top with final cake layer and garnish.  I topped it with whipped cream and lots of blackberries & blueberries.
*To make your lemon curd go further you can fold whipped cream into it.  




45 comments:

  1. What a beautiful cake. It look bright and tasty! The pictures are wonderful. I love lemon I'll have a slice please. :)

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  2. this cake is stunning! The layers are so gorgeous with the lemon curd oozing out!

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  3. I've been putting meyer lemon curd on everything these days- it's just so, so good! And this cake is gorgeous!!!

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  4. Lemon and blueberries is such a great combo. This looks amazing with the lemon curd, absolutely gorgeous!

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  5. Love how this looks... Can just imagine how good it tastes!

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  6. I just bought a big bag of Meyer lemons, so I am delighted to see that you have posted this recipe. There are some delicious elements here and the berries on top are a wonderful touch. I am still working on perfecting the "no frosting" cakes. Your layers here do not have a single flaw! Also, it is surprising that this is just a split layer-it does look tall. Buzz Buzz-another fantastic post.

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  7. Just gorgeous!!! (like everything you bake!)

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  8. This is so beautiful, and it sounds so delicious, I love lemon-y things!

    http://chicgeekery.blogspot.com/

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  9. Beautiful! Lemon curd is absolutely a favourite and am partial to any dessert that is lemon-y! How much more wonderful when lemons are in season like this. Definitely a bright spot in winter!

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  10. I am sure I will see this on Foodbuzz Top 9 in the next few days... Delicious!!

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  11. wow lemon chiffon cake + lemon syrup +lemon curd - AMAZING!! I really love this cake and the pictures are gorgeous. Would you like to link it up to #citruslove here? Thanks! http://themorethanoccasionalbaker.blogspot.com/2012/01/citruslove-lemon-whoopie-pies.html

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  12. What a gorgeous, gorgeous cake! I love how perfect your layers look and how the curd just hints at the oozing creaminess :) I'd love a slice!

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  13. Such a cozy,comfy and lovely cake:)Looks very very delicious and the cream is the color of deep yellow egg yolks - love the shots too!

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  14. So beautiful, and such a delicious sounding cake! Lemon is so wonderful this time of the year bringing sunshine to the depth of winter! Hope you have a wonderful weekend Meghan :)!

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  15. Beautiful cake! And I love your garnish. Berries and lemons are such a classic combo!

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  16. If I could eat anything today it would be a huge piece of this cake. I love a moist cake and I love lemon! Well done!

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  17. Anonymous1/13/2012

    Absolutely stunning! My father's very favorite cake is lemon chiffon! I made him one several years ago for his birthday (after he told me) and he was so excited. I think this recipe may be the next one I try for him! Stunning and I LOVE lemon curd - cool that you made an extra big batch!

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  18. sue low1/13/2012

    I absolutely love lemon and a moist cake .....sold!

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  19. I haven't seen any yet but as soon as I do I'm making me some lemon bars! The cake looks spectacular as usual! Your such a person for the details :)
    Take care..

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  20. Anonymous1/14/2012

    this cake is stunning! I love lemon curd too-so tasty :)

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  21. Anonymous1/14/2012

    This looks absolutely amazing. Pictures are great! I imagine this tasted sooo delicious. can't wait to try it.

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  22. This is wonderful. I tried to find meyers at the market the other day but they were fresh out. I sure hope I can find some soon. This is making me so jealous.

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  23. This is a real beauty!

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  24. I just bought like 4 bags of Meyer lemons too! I love the flavor of them, and I try to squeeze a bunch to freeze into ice cube which I put into ziploc bags for later in the year when you can't find Meyer lemons.

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  25. This looks wonderful.

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  26. Your cake looks spectacular! I bet you had a hard time cutting it.

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  27. Beautiful! Your cake looks absolutely gorgeous! :)

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  28. Beautiful and delicate!

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  29. Your pictures are gorgeous, and this cake looks delicious! Bright lemon cake sounds so good right now with all of the dreary cold weather outside!

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  30. I love lemon cake. This one looks so pretty and delectable!

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  31. This cake is gorgeous!! My honey has a big birthday coming up and this would be perfect.

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  32. A simple syrup with Grand Marnier...love it! What a gorgeous cake and I can just imagine the amazing flavor...stunning!

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  33. So beautiful! The blueberries look so pretty with the lemon curd. :) I just bought four pounds of those lovely lemons and it's hard to decide what to make first!

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  34. Meghan...what a simple but stunning presentation of this beautiful cake. Your lemon curd looks divine and I love how it peeks out of the cake layers too! So inviting! Great idea to brush the layers with your spiked syrup! I bet this was just luscious! : )

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  35. This looks amazing!
    I just found your blog and loved it! Am a happy follower now!
    Visit me at: my-greek-cooking.blogspot.com

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  36. This cake is beautiful and I love the lemon/blueberry combo. Gorgeous!

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  37. These are really stunning photos! Makes me want to crawl through my computer screen to your kitchen!

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  38. Wow! Megalike. :)

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  39. This looks so simple yet so delicious. Meyer lemons are, to me, proof that God exists. And with blueberries? Genius!

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  40. Anonymous1/22/2012

    I absolutely LOVE Meyer Lemons! I'm dying to get one of those dwarf trees so I can have access whenever I want! As always this looks absolutely amazing! Bookmarked!

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  41. Anonymous1/22/2012

    What a stunning chiffon cake! The flavors are perfect! Thanks for sharing, your photos are gorgeous as always. Have a wonderful weekend =]

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  42. What a pretty cake! I love meyer lemons as well. They are so great to bake with!

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  43. Gorgeous. Just, GORGEOUS. I love the addition of the zest.

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  44. This is SO BEAUTIFUL! I am hoping my baking skills are up to par to make this! Pinning this right now!

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  45. Meyers lemons are so delicious and this recipe makes awesome use of them. Love the curd and the cake...and blueberries- perfect! Lovely photos, too :-)

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