Sunshine Citrus Cake with Orange Mascarpone Frosting #Recipe by @LibbyKlein

 Libby Klein Sometimes I just get in the mood to be fancy. Plus I love anything lemon. And I didn't know what the heck to do with these kumquats I bought because I wanted to try them. In case you're wondering - the peel outside is sweet and the inside is tart. They're really good on the cake because the frosting is sweet. I filled the layers with lemon curd so I knew there was danger of sweet overload. That's why I cut the sugar in my frosting. I love my sweets, but I tend to have a low threshold for just how sweet they can be. Let me know if you make this and what you think about the combination.

Disclaimer - Read all your labels to make sure your ingredients are gluten-free. Gluten can be sneaky.

Gluten-Free Sunshine Citrus Cake with Orange Mascarpone Frosting

Serves: 12 

Ingredients

Lemon Curd
2 large eggs
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp Lemon zest 
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2–3 lemons)
¼ cup unsalted butter

 

Cake

1 and 3/4 cups one-to-one gluten-free flour blend* 
*1 tsp xanthan gum if not already in your flour
- - - Or just use 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour if you aren’t gluten-free
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 and 1/2 Tablespoons citrus zest combination of lemon, orange, and lime 
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole milk, at room temperature
1/3 cup freshly squeezed citrus juice combination of lemon, orange, and lime

Try not to notice the sour cream in the picture. I decided not to use it.

Instructions

Make the lemon curd: Whisk all the ingredients together in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Stir continuously over low to medium heat until the curd is thick enough to cling to a spoon. This will take about 6-8 minutes.

Make the cake: Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease three 6-inch round cake pans or two 8-inch cake pans or line them with parchment paper. 

Whisk the flour, xanthan gum if you’re using it, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside. Using a handheld or stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Then add the citrus zest. Beat on medium-high speed until combined and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla extract. Beat on medium-high speed until combined.

Add half of the flour mixture, followed by half of the milk, and then half of the citrus juice. Beat on low speed until mostly combined, and then add the remaining flour mixture, milk, and citrus juice. Beat on low speed until combined.

Divide and pour batter evenly into cake pans. Bake cakes for 18-21 minutes or until browned and springy. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, it’s done.

Allow cakes to cool for ten minutes. Remove cakes from the pans and set them on a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the Mascarpone Frosting. Recipe Follows.

Top the first cake layer with a thick layer of lemon curd. Add the second cake. Repeat the process with that layer. Frost the top and sides of the cake with Orange Mascarpone Frosting.

Store the cake in the refrigerator.

Orange Mascarpone Frosting

Ingredients

16 oz Mascarpone Cheese
Zest of 1 orange
3-4 cups powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon orange juice or orange liqueur like Grand Marnier 

Whip the cheese and orange zest with your mixer until combined and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time and mix on low until combined. Taste your frosting after the third cup. If you think it’s sweet enough and still thick and fluffy, stop there. If not, add the rest of the powdered sugar. Add the orange juice or liqueur and mix well. 

I finished the cake with lemon and lime slices and kumquats. It would be perfect for cold winter days or any event where you want a sure winner.

Recipe inspiration from Sally’s Baking Addiction

 

“Haunted houses, bickering spouses, and murder mix in this Halloween treat… Suspects and motives abound in this laugh-out-loud mystery.” Kirkus Reviews

Poppy is none too pleased when her B&B is coerced into participating in the Cape May Haunted Dinners Tour during Halloween season. Though her knack for finding dead bodies has given the place a spooky reputation, the Murder House is a completely undeserved nickname. At least it used to be . . .

While Poppy wrangles with some guests who can’t stop squabbling with each other—including a paranormal researcher, a very quirky pet psychic who freaks out her portly Persian, and an undercover tabloid reporter eager to catch her staff in a lie—one of them winds up facedown in a plate of tiramisu. And now she has bigger worries than getting her house TP’d . . .

Libby Klein grew up in Cape May, NJ where she attended high school in the '80s. Her

classes revolved mostly around the Culinary sciences and Drama, with one brilliant semester in Poly-Sci that may have been an accident. She loves to drink coffee, bake gluten-free goodies, collect fluffy cats, and translate sarcasm for people who are too serious. She writes from her Northern Virginia office where she serves a very naughty black smoke Persian named Sir Figaro Newton. You can keep up with her shenanigans by signing up for her Mischief and Mayhem Newsletter on her website. www.LibbyKleinBooks.com/Newsletter/