! Can't figure out Martha's new site, here's the video, but where is the recipe???

Maria, this lemon cake from Bon App

LEMON BUTTERMILK CAKE WITH STRAWBERRIES
posted by Randi, recommended by Joe

Serves 12

CAKE
1 3/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons grated lemon peel
3 extra-large eggs
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1 16-ounce package frozen sliced sweetened strawberries, thawed (or use strawberry jam)


FROSTING
12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
5 tablespoons frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed (or fresh lemon juice) – add a bit at a time so frosting isn’t runny
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel

2 1-pint baskets strawberries, hulled.

FOR CAKE: Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Butter and flour three 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides. Beat sugar, butter and lemon peel in large bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in lemon juice. Sift flour, baking soda and salt into medium bowl. Stir dry ingredients into butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. **note: about 15 min total of beating time from start to finish, until it is a mousse-like consistency. Divide batter among prepared pans. Bake until tester inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Transfer pans to racks and cool 15 minutes. Turn out cakes onto racks and cool completely. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Wrap tightly in plastic and store at room temperature.)

Boil sliced sweetened strawberries with juices in heavy small saucepan over medium-high heat until mixture is reduced to 2/3 cup and begins to thicken, stirring frequently, about 20 minutes. Cool to room temperature.


FOR FROSTING: Beat cream cheese and butter in large bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually add powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Beat in lemonade concentrate and lemon peel.

Divide strawberry mixture between 2 cake layers and spread over tops, leaving 1/2-inch border around edges. Let stand until slightly set, about 5 minutes. Place 1 strawberry-topped layer on platter. Drop 3/4 cup frosting atop cake by spoonfuls; gently spread over top. Top with remaining strawberry-topped layer. Drop 3/4 cup frosting by spoonfuls atop cake; gently spread over top. Top with remaining cake layer. Using spatula, spread remaining frosting in decorative swirls over sides and top of cake. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome and chill. Let cake stand at room temperature 1 hour before continuing.)

Decoratively arrange strawberries, pointed side up, atop cake. Cut into wedges and serve.

Bon Appétit, June 1995
Jeanne Thiel Kelley: Los Angeles, California

Notes: I do not add the frozen lemonade to the frosting, just grated lemon peel and fresh lemon juice to taste.
I haven't added the strawberry mixture between layers to prevent sogginess. I slice and serve it with berries on top.

 
Maria, you have another option: bake your lemon cake in a cookie sheet pan and use

(damn that HTTP 400 BAD REQUEST ERROR...I lost the text again. Oh well...)

Mr. Bunny as a cookie cutter to punch out two layers. Be sure to line the cookie sheet with parchment, punch out the design, move the tray to the freezer and let the layer firm up before flipping and transferring. I use a 10" cake cardboard to shift large pieces like this.

Then you can ice/decorate as desired.

I see green-tinted coconut grass in your future, my friend...with jelly beans strewn about.

 
Interesting, but curious - why do this instead of baking in the pan?

My thought was baking in pan (use extra batter for mini cupcakes), cool, freeze, split into 2 layers, fill with curd and ice with lemon buttercream.

Our minds are thinking alike as far as dressing the platter, but depends on how much coconut (yuck!) is at the store/platter size I'm going to use.

(Was thinking of icing the mini cupcakes like flowers and adding to the platter as bunny surround accents.)

 
Just a guess but fussy pans are often hard to get cakes out of and batter doesn't bake evenly. Right

Hmmm- was supposed to be a question mark at the end....I guess titles won't take question marks.

 
Cathy nailed it. Plus, it would allow you to ice a center layer. {Cathy, I think ????

you just ran out of character space for the title block.}

 
Oh, ok. Well, I'm going to live dangerously and bake all at once then split the layers...

...to fill with the lemon curd. This way the extra batter, if there is any (hoping so), will go towards cupcakes.

Also, they only had sweetened coconut at the store and it looked all sticky, so no coconut grass - but I got peeps and jelly beans!

(And marshmallow candy coated eggs and the robin maltball ones too -- but haven't decided if I'm sharing those yet!)

 
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