citrus cake - iron chef : battle citrus

My friend Heather has continued her tradition, which she started in Chicago, of coordinating a little "Iron Chef" battle between friends. It's a fun event, that has been made a little more intense recently by the addition of multiple professional chefs to this challenge. I'm generally not a competitive person, well not with others anyway, but this challenge brings out that spirit in me, which with chefs in the running, I'm not sure is  the best for my self-esteem...

This time around the event was hosted in a professional kitchen, thanks to the many "real chefs" who join in on the fun, and it was a lot of fun to finally cook in that environment. Though the equipment was a little foreign to me (how do you turn on that oven??), I hope we get to go back and perhaps I'll feel a little more comfortable using it all (hello professional deep fryer, large Wolf stove and grill!)

The battle this time, named by the previous winner, was citrus, and you know what, I copped out a little. just a little. I've had this cake on my mind for what seems like years, though it was months I'm sure. It's probably one of the most gorgeous cakes I've seen (and made). I just had to give it a try and this felt like the right opportunity, being a citrus battle and all.

Inspired by Stella McCartney's citrus prints, I first spotted this cake at Apollinas, or maybe it was all over pinterest, but when Estelle gave it a go, I was inspired even further... (and totally used her tip on chilling that cake after filling it, thanks Estelle, it worked beautifully)!

So, without further ado, here is my entry into Battle Citrus: the Stella McCartney inspired Citrus Cake. YUM! (which, by the way got 3rd place, under some pretty crazy good fried chicken & lemonade... I mean come on, how can you beat that??)

Citrus Cake

inspired by Apollinas, recipe adapted from here

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the pans 

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, plus more for the pans 

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 

1/4 teaspoon baking soda 

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 

1 1/2 cups sugar 

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 

3 large eggs, at room temperature 

1 cup whole milk

lemon curd (see below)

lemon frosting (see below)

slices of citrus fruit (oranges, lemons, limes, blood oranges, etc), for decorating

fresh mint, for decorating

 Heat oven to 350°F. Butter two 9-inch round cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment, butter again, and dust with flour, tapping out the excess. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the vanilla, then the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

Reduce mixer speed to low. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions and the milk in 2 additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Mix just until combined (do not overmix).

Transfer the batter to the prepared pans and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 22 to 25 minutes. Cool the cakes in the pans for 15 minutes, then turn out onto racks to cool completely.

Transfer one of the cooled cakes to a plate and spread with 1 cup of the lemon curd. Top with the remaining cake and refrigerate to set, 30 minutes. Some of the curd may have spilled out of the sides. If so, either gently scoop up and back into the filling or remove. Spread the top and sides with the frosting. Decorate with slices of citrus (lemons, limes, blood oranges, or grapefruit) and fresh mint leaves.

lemon curd 

4 large eggs 

1 cup sugar 

1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest 

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces 

In a heatproof bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest and juice, and salt. Add the butter. Set the bowl over (not in) a saucepan of simmering water and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture has thickened to the consistency of mayonnaise, 12 to 15 minutes.

Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl. Place a piece of parchment or wax paper directly on the surface of the lemon curd and refrigerate until completely cool, at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.

lemon frosting 

2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature 

2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest 

1 pound confectioners’ sugar (about 3 3/4 cups), sifted

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and lemon zest on high until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce mixer speed to low. Gradually add the sugar, then the salt, and beat until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.