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Do you have a true-blue friend? You know the kind I mean, always there for you through thick and thin and everywhere in between. They're the ones who help celebrate your triumphs, victories, accomplishments and milestones ……….. and also the ones who are there when times are tough, when life takes a different path than what you'd planned or throws you a major disappointment, when it's difficult to put one foot in front of another or it's hard to hold back the tears.
I have only a few friends like that... but you really don't need many. They're one of life's greatest blessings, worth far more than the proverbial pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. When you find one, hold on for dear life as these kinds of friends are a precious rare breed and you'll only run across a handful of them in a lifetime.
Karen is one of my true-blue friends. She was an answer to prayer many years ago. It didn't take us long to realize we were kindred spirits and our hearts were quickly knit together. She's been at my side through it all and is always quick to lend a helping hand, a listening ear or a kind pat on the back. She laughs at my silly jokes, encourages my dreams and gives me an honest appraisal of my (often) crazy ideas and aspirations. Oh, and she's always ready for an adventure; though she's very responsible and dependable, she can also change directions on a whim and is just super fun to be with. Can you tell I like her?
February is Karen's birthday month and though the official day is not for another week, we're celebrating today since her daughter happens to be in town. I'm making a special dinner tonight and decided to end the meal with a cake that would reflect Karen's sunny personality. I chose my favorite yellow cake which is super easy and quick to put together. I used 8-inch round pans to give a tall, 3-layer cake and strawberry jam for a pretty, delicious filling between the layers.
The icing is the show-stopper though, a silky buttercream with Meyer lemon juice and zest along with a touch of cream cheese. And see the fun whimsical, multicolored, swirly design? Does it look fancy and complicated? You actually won't believe how simple it is; paint a few lines of gel food coloring inside a pastry bag (I recommend disposable bags for this), plop the icing in the bag, fitted with a 2D Wilton tip (also known as a large drop petal tip) and just start swirling, twirling, twisting and turning, here, there and everywhere, till the cake is covered! Even if you're like me and not a fancy-dancy cake decorator, you can put together a fun, festive looking cake in no time flat. Trust me, I totally surprised myself!
This would be the perfect cake to make for a party, a special occasion or just to say "Thanks for being a true-blue friend.", a sentiment truly worth celebrating!
P.S. Since this is a birthday cake, I had to be proper and not cut into it to show you the inside, but I'll try to get a few shots of it before it's all gone and add it to the post.
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Lemon Buttercream Icing
Ingredients
- ¾ cup butter, at room temperature**
- 2 ounces cream cheese, I use the low fat, not no-fat at room temperature
- 1 pound bag or box powdered sugar, more as needed
- zest of 1 fresh Meyer lemon
- Juice of 1 fresh Meyer lemon, about 1½-2 tablespoons
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- Milk or half and half, if needed
Instructions
- Beat the butter and cream cheese on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, stopping to scrape the bowl once or twice.
- Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the powdered sugar. Once all of the powdered sugar is incorporated, add lemon juice, one tablespoon at a time, till icing is soft and fluffy. Add vanilla and beat at a low speed until incorporated, then increase to medium-high and beat for another five minutes. If icing is too thin, add a bit more powdered sugar, if too thick, add a bit more lemon juice or milk.
- This recipe is enough to frost a 2 or 3 layer cake if icing is spread with a knife. If you like a thick icing or will be decorating your cake with the swirly piped icing (pictured), make a double batch as this method uses more icing.
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Vanilla Cake with Strawberry Filling and Lemon Buttercream Icing
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- 16 tablespoons unsalted butter, 2 sticks, room temperature
- 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 4 large egg yolks, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- ½ cup use ¼ cup for a 2-layer cake of your favorite strawberry jam (I used my Strawberry Freezer Jam.)
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 350˚ F. Grease 2 round 9-inch cake pans or 3 8-inch cake pans by spraying thoroughly with baking spray, then line pans with parchment paper.
