Cindy "TheSweetNerd" Rodriguez Lemon Lingonberry Cake, done Sweet Nerd style. It’s a bit of ‘Splatter meets Swedes.’ The puckery sweet filling was inspired by Sweden’s popular Lingonberries and the urban splatter painted finish was inspired by street art in Los Angeles. The lemon and lingonberry combination is just perfect and with each bite you get the sweetness of the frosting and jam combined with mouth-watering, moist lemon cake.
For this cake, I called a good chef friend of mine, Laura Gillway for back-up. She’s an amazing pastry chef and she’s Swedish! How perfect is that? She helped us through the basics of fondant and created that incredibly cool water color effect as an homage to her Swedish heritage.
Laura has worked with the fabulous Ashley Holt of Sugar Monster Sweets in New York and can now be found at Gjusta in Venice, CA. She is pretty much an unstoppable artistic force in the kitchen!
For this post, I am focusing on the decorating aspect, but let me just tell you – this lemon lingonberry cake is DELICIOUS. Lemon is one of my favorite flavors for a cake, and this particular sweet sensation has a great balance of tart and sweet. I wish I could tell you that it’s as easy as plopping jam onto each layer of cake, but it’s just NOT that simple.
In order to prevent this beautiful red jam from bleeding out to the exterior of the cake, you need to create a barrier on the inside. Start by creating a ring of buttercream as a boundary, then fill it with jam. Use a pastry bag (or a gallon-sized plastic bag will do, too!) and pipe out the buttercream in a circular fashion nearly touching the edges. For the filling, I used Felix Wild Natural Lingonberries Jam and it worked beautifully (plus, you can find this in most supermarkets).
Now let’s get started with some basics, beginning with laying down the fondant.
Here is where Laura, the fondant master, comes in. Check out the video below to see how she ‘lays down’ her mad satin fondant skills. You do need a few items to make this process easier. A rolling pin, pizza or fondant cutter, and a fondant smoother (about $5 at Michael’s or Amazon – I used the Wilton brand). Also, go easy on sprinkling cornstarch. I tend to have a heavy hand when it comes to non-stick strategies, but in this case, you’ll need to be mindful of it as it will dry out and cause cracking later. Tip: Just sprinkle a tiny bit of cornstarch onto a flat surface before you roll out your fondant to prevent it from sticking.
Next, comes the brushing and splattering. To make it easy, get a palette of colors and mix them with a few drops of vodka before you begin applying it to the cake. Don’t worry, you don’t taste the vodka, (although feel free to do a sample taste test, LOL) it’s just for liquifying the colors a bit more so they can be applied or splattered easily. Laura started with a variety of colors, brushes, and just went for it.
It’s time to get creative. I loved mixing the yellow and blue tones atop the hues of pinks and purples. It rocked! It was so beautiful that I didn’t want to cut into it, but I knew the lovely lemon lingonberry cake inside was just waiting to be devoured so I quickly overcame my admiration.
I have made this cake several times without the fondant covering and it is truly spectacular. I give it a Sweet Nerd Rating of A+. But, if you feel up for some fondant fun, go for it! Even if the cake is not perfectly smooth, just paint and splatter away and enjoy!
Recipe Credit: Lyndel Miller, Naked Cakes
Photos by: Maria Hedrick Photography
September 15, 2016 Recipe Credit: Lyndel Miller, Naked Cakes Lemon Cake (double recipe for three 6" layers) 4 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature 4 1/2 ounces plain Greek-style yogurt at room temperature Frosting 5 cups confectioners sugar, sifted Filling Lingonberry Jam (about 1/4 cup for filling each layer) Optional Fondant Decorating Cornstarch, for rolling out fondant Americolor pink, yellow, white, blue Lemon Cake 1Preheat oven to 325F. Line bottom of cake pans with parchment paper and lightly grease. 2Bowl: Sift flour, baking powder, and baking soda into a large bowl and whisk to combine. 3Mixer: Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time to the butter mixture and beat well after each addition, scraping down the the side of the bowl occasionally. Add the vanilla, lemon zest, and salt and beat until just combined. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture and yogurt alternatively and beat until just combined. 4Bake: Pour the mixture into the cake rounds and smooth the tops. Bake for 35-45 minutes until cakes come out clean when you insert a toothpick. 5Once baked, let sit for 10 minutes before you turn out cake and transfer to a wire rack to let cool completely. Cut and smooth tops for layering cake. Frosting 1In a mixer, whip the butter on high for 3 to 4 minutes until pale and creamy. Add the powdered sugar, cream, and vanilla. Beat for another 3 minutes until smooth. Assembly 1Layer & Filling: On top of the first layer, pipe a thin outer ring of buttercream, and fill the inside of the ring with up to 1/4 cup of lingonberry jam. The outer ring of buttercream you pipe on each layer acts as a barrier for the jam so it won't leak over the sides. Next, repeat once more with the next layer of cake. Add the final cake layer atop. 2Frosting: Add a crumb coat (the 1st thin layer of buttercream to lock in crumbs) to the cake top and sides, then place in the freezer for 20 minutes or until hard. Topcoat cake for full coverage. Start on sides, then work your way to the top. Try to get it as smooth as possible, but don't fret, you can smooth it out once more when it's set. Once set, use the smooth end of a cake comb along the sides and on the top of your cake to accomplish a finished smooth look. 3Fondant: Roll out fondant with dash of cornstarch. Cut fondant and apply over cake. Use fondant smoother and trim excess fondant. 4Watercolor: Mix high quality colors with drops of vodka to create fluidity with the food coloring. Use different styles of brushes and tips to create a lovely masterpiece. Have fun!Lemon Ligonberry Cake
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simply stunning with such a gorgeous watercolor effect. and that cake sounds like heaven with all that lemon and jam. mmmm mmmm.