White Cake with Lemon Curd and Italian Meringue
White cakes, as opposed to butter cakes like the one on page 428, are made with egg whites only, and they offer another good lesson in how French meringue can help give loft, or leavening, to a cake. (The heat of the oven causes the beaten whites to expand; in this case, they are helped by a chemical leavener, namely baking powder.) It’s important to beat the whites until they are stiff but not dry, and to make sure that you fold them into the batter very gently, in parts, so that they retain their volume. First, you fold in just a third of the beaten whites to “lighten” the creamed batter (so it is easier to incorporate the rest without overmixing), then you very gently fold in the rest and quickly transfer the batter to the prepared pans, lest it lose any volume. True to its name, the cake remains pure white inside after baking, save for the brown flecks of flavor-enhancing vanilla seeds.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 12
Ingredients
For cake layers
For filling
For frosting
Preparation
Step 1
Prepare oven and pans Heat oven to 350°F, with racks in middle. Butter two 8-inch round cake pans, and line bottoms with parchment paper rounds. Butter paper and dust both pans with flour, tapping out excess.
Step 2
Combine dry ingredients In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
Step 3
Cream butter and sugar In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and 1 1/4 cups sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Scrape the vanilla seeds into the bowl with a paring knife, reserving pod for another use.
Step 4
Make batter With mixer on low speed, add dry ingredients in 3 batches, alternating with milk and starting and ending with dry ingredients; scrape down sides of bowl once or twice to ensure proper combining.
Step 5
Make meringue and fold into batter In the clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites on low speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar, and beat on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 1/2 cup sugar, beating on medium-high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form. (Do not overmix the whites; if they appear curdled or broken, the cake will not rise.) Whisk one-third of the whites into the batter to lighten, then carefully fold in the rest of the whites.
Step 6
Bake and cool Divide the batter between prepared cake pans (about 4 cups batter each). Bake until a cake tester inserted in the centers comes out clean and cakes are just beginning to pull away from sides of pans, 30 to 40 minutes. (Do not overbake.) Transfer pans to wire racks and cool for 10 minutes. Run an offset spatula around the edge of each cake, then invert cakes onto racks. Remove parchment; cool cakes completely. Refrigerate 1 hour or up to overnight, wrapped well in plastic (or freeze up to 1 month).
Step 7
Fill Reinvert cakes and trim tops with a serrated knife to make level. Using a ruler as a guide, insert toothpicks halfway up side of cake, all around. Slice each cake in half horizontally using toothpicks as your guides. Place one cake layer on a piece of parchment or a cardboard cake round. Top with 1/2 cup curd, spreading evenly. Top with another cake layer; repeat with remaining curd and cake layers, ending with cake. Let set in refrigerator 2 hours.
Step 8
Frost Just before serving, frost the top and sides of the cake evenly with Italian meringue.
