Lemon Custard Cake

While I was flipping through the William Sonoma Essentials of Baking cookbook, the lemon custard cake really caught my attention. I baked lemon bars last year. Camden didn't care for it, but Brek luv it. I never baked anything lemony again. Lately, their taste buds have changed in the best way. Brek likes blackberries and kiwi while Camden likes lettuce and scrambled eggs. I wanted to bake this cake to see if they would like lemony sweet treats. Plus, I really wanted to try baking this lemon custard cake because of how easy the directions were. I could also modify the recipe to make it dairy free.

A few things that I made changes to this cake, beside dairy free, was that I didn't use lemon zest. Why? Well, all of the lemons I've bought, whether they are conventional or organically grown, are waxed. Who wants to have waxed ingredient in their something sweeter anyway? I don't. Instead of lemon zest, I added the lemon pulp. Not only did I juice the lemons, I also scraped off the pulp so the cake would have a lot of lemon flavor.

In the cookbook, there was a little writing about the texture of the cake. The top layer is a cake, and the bottom layer is a custard. Eating two desserts in one. What more can I ask for. The first time I baked the lemon custard cake for our afternoon snack, my kids and I had a few slices a few minutes after it came out of the oven. Of course, the cake was still warm. The leftover cake went into the fridge for a few days. Then we had it again a few days later for our nighttime snack. I think the cake tasted a lot better when it was cold. When the cake was warm, it was just too soft. When the cake was cold, I could really taste the different layers of the cake and the custard.

When I baked this cake again, I baked it the night before and kept it cold in the fridge overnight. It was ready for the next day's snack. Ummm... I luv making something sweeter in advance.

Lemon Custard Cake
modified from William Sonoma's lemon custard cake
makes 9-inch round cake

3 large eggs, divided
1 cup (8 oz) coconut milk
1/2 cup (4 oz) coconut cream
1/4 cup (2 oz) fresh lemon juice with pulp (from 1-2 lemons)
3 Tablespoons (1.5 oz) palm shortening
1/2 cup (4 oz) sugar
1/4 cup (1.5 oz) all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1. Preheat the oven to 350F degree. Have a 9-inch glass pie plate ready. NOTE: There is no need to spray the pie plate with oil. Nothing will stick to the plate. Promise.
2. Separate the eggs to two different large bowls. Set aside the egg whites.
3. Whisk the coconut milk, coconut cream, lemon juice (with pulp), shortening, and sugar to the egg yolks until the mixture is creamy.
4. Add the flour to the lemon mixture and whisk just until just combine. Set aside.
5. Whip the egg whites and cream of tartar until firm peaks are formed.
6. Fold the egg white to the lemon batter until the egg whites are no longer visible.
7. Pour into the 9-inch glass pie pan.
8. Bake in the preheated oven until the top is light brown and the edges of the cake are pulled away a little bit from the pie plate, about 35 minutes.
9. Let the lemon custard cake cool before putting it in the refrigerator. Serve cold.

Allergy Info: This lemon custard cake is free from or can be made without dairy, corn, legumes (soy), nuts (not coconut or palm), and fish.