YESTERDAY, March 6, 2016, Sunday, was Family Rosary Crusade day for us here in our subdivision in Cainta, Rizal. Mama Mary was in our house for a week, and, just like in any other house in our subdivision when the Blessed Virgin Mary image was there, we said the Rosary every night before going to bed. Yesterday, she was to be transferred to the neighbor’s house, so the ladies from the Church came over to the house for a final Rosary before accompanying her to the neighbor’s house, where she would stay for a week before moving on again as part of the Family Rosary Crusade.
For the final Rosary yesterday, I made my usual Banana Cake and added a new treat, Lemon Cake with Italian Meringue Frosting, for merienda for everyone. The Lemon Cake was really good, if I may say so. I followed the recipe of Maya, so it was easy so make because I made use of yellow cake mix. The icing is a little tricky to make, but those who bake can easily follow it as well.
As always, I made some variations on the cake. Instead of the usual round cake, I used square molds to make a square cake. And instead of frosting the entire cake with the Italian meringue, I frosted only the in-between layers and the top and gave it a rough, wave-like finish in keeping with the trend for nude cakes these days. Then I sprinkled grated lemon rind and chopped pistachio nuts over it. I cut the cake into squares, placed each slice over a cupcake holder, and, voila!, I had a nice merienda to serve everyone.
If you’d like to try making the cake, follow the recipe that follows. You can choose to turn out a traditional round cake, completely frosted, a nude round cake with just the in-between layer and top iced with frosting, a square cake that’s completely frosted, or a nude square cake like mine. If you have oval-shaped cake molds, you can also use them.
Whatever tickles your fancy!
For the lemon cake:
1 pack Maya Decadence Yellow Cake Mix 520g
1 cup + 1 Tbsp. water
3 whole eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp. finely shredded fresh lemon rind
1. Preheat oven to 350˚F or 177˚C. Grease and line bottom of 2 pcs. 8-inch round or square pans.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine cake mix, water, eggs and oil. Beat with an electric mixer at low speed for 30 seconds. Scrape sides and continue beating for 2 minutes at medium speed or beat by hand using a wire whisk for 3 minutes. Add lemon juice and lemon rind, and mix in completely.
3. Pour cake batter into prepared pans and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.
4. Remove from pan and allow to cool.
For the Italian meringue frosting:
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2cup water
1/2tsp. cream of tartar
1-1/2 tsps. light corn syrup
4 egg whites
1. In a saucepan, combine sugar, water, cream of tartar and light corn syrup. Bring to a boil without stirring until sugar dissolves completely. Lower heat and continue boiling until mixture forms a thin syrup.
2. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.
3. Gradually pour boiled sugar syrup into the meringue while still hot. Continue beating until soft peaks form.
To assemble:
finely shredded fresh lemon rind
chopped pistachio nuts
1. Place one cake layer on a cake tray. Frost top generously with the Italian meringue frosting, and top with the other cake layer. Frost cake with the remaining Italian meringue frosting as desired.
2. Sprinkle with extra grated lemon rind and chopped pistachio nuts.
