Lemon-and-Chocolate Doberge Cake Recipe

Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Cindy Barr; Food Styling: Torie Cox
Active Time:
45 Mins
Total Time:
2 Hours 50 Mins
Yield:
Serves 12
By David Guas

This multi-flavored, multi-layered cake is truly a labor of love. Our Test Kitchen adapted Guas’s recipe to include store-bought lemon curd and chocolate pudding in between the layers, which taste great and save you a few steps in the kitchen.

Ingredients

Cake Layers

  • 4 1/2 cups bleached cake flour
  • 1 tablespoons baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 5 large eggs
  • 3 large egg yolks
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups whole milk

Buttercream Frosting

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 5 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 4 tablespoons whole milk, plus more as needed, divided
  • 1/2 tablespoon lemon zest plus 2 tsp. fresh juice (from 1 lemon)
  • 1-2 drops yellow liquid food coloring
  • 2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa
  • 1 ounce finely chopped bittersweet chocolate

Additional Ingredients

  • 1 2/3 cups jarred lemon curd
  • 1 2/3 cups refrigerated prepared chocolate pudding

How to Make It

Step 1

Prepare the Cake Layers: Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

Step 2

Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs and egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.

Step 3

Add flour mixture to egg mixture alternately with milk in 5 additions, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat on low speed until just combined after each addition. Divide batter evenly among 3 greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans.

Step 4

Bake in preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 23 to 25 minutes. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove Cake Layers from pans to wire racks; cool completely, about 30 minutes. When cool, gently slice each layer in half horizontally, making 6 thin layers.

Step 5

Prepare the Buttercream Frostings: Beat butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until creamy, about 3 minutes. With mixer running on low speed, gradually add powdered sugar, and beat until smooth. Add vanilla, salt, and 3 tablespoons of the milk; beat until smooth, about 1 minute. (Add up to 1 tablespoon more milk, if needed to reach desired consistency.) Remove and reserve 1 cup of frosting in a small bowl. Divide remaining frosting evenly between 2 medium bowls.

Step 6

Stir lemon zest and juice into 1 medium bowl of frosting. Stir in yellow food coloring to achieve desired color.

Step 7

Add cocoa to remaining medium bowl of frosting, and stir until smooth. Place chocolate and remaining 1 tablespoon milk in a small microwavable bowl. Microwave on HIGH until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth, about 20 seconds, stirring every 10 seconds. Cool 5 minutes, and stir into chocolate frosting.

Step 8

Place 1 Cake Layer on a serving plate. Spread about 1⁄3 cup lemon curd on half of layer. Spread about 1⁄3 cup chocolate pudding on the opposite half. Repeat process with 4 more Cake Layers. Top with remaining layer. (Indicate on a sticky note which flavor is on each side, and attach to serving plate.) Spread 1 cup reserved plain frosting in a thin layer over sides. Chill 1 hour.

Step 9

Spread lemon frosting over top and frosted sides of lemon half of cake. Spread chocolate frosting over top and frosted sides of chocolate half of cake.

You May Like

Read More