Creamy Lemon Lush Cake with Curd Layers
Ingredients
Crust
- 250 g all-purpose flour
- 175 g granulated sugar
- 70 g chopped nuts (such as almonds or hazelnuts)
- 180 g cold butter
- 1 large egg
- Butter, for the pan
- Flour, for the pan
Filling
- 90 g powdered sugar
- 350 g cream cheese
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 50 g heavy cream
- 2 jars (640g total) lemon curd
Topping
- 2 teaspoons powdered sugar
- 100 g mascarpone
- 100 g heavy cream
- 1 lemon
Preparation
Grease a 20x30 cm rimmed baking sheet with butter and dust with flour
Sift flour into a mixing bowl and mix in sugar and chopped nuts
Cut cold butter into small pieces, add to the bowl, and rub between your hands until no butter pieces remain
Mix in the egg until a smooth dough forms
Press the shortcrust pastry dough into the bottom of the prepared baking sheet, prick multiple times with a fork, and chill for 30 minutes
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) conventional or 160°C (320°F) convection
Bake the crust in the preheated oven for 20 minutes until golden brown and crisp, then let cool completely
Sift powdered sugar into a mixing bowl
Add cream cheese, lemon juice, and heavy cream, and beat with a whisk attachment until creamy
Spread the mixture over the cooled crust and chill for 2 hours until set
Pour lemon curd into a bowl and stir by hand briefly until spreadable
Spread the lemon curd over the cream cheese layer and chill for 1 hour
Sift powdered sugar into a mixing bowl, add mascarpone and heavy cream, and beat until creamy
Spread the whipped cream mixture over the lemon curd
Wash the lemon with hot water and dry
Zest half of the lemon and slice the other half thinly
Decorate the cake with lemon zest and slices, cut into 24 pieces, and serve chilled
