LEMON POPPYSEED CAKE WITH BLACKBERRY AND ALMOND BUTTERCREAM

LEMON POPPYSEED CAKE WITH BLACKBERRY AND ALMOND BUTTERCREAM

Yields 4

Deliciously layered Lemon Poppyseed Cake filled and topped with creamy blackberry and almond buttercreams.

Ingredients
CAKE

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 3 eggs
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup lemon juice, fresh or bottled
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1 heaping Tbs poppyseeds

BLACKBERRY BUTTERCREAM

• 1 cup blackberries
• 2 Tbs lemon juice
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 4 cups powdered sugar

ALMOND BUTTERCREAM

• 1 cup shortening
• 1 cup butter
• 2 tsp almond extract
• 6 cups powdered sugar
• 1-2 Tbs milk or heavy cream

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In 2 9 inch cake pans line the bottom with parchment paper and then grease the sides with shortening. Set aside.
3. In large bowl mix together your four, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt and whisk together until combined.
4. With hand or stand mixer mix in your eggs, oil and lemon juice until blended. Slowly add in your sour cream and continue beating until incorporated.
5. Pour evenly into prepared pans and bake for about 25 minutes or until golden and cake springs back when touched.
6. Meanwhile to make your buttercreams, add your blackberries and lemon juice to a sauce pan and heat over medium high heat stirring continuously until blackberries start to soften and you are able to mash them with a spoon. Continue to heat until it forms a thick jam like substance, about 6-7 minutes.
7. Remove from heat, now at this point you can bush your mixture through a strainer to strain out the seeds, or add to a small food processor and pulse until it is smooth. Let cool to room temperature.*
8. Meanwhile while blackberries are cooling you will make your almond buttercream.
9. Add your shortening and butter to a large bowl and mix until smooth and fluffy.
10. Add in your almond extract and continue to mix. Add in 1 cup of your powdered sugar at a time until you reach your desired consistency, adding in your milk or cream at the end to smooth out if too thick. Set aside.
11. Moving on to your blackberry buttercream, in bowl add your butter and mix until smooth, add in your blackberry mixture and continue to beat until incorporated. Add in your powdered sugar 1 cup at a time until all is incorporated. Set aside.

TO ASSEMBLE CAKE

1. Once cakes are to room temperature, remove from pans onto a flat surface. Cut each layer of cake in half using whatever method you prefer. I place toothpick around middle of cake and use that as a guide to help me cut in half.
2. Add one layer to the bottom of a cake stand, flat surface, lazy susan or something that will allow you to layer your cakes.
3. Now if you like working with simple syrup which is just a mixture of 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water brought to a boil and left to room temperature, I brush a little on each layer of the cake to keep it moist, this is not required but I do this.
4. Lay one layer of cake on your decorating/serving surface and add 1/2 of your blackberry buttercream on top of that and spread out until about 1/4 inch away from sides.
5. Top with another layer of cake, on top of that add about 3/4 cup of almond buttercream and spread out until 1/4 away from sides.
6. Add your 3rd layer and spread the remainder of your blackberry buttercream on top of that and spread like the previous.
7. Lastly add your last layer of cake on top.
8. Now it's time to frost the top and sides of your cake. I like to make a crumb coating to lock in the crumbs so they don't spread throughout your frosted cake.
9. Starting from the top and working down the sides pile a little of your buttercream on top of cake and gently spread down sides adding more as you are going along. Using a bench knife or flat spatula spin your cake spreading out thin (you'll still see the cake in through the frosting) and smooth. Let set in the freezer for about 10 minutes for this layer to set up and harden so it will be easier for you to finish frosting the remainder of your cake.
10. Once set up repeat that technique with the remainder of your frosting, working from top down.
11. Decorate* to your liking, serve and enjoy!

NOTES

1. I placed my blackberries in freezer to cool quicker.
2. I added a little less than half of the blackberry buttercream to my filling to ensure I had a little leftover to decorate, reserve about 1/2 cup if you'd like to decorate the outside of the cake with this frosting as well as with almond buttercream.

source :http://tornadoughalli.com

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