Lemon Thyme Cake

Hello! Tea and Fog is officially back! I have returned from blog vacation refreshed and somewhat blonder! That last part has no bearing on the food but sure is fun.  I tentatively dipped my toe back in the blogging waters with my Palm Springs post a couple weeks ago, but as of today I'm back with more recipes for your enjoyment, starting with a celebratory cake! 

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I was going to call this a Three Lemon Thyme Cake, because I planned for it to include three types of lemons, but my Whole Foods remains reliable in its unreliableness.

Where were the meyer lemons, Whole Foods? Explain yourself. 

So, there are really only two kinds of lemon in this cake, and, am I the only one who doesn't really get that excited about something called a two-lemon cake?

Well, it's ok, because names are misleading, and I assure you this cake is no less wonderful even with only one lemon in the title. Because there are actually about 3 lemons in it! And thyme! And if you try really hard you can even taste the thyme!

Yeah, so I haven't perfected this particular cake yet, but it was too pretty and delicious not to share as is. The cake is lemony and perfectly baked, and the frosting isn't overly sweet, with just a hint of extra lemon, and the thyme (in theory) gives the whole thing a little herby, earthy something extra that just might make you ask, "What's that?" 

Also, those candied lemons. Don't they just look like little sunny jewels? Beyond gorgeous.

But really, to me, the element that really turns this cake into something special is the filling, a lemon curd made with - wait for it- PRESERVED LEMONS! 

I know.

Are you a little appalled? Horrified? Confused? Don't be! Excuse my blog hyperbole, but it's the most amazing lemon curd I've ever tried, seriously. The brininess of the preserved lemon juice cuts through the richness of the curd in just the right way, and sandwiching it between the layers in this cake really gives it a brightness that screams "Spring!"  I never even want to make another version of lemon curd.

Also, let's all take a moment to recognize that I made curd again. And it worked! I can now go on with my life, pretending January's blood orange disaster was all just a bad dream. Double boilers FTW.

So, remember back in February when I mentioned I had another project planned for this year? Well, it's cake! Over the past year I've dreamed up so many different cakes I want to make, and I've decided it's time! And of course, given the nature of cooking and the internet, not one of them is a wholly original idea, but they are still burning holes in my "to make" list and I hope you enjoy them!  

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Lemon Thyme Cake

Cake and frosting adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Party Cake, and Preserved Lemon Curd adapted from Melissa Clark. There are a lot of parts to this cake, but don't be put off by that! The cake, curd, and syrup can all be made ahead, and the buttercream and the candied lemons are really easier than they may sound. My original version only had thyme steeped in the buttermilk for the cake mix, but I really couldn't taste it, so you could chop up some thyme and add to the cake, or do as I've suggested below and add a thyme syrup soak. 

For the cake:

• 1 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 6-8 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 1/4 cup cake flour
• 1 tbs baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 large egg whites
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• zest of 1 large lemon
• 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees with the rack in middle level. Prep two, 6-inch cake pans (or 4 if you've got that many, or see note). Butter cake pans, line with a 6-inch circle of parchment, and butter the parchment, then flour the pans. Set aside.
2. Bring the buttermilk to a simmer in a saucepan, then crush the thyme sprigs between your hands and add to the milk. Remove from the heat, cover, and let steep for about 20 minutes. Strain out the thyme leaves then set aside to continue cooling.
3. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside. Whisk the milk and egg whites together in another bowl and set aside. In the bowl of standing mixer or another mixing bowl, add the sugar and zest and rub together for a few minutes, until the sugar is fragrant and feels a bit damp. 
4. Add the butter to the sugar and beat on medium speed for 3 minutes, then beat in the vanilla. Scrape down the bowl, then add 1/3 of the flour mixture, then half the milk mixture, and repeat until all remaining flour is added. Beat well after each addition. Beat for 1-2 more minutes until cake batter is light and well combined.
5. Divide half the batter between the 2 pans and bake for 25 minutes (or all the batter between 4 pans). Test with a toothpick for doneness. If it comes out clean, your done! Transfer pans to a cooling rack and cool cakes in the pans for 5 minutes, then invert cake layers onto the rack to cool completely, flipped back to right side up. Repeat prep process with pans and bake off remaining batter (let the pans cool first!). Once cool, cakes can be wrapped tightly in plastic and stored overnight in the refrigerator or the freezer for 2 months.

Notes:

• You can divide all of the cake batter between two pans to bake and then cut the layers in half to stack. I didn't want to do this so I baked mine off separately. If you do want to only bake 2 layers, bake for about 30-35 minutes.

