The truth will set you free. That's what they say. Not true. The truth can land you behind bars, or get you committed, or in my case, get me a front row seat in divorce court. The mister, with his usual surliness, walked into the nerve center (my office) while I was writing a post so I took the liberty to read him what I had written - because he never reads my dribble on his own - and I thought what I had written was particularly brilliant and funny... he took umbrage. UMBRAGE! He informed me that I could not say what I had said. I told him it was the truth and that I can say whatever I want. He said if I said what I said it would, in no uncertain terms, cost me...so, not being stupider than the average blogger, I hit delete.
The mister: one. Me (bound and gagged, certainly not free): zero..for now...there is more than one way to stuff a duck.
Country Woman Christmas 2009, a wonderful collection of recipes from cooks around the country, arrived in my mail a while back along with a note that said, "Thanks for your submission, here is your free copy...blah, blah, blah...your recipe is on page 52." Turning to page 52, there it was...and I have NO MEMORY of ever submitting this recipe! Everything moves at a snails pace in the publishing world so I'm thinking I would have had to submit the recipe 3 years ago...which is disturbing because up until now I thought I just had short term memory issues!
While I don't remember submitting this recipe, the cake is unforgettable...a four-layer, rich, dense and super moist cake filled with fresh lemon curd and topped with a lemon butter-cream frosting and sugared-lemon peel...now, this will set you free!
Lemon Ricotta Cake - Adapted from Myself and Country Woman Christmas 2009
Lemon Curd:
3 eggs
2 egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup butter, cubed
Cake Batter:
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Sugared Lemon Peel:
6 medium lemons
1/4 cup sugar
Frosting:
1 cup butter, softened
5 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
To make the Lemon Curd: In a small bowl, combine the eggs and egg yolks. In a heavy saucepan, cook and stir the sugar, lemon juice and butter over medium heat until smooth. Stir a small amount of the hot mixture into the eggs, to temper them, then return all to the saucepan, stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil, cook and stir for 2 minutes. Cool slightly. Cover and chill for 1 1/2 hours, curd will thicken as it cools.
To make the Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine the ricotta cheese, buttermilk, lemon peel, vanilla and lemon juice. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to the creamed mixture alternately with the buttermilk mixture, beating well after each addition. Pour into two greased and floured 9-inch round baking pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
To make the Sugared Lemon Peel: Using a citrus zester, remove the peel from the lemons in long narrow strips; toss the peel with the sugar. Let stand for 30 minutes. (Save the lemons for another use.)
To make the Frosting: In a large bowl, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar, milk, lemon peel, vanilla and salt; beat until smooth, about 8 minutes.
To assemble cake: Cut each cake in half horizontally. Place one cake layer on serving plate. Pipe a bead of frosting around the edge of cake. Spread a third of the lemon curd inside the bead of frosting. Repeat layers twice. Top with remianing cake layer. Frost top and side of cake. Garnish with sugared lemon peel. Store in refrigerator. Yield: 12 to 16 servings.
There was no way the mister and I could eat this cake by ourselves - it's huge...so I shared the cake with friends and all of them reported back that they LOVED it...make it and taste for yourself...it's a 5 danger, and that's the truth. If you want to get yourself a copy of Country Woman Christmas 2009, you can order it by clicking here.
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"The truth will set you free. But first, it will piss you off." ~ Gloria Steinem
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One year ago today: Pasta With Pomodoro Sauce
