Lemon, Coconut & Berry Layer Cake with Lemon Curd and Torched Meringue

• Produce

  • 1 Berries, Fresh

• Refrigerated

  • 10 Egg
  • 1/4 cup Egg whites
  • 1 Egg yolk

• Condiments

  • 3/4 cup Lemon juice

• Baking & Spices

  • 2 1/2 tsp Baking powder
  • 2 1/2 cups Caster sugar
  • 2 1/2 cups Flour
  • 4 cups Icing sugar
  • 1 cup Sugar
  • 4 tsp Vanilla essence
  • 3/4 cup White sugar

• Nuts & Seeds

  • 1 Coconut, toasted
  • 5 cups Desiccated coconut

• Dairy

  • 625 g Butter
  • 1 cup Buttermilk
  • 250 g Philadelphia cream cheese

• Liquids

  • 1/4 cup Water

• Other

  • Lemon Curd and Buttercream (recipes below

Found on thebrickkitchen.com

Description

Ingredients

• 300g butter, softened
• 2½ cups caster sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla essence
• 7 eggs
• 2½ cups flour (330g)
• 2½ teaspoons baking powder
• 5 cups desiccated coconut
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 cups berries, tossed in a tablespoon of flour (frozen is fine. I used 1 cup raspberries and 1 cup blueberries).
• Finely grated zest of 4 lemons - just the outer yellow part, as anything below this will make it bitter.
• ¾ cup lemon juice
• 1 cup sugar
• 100g butter
• 3 eggs
• 1 egg yolk
• 250g Philadelphia cream cheese, room temprature
• 225g butter, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla essence (or 1 teaspoon vanilla paste)
• 4 cups icing sugar
• ¾ cup white sugar
• ¼ cup water (60ml)
• ¼ cup egg whites - about 2 large egg whites, or 60g
• Fresh berries
• Toasted coconut
• Lemon Curd and Buttercream (recipes below)

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease and line the base and sides of 3 x 20cm round cake tins with baking paper.
• In a large bowl using the paddle attachment of a stand mixer (or an electric hand beater), beat together the butter and caster sugar until pale and creamy.
• Add the eggs one at a time, beating until fully combined. Stir in the vanilla.
• Sift in the flour and baking powder and mix to just combine.
• Fold in the desiccated coconut and buttermilk to just combine, then very gently stir in the berries.
• Divide the mixture between the three tins, and smooth the surface.
• Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the cakes spring back when touched and a skewer inserted comes out just clean.
• Leave to cool for half an hour, then remove from tins and place on wire racks to cool completely.
• While the cakes are baking, make the lemon curd.
• Heat the lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar and butter in a medium pot over low heat until the butter is melted.
• In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and egg yolk until starting to get frothy
• Add the eggs to the lemon mixture, keeping the heat on low. Whisk constantly until the curd starts to thicken - about 5 minutes. You may see little bubbles appear on this surface as this happens. Be very careful here as it can happen quickly.
• Tip the lemon curd into another bowl and set aside to cool. Once cool, if you would like it ultra smooth, strain the curd through a sieve and discard any lumps and the zest
• Using an electric mixer (if a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment), beat the butter until creamy. Add the cream cheese & vanilla and beat until fully incorporated. Gradually increase the mixer speed and beat until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
• Gradually add the icing sugar, beating on low speed until combined.
• In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Heat over low heat until the sugar has dissolved, and then heat on medium-high until the syrup comes to the boil.
• Meanwhile, beat the egg whites to foamy soft peaks in a medium bowl (mixer fitted with whisk attachment or hand beater).
• Once the syrup is boiling, cook until it reaches 116°C (240°F) on a candy/sugar thermometer. remove from the heat, and, while whisking the egg whites continuously, slowly drizzle the syrup into the bowl. Aim for a spot close to the whisk.
• Once all the syrup has been added, continue mixing until the bottom of the bowl feels cool to touch and the meringue is very thick, shiny and sticky.
• Use immediately or keep in the fridge (covered) until ready to use (up to a day)
• If the tops of the cakes have domed at all, cut the domes off with a serrated knife so they are completely flat.
• Place one cake on a large plate or cake stand, sliding strips of baking paper underneath the edges (to catch the icing drips - when you are finished you can remove these without making a mess of the plate or cake stand).
• Cover the cake with just under a third of the cream cheese buttercream in an even layer. Drizzle a few tablespoons of lemon curd on top of this. Top with a second cake.
• Repeat the buttercream and lemon curd coating. Top with the final cake.
• Spread the remaining cream cheese over the top of the cake and around the outside, scraping it over and then off the sides of the cake for a ‘naked’ look.
• Place in the fridge for an hour to firm up.
• Dollop the Italian meringue over the top of the cake in whatever pattern you wish, swirling it around a bit. Using a blow torch, brown the edges.
• Decorate the cake with berries, extra lemon curd and toasted coconut.