For the buttercream:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 large egg whites
• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/8 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

1. Add the sugar and egg whites to a heat proof mixing bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Whisk continuously, about 3 minutes, until sugar is dissolved and the mixture is shiny and resembles marshmallow cream.
2. Remove from the heat and beat with a whisk attachment on medium speed until cool, about 5 minutes.
3. Switch to the paddle attachment and add the butter, one 1/2 stick at a time, beating each addition until smooth, then beat all for 6 minutes on medium high until very smooth (the mixture may separate at this point but just keep beating, it will come together).
4. Lower speed to medium and gradually beat in the lemon juice and vanilla. Set aside until ready to use, covered with plastic wrap pressed directly on the surface. Don't chill or you won't be able to frost with it!

Notes:

• This makes enough frosting for a 4-layer, 6-inch, semi-naked cake. If you want to fully frost the cake, double the recipe or increase by one half.

For the Preserved Lemon Curd:

• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 3/4 tsp powdered gelatin
• 1 large egg + 4 egg yolks
• 1/2 + 1/8 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1/8 cup preserved lemon juice (strained from the jar)
• zest of 1 lemon
• 3/8 tsp kosher salt

1. In a small bowl, combine 1/8 cup lemon juice and the gelatin, and set aside to bloom. In a large bowl, lightly beat the egg and the yolks.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, butter, remaining lemon juice, preserved lemon juice, zest, and salt. Place over a pot of simmering water until very warm to the touch. Remove from the double boiler and whisk into the eggs slowly in a thin stream, whisking constantly. The goal here is to temper the eggs so they don't curdle.
3. Place the bowl over the simmer water again and cook, stirring constantly, until 175 degrees and thickened a bit, about 5-6 minutes.
4. Remove from the heat and stir in the gelatin mixture until fully incorporated, then pour all through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl over an ice bath, and stir until cool. Then chill for at least one hour.

For the Thyme Syrup:

• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme

1. In a small saucepan, combine the water and sugar and bring to a boil, add the thyme and then simmer until sugar is completely dissolved. Set aside to cool. Once cool, remove the thyme.

For the Candied Lemon Slices:

• 1 lemon, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil, then add the lemon slices. Boil for 1 minute, until softened, then drain and add lemons to an ice bath. Drain.
2. In a skillet, bring sugar and water to a boil and simmer until sugar is dissolved, then lower heat and add the lemon slices (with tongs!) in a single layer. Simmer on very low heat until syrup mixture has evaporated and lemons are coated and starting to color just a bit.
3. Remove from skillet with tongs and place on a parchment lined baking sheet to cool. 

To assemble the cake:

1. Level off each of the cake layers. Starting with the first layer, brush on the thyme syrup, then pipe an edge of frosting around the edge, then spoon in the curd to fill. Stack on the next layer and repeat, until you have stacked on your top layer. You may need to pop the layers in the refrigerator to set up a bit between stacking.
2. Frost the sides and top of cake with the remaining buttercream however you wish. Then decorate with candied lemon slices and a few time sprigs, if desired.

Apple & Persimmon Cardamom Cake

with APPLE CIDER BUTTERCREAM.

Apple Cider Buttercream.

Apple Cider Buttercream.

That repetition up top makes more sense if you sing those words to that Nelly song about jeans.

But what about this cake? Isn't it gorgeous? I hope I'm allowed to say that because I am very proud of how it turned out. You know when you have an idea in your head and then the execution falls a little short? This was not one of those times! I had a vision of cake, and it came true. Commence happy dance!

A few weeks ago I had a Thanksgiving dessert potluck at work, and you know if someone is inviting me to bake treats to share I'm not going to not do it. That's just not something I can physically do. But I was 100% sure I did not want to bring anything with pumpkin, so I remembered this cake idea that I've had rattling around in my brain for about a year (do you do this too? Just me?) and decided to finally make it. 

I took a wonderful apple persimmon pie filling I'd made a couple of years ago, pureed it into apple persimmon butter, and then sandwiched it between layers of cardamom spiced cake and slathered the whole pile with an apple cider flavored buttercream. Then I summoned my meager craft skills and built a flower collage out of baked slices of persimmon and apple and cardamom pod "leaves".

It came out ok.

No, who am I kidding? It came out GREAT. The cardamom got buried a bit in all that flavor, but no one cared. When I took my tiny little cake out of it's box and placed it among all the wonderful looking pies and bars and cookies my coworkers had brought, there was an immediate hush and then, DID YOU MAKE THAT? And later, WHO BROUGHT THAT? And then, CAN I CUT IT? I mean, I was almost turning pink, wondering if I had totally missed the mark on what homemade potluck desserts are supposed to be, but then my ego edged out any embarrassment as the compliments rolled in and obviously now I'm a monster with a super inflated sense of self and a newfound resolve to tackle my list of cake ideas. 

