Millcroft Inn & Spa’s Lemon Sponge Curd Cake

A homemade Lemon Sponge Curd Cake is a wonderfully thoughtful and delicious gift to give this Mother’s Day! Try this easy recipe courtesy of Pastry Chef Karen Souillet from Headwaters Restaurant at Millcroft Inn & Spa. Her cake is soft, buttery, packed full of lemon flavour, and topped with a delightful lemon curd and Limoncello. It’s a real treat for mom!

Lemon Sponge Curd Cake

Compliments of Pastry Chef Karen Souillet from Headwaters Restaurant at Millcroft Inn & Spa.

Yields 1 X10” bundt cake & 1 3/4 cup curd

Lemon Curd:

1/2 cup Freshly squeezed lemon juice (approximately 4 lemons)
1 tbsp Grated lemon zest
1 cup + 2 tbsp Sugar
3 tbsp Unsalted butter cut into tiny cubes
1/8 tsp Salt
4 large Eggs

Method:

1. In a double boiler, combine the lemon juice, zest, sugar, butter, and salt.
2. Cook together over medium heat until the butter melts and the sugar no longer feels gritty in the bottom of the pan.
3. Slowly pour in the eggs, continually mixing them, and cook until the mixture thickens and coats the back of the spoon.
4. Transfer to small bowl and add plastic wrap to contact (touching curd on top) and refrigerate overnight.

Lemon Cake:

1 ½  cup Cake flour
1 ½ cup Sugar
6 large Eggs, separated and at room temperature
½ cup Cold water
1 tsp Vanilla extract
¾ tsp Cream of tartar
2 tbsp Limoncello liqueur (optional)
Zest of 1 Lemon
1 tsp Lemon extract

Method:

1. Sift the pastry flour 3 times and set aside.
2. In large mixing bowl, beat the sugar, with the egg yolks until they are thick and pale yellow in color.
3. Gradually beat in the water, vanilla and lemon extract and the zest. With a spatula, fold in the sifted flour gradually and gently. Set aside.
4. In another bowl, and with whisk (both need to be very clean) beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until soft and shiny, careful not to have dry peaks on the egg whites when whipped.
5. Fold the egg whites into the egg yolk flour mixture and pour batter into ungreased bundt pan.
6. Bake the cake at 325˚F for 40 minutes.
7. When taking the cake out of the oven, invert onto a baking rack to cool.
8. When ready to serve, sprinkle cake with limoncello, whisk curd together and pour over cake.

Tip:

Serve with freshly whipped cream and berries (blackberries and raspberries).