Turn to this lemon cream génoise recipe as a building block for when you want a light, moist and sophisticated cake. This ethereal version features our basic Génoise recipe that is lightly flavored with vanilla. Torted into three layers, they are all brushed with a lemon syrup, filled with our Egg Yolk Lemon Curd and covered with Italian Meringue Buttercream, to which more lemon curd has been added. The almonds are a nice addition for flavor, texture and appearance. This makes a great celebration cake for the lemon lover.
Lemon Cream Génoise
Author: Bakepedia
Makes: Serves 16
Ingredients
- 1, 9-inch génoise, baked and cooled (LINK)
- 1 batch Italian Meringue Buttercream, vanilla variation, ready to use
- 1 batch Egg Yolk Lemon Curd, chilled and ready to use
Moistening Syrup:
- ⅔ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup water
- ¾ cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice
Decoration:
- 1 cup blanched, sliced almonds, toasted
Instructions
- Have the génoise, IMBC (Italian Meringue Buttercream) and lemon curd ready to use.
- For the Syrup: Stir the sugar and water together in a small pot. Bring to a boil, swirling the pot once or twice to help the sugar dissolve. Once sugar is completely dissolved, remove from heat and cool completely before using. Whisk in lemon juice until combined; set aside.
- For the Assembly: Having a 9-inch cardboard round is very helpful. Torte génoise into three even layers. Place one layer, cut side up, on cardboard round. Brush generously with lemon syrup. Top with a thin but complete layer of lemon curd. Place middle cake layer in place and repeat steps with syrup and lemon curd. Place last génoise layer on top, cut side down, and brush with syrup (you might have a little syrup left over, but not much). Beat whatever lemon curd is left over into the IMBC. Apply a crumb coat of buttercream to the cake and chill well, at least one hour. Apply a smooth final coat of buttercream. Place almonds in a small bowl. Hold cake, on the cardboard round, in one hand and hold over bowl. Scoop up nuts with other hand and apply to bottom quarter of the cake’s sides. They will adhere to the soft buttercream. Place cake on display plate. Use a pastry bag and star tip (we used a Wilton 1M) and make a rosette for every slice. We also placed one almond slice on top of each rosette. Refrigerate up to 2 days. Make sure to bring to room temperature before serving.
- Génoise is dry on its own and needs the moistening syrup. Apply carefully, making sure every last inch of cake is brushed with the syrup.
- Natural sliced almonds would work as well but will look a bit more rustic. This is an elegant cake and the blanched almonds are perfect.
- If you don’t already have a Wilton 1M
star tip, we highly recommend that you pick one up. It makes perfect swirls and rosettes.
How is this done? “Torte génoise into three even layers.”
Sharon, we have two tutorials that might be helpful for you, both in the Tips & Tricks section. Check out Tips for Torting Cake Layers and How to Level Your Cake Layers. Let us know if you have any other questions!
Sharon is the first Bakepedia fan I got to meet in person that I didn’t already know. We ended up at a mutual friend’s house who introduced us. Gotta love a small world. Thank you for being such a great fan, Sharon, and keep us up-to-date on your baking endeavors.