ruffle cake

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(adapted from martha stewart)

Tender Lemon Cake

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans
2 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
Zest of 1 lemon

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter three 6-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment; butter; dust with flour.
   
2. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. With electric mixer, beat butter on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 4 minutes. Add sugar; beat well. Reduce speed to medium; add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Reduce speed to low; alternately add flour and buttermilk, starting and ending with flour. Stir in zest.
   
3. Pour batter into pan; bake, rotating halfway through, until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool in pan on rack 15 minutes. Remove; let cool completely right side up on rack.
   
   
   

   swiss meringue butter cream
   1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
   1 1/2 cups sugar
   6 egg whites
   1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

   Beat butter with electric mixer until fluffy and pale. Transfer to small bowl.
   In double boiler over simmering water, whisk sugar and egg whites until warm and sugar is dissolved, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to clean bowl of electric mixer; beat on high with whisk attachment until fluffy and cooled, about 10 minutes.
   Reduce mixer to medium-low; add butter a scant 1/4 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla, then pink food coloring (I used  Americolor Electric Pink Soft Gel Paste .
   Switch to paddle attachment; beat on lowest speed 3 to 5 minutes. Leave at room temperature if using same day.
   

   
   Trim bottom layers; stack on cake round, with 3/4 cup butter cream spread over top of each. Add top layer; spread 1 cup butter cream over entire cake. Refrigerate 40 minutes until firm. Tint half remaining butter cream pink.
   
   

   

   Place cake on rotating stand. Lay flat a 12-inch pastry bag with #103 tip. Fill pastry bag from tip to top with pink butter cream. Hold bag vertically, slot of tip perpendicular to cake; use swift back-and-forth motion 1 inch wide to make ruffle, pulling tip up side. Turn cake stand slowly, piping circular ruffle over top.
   
   
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enjoy!

zucchini soup

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3 cups shredded zucchini
2 tablespoons Chopped Leeks
2 tablespoons Water
2 cups Milk 

1/4 cup Butter
2 tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
Salt and Pepper to taste
Freshly Grated Nutmeg (optional, highly recommended)

Combine zucchini, onion and water in a large saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Melt butter in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat then whisk in the flour. Once mixture is bubbly, slowly pour in the milk and whisk until mixture is slightly thickened. Pour milk mixture into zucchini mixture and stir until thoroughly combined. Season with salt and pepper. Pour soup into bowls and top with freshly grated nutmeg. Serve with crusty French bread.

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  enjoy!

emma's lemon meringue pie

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1 ½ cups sugar

7 tablespoons cornstarch 

1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups boiling water

3 eggs, separated
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons butter 

1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
1 (9-inch) baked pie crust, cooled

 Combine cornstarch, sugar, salt. Add the water. Cook until thick, stirring constantly. Cover and place over boiling water for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Beat egg yolks slightly, add a small amount of hot mixture (to temper). Add to hot mixture, cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly.Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice, butter and grated peel. cool to room temperature without stirring. Pour into cooled, baked pastry shell.

 

 Meringue~Add 1 teaspoon lemon juice to 3 egg whites. Beat until smooth. Add 6 tablespoons sugar, one at a time. (*Beat until stiff glossy peaks form. Plopping large dollops of meringue onto the lemon filling, spread the meringue to the edges of the pie. Seal the pie completely by pressing the meringue against the crust. * this was not included in original recipe.)  

Bake at 350* for 15 to 20 minutes.

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enjoy!