This lemon Champagne cake is a special occasion stunner! Delicate cake layers with tart lemon curd and cream cheese frosting take it over the top.
When I was first introduced to Grumpy Cat via the magical powers of the internet, I knew I had found my animal soulmate.
That tiny frowny face expressed so much of my life philosophy with one look; as a friend recently remarked, I have a policy against many things.
On the “NO” list of my life? Spas and massages, bachelorette parties and shower-type celebrations, children, driving at night, wearing flip-flops on airplanes, surprises of any kind.
That last one goes double on my birthday.
Friends and family misconstrue the reasons I don’t like to acknowledge my birthday. It’s not that I’m sad about getting older–I’m actually quite proud of everything I’ve accomplished so far.
I just don’t want everyone in the world looking at me for no reason at all!
Being the center of attention turns me into a sullen teenager. I want to throw on a huge pair of sunglasses, hide behind my hair, do anything to turn the harsh spotlight of eyes on me in another direction.
Compound that with the awkwardness of being forced to open presents in front of a crowd and I become a snappish, embarrassed mess.
I would rather strip to a towel in front of a stranger and have them touch my naked back with oily hands.
Don’t get me wrong; I do love living high on the hog, and I have no problem finding excuses to spend money on myself. I just don’t feel others should reward me for the simple fact of my existence.
So every year on my birthday I end up grumpy, exhausted, and disappointed after a day of forced smiles and recognition.
The greatest gift anyone could give me (apart from cold, hard cash, which I can use to buy the perfect present, because I alone know what I want) is to let me sleep in, watch TV, eat junk food, and ignore the constant stream of emails and deadlines for a day.
Kind of like Kevin in Home Alone, only without the need to burn Joe Pesci’s head with a blowtorch.
But this year’s birthday is kind of a big one, and I thought it was high time to come to terms with my ambivalence about the whole “it’s your special day” thing.
So I did what any food-loving misanthrope would do: I made a cake for myself, by myself, in the exact flavors I wanted. That would be a lemon Champagne cake with cream cheese frosting, heavy on the lemon, please.
(This may be culinary payback for the year that a well-meaning but inept co-worker staged a birthday coup with a strawberry-chocolate ice cream cake, two great tastes that do not taste great together in my book, and a conference room full of co-workers yelling “SURPRISE!” As Grumpy Cat would say, NO.)
Though you really can’t taste the Champagne flavor in the cake below, I like knowing it’s there–and the bubbles help create a delicate, moist crumb.
If you’re serving this to kids and are concerned about the teensiest, tiniest potential for them to consume alcohol, just substitute seltzer.
But don’t skimp on the intensely tart lemon curd, since it cuts the sugary richness of the frosting. I’d rather have sour and tart than full-on sweet anyway, and it’s my damn cake.
I’m going to eat a cold slice of lemon Champagne cake for breakfast now. Not because it’s my birthday, but because I think it tastes better that way.
Lemon Champagne Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Yield: 12 servings
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Resting Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours 20 minutes
This lemon Champagne cake is a special occasion stunner! Delicate cake layers with tart lemon curd and cream cheese frosting take it over the top.
Ingredients
Champagne Cake
- nonstick baking spray
- 4 cups (18 1/3 ounces; 512 grams) cake flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 large eggs
- 2 1/2 cups (17 1/2 ounces; 300 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- zest of 1 medium organic lemon
- 1 cup organic canola oil
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 1/2 cups Prosecco or other sparkling white wine
Lemon Curd
- 1 cup (7 ounces; 200 grams) granulated sugar
- 4 large organic lemons, zested and juiced (you should have about 1 cup of freshly squeezed and strained juice)
- 4 large eggs
- 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 2 8-ounce blocks cream cheese, at room temperature
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 20 ounces (1 16-ounce box plus 1 cup) confectioners sugar
- 2 teaspoons lemon extract
Instructions
Make the cake layers:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line 3 8- or 9-inch round baking pans with parchment paper and spritz lightly with nonstick baking spray.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.
- Beat the eggs, sugar, vanilla, and lemon zest together in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed for about a minute until blended and frothy.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low and drizzle the oil and buttermilk into the bowl until fully incorporated.
- Slowly add in 1/3 of the flour blend, then half the wine. Repeat with 1/3 more of the flour and the remaining wine.
- Finish with the final 1/3 of the flour, making sure to stop the mixer as soon as the flour is incorporated into the batter.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans and bake for 30-40 minutes. Timing will depend on whether your pans are made of metal or glass (like Pyrex), and how hot your oven runs.
- Test your cake for doneness by inserting a knife or cake tester into the center of the cake; it's done when the tester comes out clean.
- Cool the cakes in the pans on wire racks for 30 minutes, then remove the cakes from the pans and cool completely on the racks.
Make the lemon curd while the cake bakes:
- Pulse the granulated sugar and lemon zest together in a food processor for about 15 seconds until the sugar is moist and fragrant.
- Whisk the eggs together until well beaten, then vigorously whisk in the zested sugar.
- Heat the lemon juice and butter in a wide, heavy-bottomed saucepan over low heat just until the liquid starts to steam and one or two bubbles appear at the edges of the pan.
- Remove from the heat and slowly drizzle 1/2 cup of the hot lemon juice into the eggs, whisking constantly, to temper the eggs and help them adjust to the heat.
- Whisk the tempered eggs back into the remaining hot lemon juice.
- Return the pan to the burner on low heat and cook, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes until the liquid thickens considerably and puddles up on itself when dripped from the spatula or spoon. Watch carefully to make sure the curd doesn’t come to a boil, since that will cook and scramble the eggs.
- Strain the curd through a fine mesh strainer to remove errant bits of cooked egg or zest (don’t worry, it happens every time) into a clean bowl.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Make the cream cheese frosting:
- Beat the cream cheese and butter together in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed for about five minutes until whipped.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low.
- Add the confectioners sugar incrementally until fully incorporated, then add the lemon extract.
- Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for 30 seconds more to combine.
Assemble and frost the cake:
- Line the edges of your serving plate or cake stand with waxed paper and place one of the cake layers on the plate/stand to keep the waxed paper in place.
- Spread half the lemon curd evenly on the cake, leaving about a 1/4-inch border of un-curded cake around the edge.
- Add another cake layer and repeat with the remaining curd, then place the final layer of cake on top.
- Apply a thin crumb coat layer of frosting to the cake, then refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow the cake and frosting to firm up.
- Apply a thick, final layer of frosting, starting with the sides of the cake and working up to the top. Don’t be afraid to overdo it with frosting; work with large dollops and smooth them out, since you can always scrape excess off in the end. (Who ever does that, though?)
- When your cake has been frosted, carefully shimmy the waxed paper out from under the edges of your cake for a clean presentation.
Notes
Cake layers can be made up to 2 days before frosting and serving. Wrap layers individually in plastic wrap and freeze until ready to frost.
Lemon curd can be made up to 2 days before frosting and serving. Refrigerate in a tightly covered container until ready to frost.
Leftover cake can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days—I like my leftover cake cold for breakfast in the mornings.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 677Total Fat: 46gSaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 26gCholesterol: 193mgSodium: 490mgCarbohydrates: 48gFiber: 2gSugar: 12gProtein: 12g
The nutritional information above is computer-generated and only an estimate.
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