Sunday, July 4, 2010

Lavender chiffon cake with lime curd, cream and lime icing

Lavender chiffon cake with lime curd, cream and lime icing / Bolo chiffon de lavanda com curd de limão, chantilly e casquinha açucarada de limão

Certain flavor combinations are wonderful and we already know they work perfectly, while others might seem a bit unusual to some of us. I’d seen lemon + lavender everywhere – in bars, cookies, cakes and frozen yogurt – but hadn’t given it a try yet. After seeing a beautiful cake in an old magazine, I decided to try the combination, using limes instead.

Now this combo can go straight to the all time favorites list, with apples + cinnamon and chocolate + hazelnuts. :)

Lavender chiffon cake with lime curd, cream and lime icing / Bolo chiffon de lavanda com curd de limão, chantilly e casquinha açucarada de limão

Lavender chiffon cake with lime curd, cream and lime icing
adapted from Sky High: Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes, idea from Donna Hay magazine

Cake:
6 eggs, separated
¼ cup (60ml) neutral vegetable oil, such as canola or soybean
6 tablespoons water
1 ½ cups (300g) caster sugar
1 ½ teaspoons dried edible lavender buds
1 1/3 cups (187g) cake flour*
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cream of tartar

Lime curd:
6 egg yolks
1 tablespoon corn starch
6 tablespoons caster sugar
6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, room temperature
finely grated zest of 1 lime
2/3 cups (160ml) whipping cream, whipped to firm peaks with 2 tablespoons icing sugar (do it just before assembling the cake)

Lime icing:
2 cups (280g) icing sugar
4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 ½ tablespoons water

Lavender chiffon cake with lime curd, cream and lime icing / Bolo chiffon de lavanda com curd de limão, chantilly e casquinha açucarada de limão

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F; line the bottoms of three 20cm (8in) round cake pans with baking paper; do not grease.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, oil and water. Set aside.
Place 1 cup (200g) of the sugar in a food processor, add the lavender buds and process. Sift into a large bowl, discarding the excess lavender. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into the sugar and whisk gently to combine. Add the yolk mixture and whisk to form a smooth batter.
Place the egg whites in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer fitted with the whip attachment on medium-high speed until frothy. Slowly add the remaining ½ cup (100g) sugar and the cream of tartar and continue to whip until soft, droopy peaks form. Fold ¼ of the beaten egg whites into the batter, taking care not to deflate the mixture. Gently fold in the remaining whites. Divide the batter among the 3 prepared pans.
Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden and a cake tester or wooden toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow layers to cool completely in the pans. To remove, run a blunt knife around the edges, invert each pan and tap out the cake onto a wire rack. Carefully peel off the paper.
While the cakes are baking and cooling, make the lime curd and chill completely.

Lime curd: in a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and corn starch. Combine the sugar and lime juice in a non-reactive saucepan and whisk in the egg yolk mixture. Bring to a boil over medium-low heat whisking gently the entire time. Allow to boil for 1 minute, still stirring – curd will thicken.
Pour through a sieve into a heatproof bowl and whisk in the butter until it is completely melted. Whisk in the zest. Let cool slightly, then cover with plastic wrap pressing it directly onto the surface of the curd to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until cold, at least 1 hour.

Lime icing: sift the icing sugar into a medium bowl and gradually add the lime juice and water, mixing well until the desired consistency.

To assemble the cake, place one cake layer on a cake stand or serving plate and spread half the lime curd over the top. Top with half the whipped cream. Repeat with another cake layers and the remaining lime curd and cream. Top with the third cake layer and drizzle with the lime icing.

* homemade cake flour: 1 cup (140g) all purpose flour minus 2 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons corn starch

Serves 12-16 – I made 2/3 of the recipe above for a two-layer cake

Lavender chiffon cake with lime curd, cream and lime icing / Bolo chiffon de lavanda com curd de limão, chantilly e casquinha açucarada de limão

23 comments:

  1. the cake looks soft and spongy, with the lemon curd n icing, I bet must b very yummy.

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  2. that cake looks so delicate! I love it!

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  3. That cake is absolutely lovely! It's almost too pretty to eat! I love the lavender-lime flavor combination.

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  4. I haven't try the combination yet, even if I read about it in a lot of blogs...
    The cake you made looks delicious and you took beautiful pics of it...

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  5. Love the purple around teh cakestand, lovely pics and even more beautiful cake

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  6. I've never worked with lavender before because I'm afraid it might taste "perfume-y". I would eat this though! Looks great

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  9. AnonymousJuly 05, 2010

    These photos look lovely, and what a delicious sounding cake!!

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  10. Beautiful flavor combo - beautiful cake!

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  11. I now have a huge garden of lavender in full bloom. What a wonderful idea for incorporating my favourite flower with my favourite cake! It looks so elegant!

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  12. Sounds heavenly! The perfect cake for summer. Beautiful photos too

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  13. Jess, thank you! Lime and lavender go really well together!

    Paula, thank you!

    Susan, thank you, darling!

    Mika, thank you very much!

    Jennifurla, thank you!

    AJ, it might - you just have to watch the amount of lavender added.

    Milly, thank you!

    Patty, thank you, sweetie!

    Cakebrain, I hope you like it! Thank you!

    Katie, thank you!

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  14. This looks and sounds sensational....LOVE it. Just bought some lavender flowers for a drink I'm working on....but now....

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  15. so pretty! love the recipe, photos and styling here. nicely done!

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  16. This looks WONDERFUL! I'm definitely going to try this =)

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  17. I made this for my Mum's birthday on the 24th {with a few minor changes}...and it was a WINNER! Thank you Patricia; it's been added to my list of faves too! This was just what I was looking for.

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  18. Tenina, tks for stopping by!

    M., you are just too sweet! Thank you!

    Jen, thank you!

    Deeba, I'm so honored and happy to know you made this recipe for such a special person! Thank you, my dear, for your feedback!
    xx

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  19. Blogged about it yesterday Patricia. A gorgeous cake. Have 2 chiffons baking in the oven right now...one vanilla, and one coffee. Thannks again!

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  20. Delish! I want to go to your house! lol thx for the recipe, not only does this cake sound yummy but these pictures are also aesthetically pleasing!

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  21. Deeba, it's such an honor! You would not believe how happy I am!
    xoxo

    Coco, come on over! ;)

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  22. AnonymousMay 14, 2012

    Hi Patricia, I made your gorgeous cake at the weekend and blogged about it at http://wp.me/26VQG with lots of lovely links back to you. Hope that's OK? Thanks so much for the recipe.

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  23. For a variation, substitute fresh mint for lavender, a little rum for the Some of the water, and you'll have a mojito chiffon!

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