- Place all ingredients in the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Turn mixer on and off quickly a few times to prevent the flour from flying all over. Once flour is beginning to be incorporated, beat mixture at medium speed until smooth and satiny, about 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula and mix by hand until smooth and no flour pockets remain.
- Divide batter evenly among prepared pans. Bake until cake tops are pale gold and toothpick or skewer inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown. (Set your timer for 20 minutes and check by gently touching the top of the cake, it should spring back.) Remove from oven and let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then flip cake out onto a wire rack; cool to room temperature before frosting.
- To assemble, place one round cake layer onto a cake stand or serving platter. Spread ¼ cup raspberry jam over the top surface and place the second layer on top. Repeat if using 3 layers. Spread Meyer lemon butter cream over top and sides of cake or pipe with a decorator tip*.
Notes
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Hi Chris, blessings to you and your family. Could we have this in metric please. I do enjoy your ridiculously easy recipes, plus a few others I have tried. Thank you.
Hi Jayne, I have added the metric measurements.
Hi, Chris!
Does this cake recipe, minus the strawberry filling, need adapted in any way when baking it in a 9' x 13' pan?
Happy Springtime,
Kathleen Bowers
Hi Kathleen, I think you'll probably have more batter than you need for a 9x13-inch pan. Fill the pan ¾ full and then use the rest for a small loaf pan or some other small pan.
This cake bleeds Springtime! Beautiful cake! I don't know if it's too much to ask but if you make it again, can you show the inside?
Hi Shrifah, I actually did take some pictures of the inside of this cake but totally forgot to post them and now can't find them. I did get some pictures of the inside of this one; http://thecafesucrefarine.com/2013/07/annies-7-layer-lemon-layer-cake-w/
Awesome! Thanks!
Did you use 2- or 3-inch deep cake pans for this?
Hi! my pans are all 2 inches, hope that helps.
Hi
Juice and zest of 1 meyer lemon about 11/2-2 tablespoons, Is that suppose to be for the jucie or is that a total for the juice and zest.
HI Jackie, sorry that wasn't clear. I fixed it so no one else will be confused, thanks!
hi chris, i saw this in your fb the other day but only manage to come here now. This is spectacular!!you hv excellent piping skills! you and karen are so blessed to hv each other, wishing both of you a long lasting loving friendship forever!
I'll be back to check the filling: the photos you have right now are just beautiful.
There's nothing like the feeling you get (and give) when true friendship is there.
You could have fooled me. This looks pretty fancy dancy 🙂 Wow. What a beautiful cake!
Swoon...that's all I can say! I'm drooling too much for my mouth to form words!
What a stunning cake!! this is really beautiful and I bet it tastes as good as it looks!! a perfect cake for a great friend!
Mary x
What a lucky friend you have. This cake is absolutely stunning!
What a beautiful cake! It looks like a wedding gown or a couture prom dress! This is definitely a haute couture cake! So delightful to look at, and made with precision and care! I appreciate such a lovely work of art! There are not enough superlatives in the world to describe this cake! You've outdone yourself yet again, Chris!
I am practically groaning out loud and gasped when I saw your first photo. I can't read the post fast enough to find out more - You are so creative and gifted - absolutely the most beautiful cake I've ever seen. Fantastic! Can't wait to see the inside too - can I be your friend?
Yikes that is quite a cake, I'm on the edge of my seat waiting to see the inside!!
What a seriously beautiful cake, I am so impressed. I bet it tastes even better than it looks too. Karen is a lucky lady 🙂
Wow you are so talented! This is a lovely cake 🙂
There is nothing better than a great friend. The kind that you can stay up all night talking or laughing with, and who would think nothing if you showed up on their doorstep in the rain without any warning. This cake however sounds spectacular! Now I just need my best friend to show up, with this cake, and a bottle of wine and I'll be all set. Gorgeous!
