(for the cake)
340g butter, softened
340g granulated sugar
6 eggs
340g self-raising flour, sifted
3 t baking powder
3 T buttermilk or sourcream
lemon zest
purple food coloring gel
icing sugar for dusting
(for the syrup & curd filling)
juice of 5 lemons
1 t edible lavender
2 T icing sugar, sifted
3 T lemon curd
(for the buttercream)
350g icing sugar, sifted
1 T cream cheese
15g butter, softened
juice of 1 lemon
[how to make]
(for the cake)
*Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
*Grease and line three 8" round cake pans with parchment.
*Using an electric whisk to mix the butter and sugar in a bowl until light and creamy.
*Add eggs and whisk again.
*Fold in the flour, baking powder, buttermilk or sour ceam, and lemon zest using a spatula, until incorporated.
*Spoon one-third of the mixture into one of the prepared cake pans.
*Add a few drops of food coloring to the cake mixture and whisk in so that you have an even pale purple color.
*Spoon half of the colored mixture into another of the cake pans.
*Add a few more drops of food coloring to the remaining batter to make it a darker purple color, then spoon the mixture into the final pan.
*Bake for 25~30 minutes, until they are firm to the touch and a knife inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean.
(for the syrup & curd filling)
*In a small saucepan set over medium heat, heat the lemon juice, lavender and icing sugar and bring to the boil.
*Mix 1 T of the syrup with the lemon curd and set aside, then spoon the remaining syrup over the cakes and leave to cool in the pans.
*Once cool, remove the cakes from the pans.
*Place one of the cakes on a chopping board and cut out 5 circles of sponge with the 2.5" cutter.
*Discard the trimmings.(You could save them for some other purpose.)
*Repeat with the remaining 2 cakes.
*Cut each small cake in half horizontally, so that you have 10 discs of cake in each color, 30 in total.
(for the buttercream)
*Whisk together the icing sugar, cream cheese, butter and lemon juice until you have a smooth, stiff icing.
(for the assembling)
*Spoon the buttercream into the pastry bag and pipe a ring of buttercream around the edge of the 10 darkest purple cakes.
*Spoon a teaspoonful of the leavender lemon curd into the center of each ring, then top each with one of the light purple-colored cakes.
*Repeat with another ring of buttercream adn fill with lemon curd, then top each cake with one of the plain sponges.
*Dust the cakes with icing sugar, then scatter edible lavender pieces.
(These cakes will keep for up to 3 days stored in an airtight container, but are best eaten on the day they are made.)
-makes 10-
Note: I modified the decoration from the original recipe in "naked cakes" by Hannah Miles.
Labels: cake recipe, layer cake recipe, lemon & lavender cake recipe
