LIMONCELLO LAYER CAKE WITH MASCARPONE AND LEMON CURD FROSTING

For our weekend company, I planned to make a Limoncello layer cake with lemon curd and mascarpone frosting. I found the recipe on epicurious.com --it was originally published by Bon Appetit, April 2003. The reviews of the recipe were mixed, and many reviewers felt that the cake was bland. There was no lemon zest anywhere in the recipe. I used a different lemon curd recipe (theirs was made on a stovetop and had no lemon zest); used a DH yellow cake mix for the cake part instead of their sponge cake; and substituted Limoncello for the lemon syrup. To decorate the top of the cake, I used a resealable quart-size plastic bag as a pastry bag, cut the bottom corner and inserted a star pastry tip. This recipe can be made in stages: lemon curd one day, cake the next day, and frosting and assembly the next day. The cake is amazing. Lemon flavors come through strong, but the delicate mascarpone and cream soften the lemon and smooth it out. Here's the recipe:

Microwave Lemon Curd:

3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 cup lemon juice
2 Tbsp. lemon zest
1 tsp. orange zest
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
Whisk together the sugar and eggs in a 1-1/2 quart microwaveable bowl. Stir in the juice, zests and melted butter. Cook in microwave on high, stopping and stirring at one-minute intervals until the mixture can coat the back of a metal spoon. (It should take less than 5 minutes. It will bubble up quite a bit.) Cool on counter, whisking occasionally, for about an hour. Finish cooling in fridge.

Lemon Syrup: (make this only if you are not using Limoncello)

1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup boiling water
3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Mix all ingredients together until sugar dissolves. Set aside to cool. (If you are using Limoncello, you will need about 1/2 cup.)

Cake: Duncan Hines Yellow Cake Mix (not the butter type)
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup water
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup oil
2 Tbsp. lemon zest
1 tsp. orange zest
1 tsp. pure lemon extract
1/4 tsp. pure orange extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease and flour 2 8-inch cake pans. Set aside. Combine all ingredients in large bowl of mixer and follow directions on package for mixing cake.
Pour batter into prepared pans and bake for 28-35 minutes, testing for doneness at 28 minutes by first pressing lightly on center of cake with fingertips, then inserting a toothpick in center. Toothpick should have just a slight crumb on it when removed. Cool cakes in pan on counter for 10-15 minutes, then invert and finish cooling on cake rack.

Filling and Frosting: 2 cups chilled heavy whipping cream
2/3 cup confectioner's (10X) sugar
16 oz. mascarpone cheese, softened OR
8 oz. mascarpone cheese & 8 oz. cream cheese (I used mascarpone & Neufchatel)

1-1/4 cups lemon curd (homemade or purchased)

Place large mixing bowl and wire whip beaters in freezer for 10 minutes. Remove and whip the cream till stiff. Slowly add the sugar and continue beating till stiff again. In separate smaller bowl, by hand or with electric mixer with wire whip attachment, beat the softened cheese and chilled lemon curd together till well combined. Add the sweetened cream and beat again till everything is well blended.

Assembly: Cut the cooled cake layers in half horizontally to make 4 layers. Place the first layer, cut side up, on serving plate. Using pastry brush, brush 1/4 of Limoncello (or lemon syrup) onto the cake. Top with 3/4 - 1 cup of the frosting. Place next layer cut side down and repeat process. Frost the outside of the cake and the top. If desired, decorate top using a pastry bag (or resealable plastic bag with corner cut and star tip inserted in cut corner) and star tip. If you do not have a star tip, you can decorate top with chopped nuts, chopped crystallized ginger, or thin lemon slices. Yield: 10-12 servings.

The cake should be refrigerated for at least 6 hours before serving. It's really like a Tiramisu and it WILL pick you up! (Tiramisu means literally "pick me up.")