Lemon Thyme Tower Cake Recipes

CANDIED LEMON SLICES FOR LEMON-THYME TOWER CAKE

Steps:

• Using a Japanese mandoline, slice the lemon as thinly as possible; set slices aside.
• In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and 2 cups water. Bring liquid to a boil over medium-high heat Add lemon slices; return to a boil. Remove pan from heat. Let cool completely; transfer syrup and slices to an airtight container. Store, refrigerated, up to 1 week.

LEMON-THYME TOWER CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Butter and flour three 6-inch-round cake pans, and set aside.
• Combine eggs, sugar, salt, and lemon zest in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Mix on high speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Sift flour and cornstarch over egg mixture; fold in with a rubber spatula. Pour batter into pans.
• Bake until cakes spring back to the touch and cakes begin to pull away from sides of pans, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove cakes from oven; transfer to a wire rack to cool.
• Turn out cakes. Using a serrated knife, level the tops; slice each cake horizontally into two even layers. Place one layer on a 6-inch cardboard round. Using a pastry brush, brush 5 layers generously with the candied-lemon syrup. Spread the pastry cream over 5 layers, about 3/4 cup per layer. Stack layers on the cardboard, ending with the one uncoated layer. To stabilize cake, insert a 6-inch wooden skewer through center. Overlap the candied lemon slices and thyme sprigs on top of the cake. Refrigerate until pastry cream has set, at least 1 hour. Serve.

ROSEMARY & THYME LEMON PUDDING CAKES

Steps:

• Separate eggs; let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Lightly brush the inside of six 6-oz. ramekins or custard cups with 1 tablespoon melted butter. Dust each with 1/2 teaspoon sugar. , Preheat oven to 350°. In a small saucepan, combine milk and herbs; bring just to a boil. Immediately remove from heat; let stand 10 minutes. Strain milk through a fine-mesh strainer; discard herbs., Place flour and 2 tablespoons sugar in a large bowl; whisk in yolks, lemon zest, lemon juice, remaining melted butter and strained milk. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Gradually add remaining 4 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high after each addition until sugar is dissolved. Continue beating until stiff glossy peaks form; fold gently into flour mixture. Divide among ramekins., Bake until tops spring back when lightly touched, 17-20 minutes. (Cakes will fall slightly.) Sprinkle with coarse sugar; cool 5 minutes on a wire rack. Serve warm.

LEMON-THYME PASTRY CREAM

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, combine milk, thyme, lemon zest, and 1/2 cup sugar. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand 15 minutes.
• Prepare an ice bath. In a medium bowl, combine cornstarch, flour, remaining 1/2 cup sugar, and salt. In another bowl, whisk eggs until smooth. Add cornstarch mixture to egg mixture; whisk until well combined.
• Strain the warm milk mixture; discard solids. Return milk to saucepan; bring to a boil. Slowly pour into egg-cornstarch mixture, whisking constantly.
• Transfer new mixture to saucepan set over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat, and transfer mixture to a large heat-proof bowl.
• Whisk in butter; set bowl in ice bath, stirring occasionally, until chilled. Lay plastic directly on surface of pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming; chill until ready to use.

COURGETTE, LEMON & THYME CAKE

Steps:

• Start by making the decorations. For the crystallised thyme, put the sugar on a plate, brush the thyme with the egg white, then roll in the sugar. Shake off some of the excess, then leave the sprigs on a piece of baking parchment to dry out completely.
• For the candied lemon slices, tip the sugar into a saucepan with 200ml water. Heat gently to dissolve the sugar, then bring the syrup to the boil. Drop in the lemon slices and cook for 15 mins until softened. Carefully remove the slices from the syrup and place on a piece of baking parchment to dry. (Lift them gently as they will be quite delicate, and you want to keep them in rounds if possible.) Keep the remaining syrup for brushing over the cake.
• Heat oven to 180C/160 fan/gas 4. Grease and line the bases of two 20cm springform cake tins. Make the four sponges in two batches. To make the first batch, in a stand mixer or in a large bowl using an electric hand whisk, beat 175g butter with 175g sugar and the zest of 1 lemon until creamy. Gently beat three of the eggs together in a jug. Gradually add the egg to the mixture, scraping down the side and whisking well after each addition. In a separate bowl, mix together 200g self-raising flour, 1 tsp baking powder and a pinch of salt, and fold this into the cake mixture. Finally, stir in 300g courgette and 1 tbsp thyme leaves. Divide the mixture between the tins and bake for 25 mins or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
• While the sponges are still warm, prick all over with a skewer and brush over a little of the reserved lemon syrup. Once cool enough to handle, remove from the tins and place on a wire rack. Make and cook the second batch of cakes using the remaining ingredients - you can use the same baking parchment, just re-grease the parchment and the sides of the tins.
• When the cakes are cool, make the icing. Whisk all the ingredients together with a pinch of salt until smooth and fluffy.
• Using a cake turntable, if you have one, sandwich the cakes together with a little of the icing. Using a palette knife, spread a thin layer of icing all around the cake and chill for 30 mins to set. (This layer is known as a 'crumb coat' because it traps any loose crumbs on the surface of the cake - so when you put a second layer of icing on, the cake will be nice and smooth.) If you are short of time, put it in the freezer for 5 mins.
• Once chilled, completely cover the cake in a second layer of icing to achieve a smooth finish. Stick the crystallised thyme and candied lemon slices over one side of the cake and top as if they are cascading.
• Return the cake to the fridge or freezer until the icing has completely set. For extra shimmer, use a thin paintbrush to brush a little of the gold paint across the lemon slices for a burnished, autumnal effect, and dot pieces of gold leaf as you go, if you like.

LEMON TOWER CAKE

Steps:

• Prepare pie filling as directed.
• Cover surface with waxed paper and chill.
• Spread 1/2 the chilled filling between layers of cake.
• Whip cream; fold in remaining 1/2 of the filling.
• Spread mixture over top and sides of cake and chill for at least 4 hours.

LEMON THYME POUND CAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with rack in lower third. Butter six (1-cup) molds of a mini angel food cake pan or mini bundt pan. Dust with flour, and tap out excess. Pick 2 teaspoons small sprigs from tops of lemon thyme sprigs, and divide evenly among molds; set aside. Coarsely chop remaining lemon thyme leaves to make tablespoons; whisk chopped lemon thyme with the flour, salt, and lemon zest in a small bowl. Set aside.
• Put butter into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream on medium speed until pale and fluffy, scraping down sides of bowl as needed, about 4 minutes. Add sugar. Mix until pale and fluffy, scraping down sides of bowl as needed, about 3 minutes.
• Mix in vanilla. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition; mix until smooth. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in 3 batches, mixing until just combined after each addition.
• Spoon batter over lemon thyme in prepared molds. Smooth tops using a small rubber spatula. Firmly tap the pan on counter to eliminate any air bubbles. Bake until a cake tester inserted into centers comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Let cakes cool slightly in pan on a wire rack, about 10 minutes. Run a knife around edges of molds to loosen; unmold cakes. Place each cake on a serving plate, and drizzle with about 1 tablespoon syrup. Garnish with lemon thyme sprigs.

LEMON-THYME TEA BREAD

Steps:

• In a microwave-safe bowl, combine milk and thyme. Microwave, uncovered, on high 1-2 minutes or until bubbly; cover and let stand until cooled to room temperature., Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with reserved milk mixture. Stir in lemon juice and zest. , Pour into a greased 9x5-in. loaf pan. Bake 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. , In a small bowl, combine glaze ingredients until smooth; drizzle over bread.