By the way, this cake is also completely appropriate for December holidays too! The warm spices and seasonal fruits are a perfect gateway into Winter, and all the gingerbread, molasses, and noggy treats to come.

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Apple Persimmon Cardamom Cake with Apple Cider Buttercream

Flavors (and filling) inspired by these fried pies over at Lady & Pups. Cake recipe adapted from The Cake Bible. Buttercream base adapted from Martha Stewart. This makes one 6-inch cake.

For the cake:

• 2 large egg whites
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups cake flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 tbs + 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cardamom
• 6 tbs unsalted butter, softened

For the filling:

• 1 apple (fuji, honeycrisp, etc)
• 2 Hachiya persimmons, very ripe
• 2 tbs unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup + 1 tbs sugar
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• pinch of nutmeg
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• pinch salt

For the buttercream:

• 2 large egg whites
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 tbs-2 tbs boiled cider

1. Make the cake: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two, 6-inch round pans, line with parchment paper, butter the parchment, then flour pans. Shake off excess flour and set aside.
2. Combine the egg whites, 1/8 cup milk, and vanilla extract in a small bowl. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add all dry ingredients and mix on low for a few seconds to combine. Add the butter and remaining milk. Mix until moist and then beat on high for about 90 seconds. Add the egg/milk mixture in 3 parts, beating well after each addition (about 20 seconds). Scrape the bowl as needed.
3. Divide the batter between prepared pans and bake for 20-22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool cakes in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove from pans and cool completely on the rack.
4. Make the filling while the cake bakes: Peel and core the apples, then dice small. Add to a large skillet with the butter, sugar, lemon, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cook for 5 minutes on medium heat, until caramelizing and soft.
5. Meanwhile, scoop out the flesh of the persimmons into a bowl and mash. When the apples are softened, remove skillet from heat and add the persimmon, cornstarch, vanilla, and salt. Cook for 2-3 minutes more, until thickened a reduced a bit.
6. Remove pan from heat and let the mixture cool a bit, then puree in a blender until smooth. Set aside to cool completely. 
7. When ready to frost cakes, make the buttercream: Set a heatproof bowl of an electric mixer (or any large heatproof bowl if you are using a hand mixer) over a pot of simmering water. Combine the egg whites and sugar in the bowl and cook, whisking constantly, until sugar is dissolved and the mixture is warm to the touch (about 160 degrees).
8. Transfer the bowl to the mixer and beat with a whisk attachment until stiff but not dry peaks. Continue beating about 6 minutes more, until fluffy and cooled.
9. Switch to the paddle attachment, and turn the mixer to medium-low. Add the butter a few tablespoons at a time and beat well after each addition. Beat in the boiled cider, then beat on lowest speed for 2 minutes. 
10. Assemble cake: Trim tops of cake layers if domed, then cut each cake layer in half horizontally. Place one cake layer on a cake board or plate, and pipe a thick border of the buttercream around the outside edge. Fill in with the apple persimmon mixture. Top with another cake layer and repeat until you have your final layer on top. Spread cake with as much of the remaining buttercream as you want and smooth sides with a bench scraper. Spread any remaining frosting on top of cake and decorate as desired. See notes for how-to on apple and persimmon flowers.

Notes:

• Make sure you use the persimmons called for, not the more commonly found fuyu persimmon. The Hachiya is more oval and oblong than the squat, round fuyu, and with a flesh that will break down better when cooked. It must be very very ripe, however, because it can be a bit astringent if not. 
• Make sure your cardamom stash is very fresh. Mine was a bit old and I'm sure that's why the cardamom didn't really come through in the cake. I also bumped up the amount from my original recipe to 1 tsp.
• The boiled cider in the buttercream is worth seeking out. You can buy online easily. If you don't have it though, you can omit entirely or sub with apple juice or cider, though the flavor won't be as strong.
• I know this recipe is long, but the different components can all be made in advance. Keep cake layers well wrapped in the freezer and thaw a bit before frosting. Cake layers will be easier to frost when chilled anyway. Filling and buttercream can be made ahead of time and kept covered in the fridge.
• For apple persimmon flowers: using a mandoline or very sharp knife, thinly slice one red apple and one fuyu persimmon to create rounds with the seed pattern/core in the center. Lay on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake in a 200 degree oven for 30 minutes. Flip and bake another 30 minutes. At this point, slices should have ruffled and crisped up a bit. If not, bake a little longer. Let slices cool and then decorate cake as desired. Add cardamom pod "leaves" if you wish.

Apple-Filled Spice Cake with Brie Frosting and Cider Caramel

Whew. That's a long title. But there's a lot going on in this cake, and I didn't even mention the dried apple garnish!