This is such a gorgeous cake. What a nice creation to celebrate with friends. Great to know you have a special friend in your life. 🙂
You are such a sweet friend! And you make decorating this marvelous cake sound so easy! I can barely ice a cupcake, but I may have to give this a shot. It is simple exquisite!!! Thanks for another inspirational post and recipe, Chris 🙂
Your tru-blu friend must indeed be quite special to merit this beautiful cake! You outdid yourself. Really stellar!
Have I mentioned that my birth day's in April?? Wow, that cake is amazing. The buttercream frosting with a touch of cream cheese sealed the deal though.
Wow! This is quite a show-stopper of a cake, for a good friend, for a special occasion.
What a "show stopper"! Gorgeous and "happy" cake...you found one that surely reflects a sunny disposition!
Chris,
This is stunning and I am so jealous ☺. I must put this on my list since it is about lemon. I think I need the 2D tip. I think that is where I ran into trouble with my meringue hearts. I used a 1M which was not big enough.
Madonna/aka Ms. Lemon
That is seriously one of the prettiest cakes I've ever seen! It sounds super tasty too.
WOW!! I love that swirly design! Must. Try. Soon! Thanks for the inspiration!
Your cake is beautiful!! Happy Birthday to your special friend.
Special friendships are such a gift. She is very lucky to have you! This cake is absolutely gorgeous.
Happy Birthday to Karen. She is lucky to have you as a friend and to have this beautiful cake. Chris your piping skills are amazing! I look forward to baking this.
This is an absolutely lovely cake to celebrate your good friend... Friendship is so important!!! When you wrote about your friend, I kind of recognize mine, Christine, she's all like Karen!
Thanks Vicki for your sweet words. I too was thrilled with this technique because it's SO easy and because it's quite whimsical, it's hard to make a mistake.
I'm so sorry about your friend, that's so very sad. Life is very fragile. I'm sure it never ceases to hurt your heart.
Chris this is stunning! I've seen the videos of adding gel icing to the pastry bag to create beautiful rosé swirls and I've used my Wilton 2D to make those petals numerous times. In fact I recently spotted photos of a cake covered in this whimsical swirled icing but got sidetracked and forgot to go back and see how it was created. Now I know and can't wait to try this on my own birthday cake. Absolutely beautiful!
I've seen rose swirls covered all over cakes and thought those looked pretty especially with the colored petal tips but I love the looks of this even more. Nice photo and recipe. I'm sure your friend will be thrilled.
On a different note: Best of friends are hard to come by. Cherish them - you never know when they may suddenly be out of your life. I lost mine to a drunk driver 12 years ago and they're irreplaceable. It's not like you can just go to the store a pick out a new one. As you know they're rare and hard to find. Her birthday celebration is for both of you because without it you never would have met her. Enjoy celebrating with your friend and your beautiful creation!
Magnificent! Absolutely a masterpiece.
Stunning! What a lucky friend.
I think that is the most beautiful, sunny-disposition of a cake I have ever seen. I think I can safely speak for many Karens when I say, we would love and adore this cake!
Thanks Karen, so glad to have official confirmation from a Karen! 🙂
Ahhhh, this post is so sweet! What a beautiful description of your friend your relationship! Happy Birthday to Karen!!
Chris, your cake looks amazing!! It is so professional and gorgeous looking!! Just beautiful!!
Absolutely stunning, Chris! You always make the prettiest cakes & cupcakes! And this is one of my favorite flavor combinations! Thanks for sharing your method with us. You are blessed to have such friends...and they, you!
Karen is really lucky to be your friend! This looks luscious and yummy. PLUS gorgeous!
This is a masterpiece!! I know it will be just as tasty as it is beautiful!! I pinned it!
What a sweet cake for your friend! Your buttercream swirls are beautiful! 🙂
A beautiful cake for a beautiful friendship! That combination of flavors sounds wonderful. I'm loving Meyer lemons right now! 🙂