LEMON CREAM CHEESE CAKEfeatured

Summertime as a kid was pure magic. It was long nights, ample pool time, loose supervision and in my case, a chance to make it rich with a lemonade stand. One summer, I convinced my Mom that I needed to set up shop in our front yard and sell lemonade to anyone passing by. We dragged a card table, a few chairs, whatever advertising sign we created and sat for hours in our front yard trying to make it rich 10 cents at a time. Surprisingly, I wasn’t getting rich. At all. Even at that age, I knew I needed to make some changes with my business. Maybe lemonade wasn’t enough. Maybe Kool-aid would sell better. And maybe some cookies. So I expanded my offerings but my profits barely increased (never mind that it was 100% profit since I clearly didn’t pay for the supplies.. but that’s neither here nor there…).

Deep down I knew the biggest problem was we lived on the end of a cul-de-sac so there was very little traffic. No matter how many varieties of drink or cookies I offered it didn’t really matter. I knew I could make a bigger profit if my stand had a better location. You know what they say, location, location, location. It was time to move. After another failed attempt to make it rich, I asked my Dad if I could set up shop down on the main street in town. He just looked at me and in an attempt to not dampen my entrepreneurial spirit (and knowing that there was no way I would be allowed to set up my stand downtown), suggested that before we made such a drastic move, why don’t we move the stand the the end of the cul-de-sac where there was a lot more traffic and we knew even more people. Apparently I was cool with this because the next day my stand had a new home. And I. Was. In. Business. Cars were stopping, neighbors were coming out of their houses, people were walking by; I had hit the big time. After running out of the last batch of lemonade that day, I counted my loot. 13 dollars. Shazam I was rich.

I think that was the last summer I had a stand. I suppose even then I knew it was best to go out on top.

And if you like lemon as much as I loved making a profit off of lemonade, this cake is for you. And it’s easier than it might seem. Just go step by step and listen to some great summertime tunes while you do.

Recipe: Lemon Cream Cheese Cake  |  Soundtrack: The Supremes

• CAKE
• 2 1/2 cups cake flour
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
• 1 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• Zest of 2 lemons
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 cups ice cold water
• 3 large egg whites at room temperature
• 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
• LEMON SYRUP
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• FROSTING
• 1 cup butter
• 16 oz cream cheese
• Zest of 4 lemons
• 4 tbsp lemon juice
• 10 cups powdered sugar

Directions:
To make the cake:
Preheat the oven to 325º. Butter 3 8-inch round pans, line the bottoms with parchment and butter the parchment. Dust with flour lightly and dump out any extra flour. Set pans aside.

In a large bowl, sift the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt together. Set aside.

Using a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and shortening on medium speed until creamy 3-4 minutes. Add the sugar, vanilla and lemon zest and beat on medium speed until fluffy. Scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl, add the egg and beat just until combined. Reduce the speed to low. Add the flour mixture, alternating with the ice water, in three separate additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Scrape down the bowl, then mix on low speed for a few more seconds.

In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Do not overbeat. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter.

Divide the batter among the prepared pans and smooth the tops. Bake for 40-45 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer the cakes to a wire rack and let cool for 20 minutes. Invert the cakes onto the rack, remove the pans and let cool completely. Remove the parchment.

To make the syrup:
In a saucepan over very low heat, whisk together the sugar and lemon juice until the sugar starts to melt. Increase to medium high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer for a minute or two until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from the heat.

To make the frosting:
In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese together until combined and smooth. Add the lemon juice and lemon zest until combined. Add the powdered sugar and beat on medium until completely incorporated.

To assemble the cake:
Once the cake is completely cooled, place the bottom layer on a cake plate. Using a toothpick, poke holes on the top of that layer. Using a pastry brush, gently brush several layers of the lemon syrup over the cake layer. Wait 5 minutes and the add 3/4 cup frosting and spread over the layer. Add the next layer and repeat the step. Add the third and final layer. Poke holes and brush with lemon syrup. Place in the refrigerator to firm up for 30 minutes before you frost the cake all over. Remove from the refrigerator and proceed to frost the top and the sides.

Store in the refrigerator and remove 3o minutes before serving.

by