A few months ago I had dinner with a friend at a French restaurant, and since I seem to be doing less dining out these days (because, le budget), we decided to make the most of the dinner and go for the cheese course during dessert. One of the cheeses was a triple cream brie, and it was so good I immediately knew I wanted to use it at home. But of course, because my brain goes in weird directions sometimes, I wasn't thinking about spreading it on crackers or baking it. No, instead, I very badly wanted take that cheese and put it in frosting. 

Fortunately, the internet is handy for finding like-minded weirdos, and a quick search showed me that I am not the first person to want to make frosting out of aged, soft cheese. But what to pair it with? 

I decided to stick around the neighborhood of normal, at least in terms of flavor profile. I paired my frosting with a warmly spiced cake filled with softened green apples, then topped it with a rich, slightly salted cider caramel. All taken together, this cake is not really that far off from the sweeter versions of baked brie. Most importantly, it was a hit! After trying it, no one thought brie in frosting was an insane idea. And if they thought that before, they at least were polite enough not to tell me.

I made this beauty as a Thanksgiving dessert, but I think it also fits snugly within the December portion of the holiday season, especially if you are worried about an overdose of chocolate and peppermint. I've got to be honest though, as I'm sure you can tell from the photos, this cake won't save you from an overdose of caramel.

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Apple-Filled Spice Cake with Brie Frosting and Cider Caramel

Makes one 6-inch cake

1/2 recipe Golden Spice Cake from King Arthur Flour

Apple Filling:
1 granny smith apple, peeled, cored and diced small
juice from 1 lemon
1 tbs boiled cider
1 tbs sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cloves
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp allspice
1 tsp cornstarch
pinch salt

Brie Frosting:
6 oz brie, room temperature, rind removed
2 oz unsalted butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar

Apple Cider Caramel Sauce:
1 cup boiled cider
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
splash vanilla extract
pinch sea salt
2 tbs butter
3 tbs heavy cream

Garnish (optional):
Apple chips (store bought or see notes for recipe)

1. Make the cake batter according to the recipe (for more layers or if making a larger cake, make the full recipe). Divide evenly between two 6-inch cake pans and bake 18-20 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool for 10 minutes in pans then remove from pans and let cool completely on a wire rack. This can be done in advance and well-wrapped cake rounds can be frozen until ready to assemble cake.
2. Make apple filling: Mix all ingredients together in a small saucepan and cook, covered, 25-30 minutes, until apples are softened and mixture has thickened. Let cool.
3. Make caramel sauce: Boil all ingredients except heavy cream together in a small saucepan, then lower to a simmer and cook, until mixture has reduced to 3/4 cup, about 10-15 minutes. Be careful not to burn, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and carefully add the cream (mixture may bubble up). Let cool.
4. When ready to decorate, level off any domed cake layers. Make frosting: Combine brie and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on medium speed until combined and fluffy. Add sugar and mix on low to incorporate, then beat on medium high speed for 2-3 minutes until frosting is light and fluffy. 
5. Pipe frosting around the outer edge of the top of one of the cake layers and fill with the apple mixture (it may be helpful to freeze the cake for a few minutes after piping the frosting to firm it up) and top with the second cake layer. With the remaining frosting, coat the cake with a crumb frosting layer, smoothing out the sides and using any extra frosting on top. Chill cake until ready to top with caramel.
6. When ready to serve, warm up caramel sauce if necessary to get it pourable (but not too hot, you don't want to melt the frosting!). Pour as much as desired over the top of the cake and let drip down over the sides (see notes). Garnish with apple slices as desired and serve.

Notes:

• The amount of frosting called for will give the cake a "naked" look. If you would like to completely frost the cake then make another batch of frosting, but once the caramel is on this cake is probably sweet enough without the extra coat of frosting.
• A note about the cheese: it needs to be very soft, but don't be tempted to rush this process by microwaving it. It will most likely just immediately begin melting, and once that happens there is no making frosting out of it. I learned this the hard way and was rewarded with a 9 am trip to the grocery store on Thanksgiving.
• If you want the caramel to be more of a "hat" instead of a coat, then I would pour the caramel over the cake no more than 30 minutes before you are ready to serve. Even on a chilled cake that is kept in the refrigerator, the caramel will continue to drip down the sides, eventually forming a solid layer down the sides and over the top (as pictured). 
• For the apple slices to garnish, just thinly slice any apple of your choice (I used red delicious) and bake at 225 degrees for 1 hour, or until dried out and crispy, flipping halfway through.
• The cake, filling, and caramel all use boiled cider, which is a specialty ingredient, but I found it sold here or here, or you can of course make it yourself. A good (although large-quantity) recipe can be found here.