This is a cake my boyfriend baked during the week-end, and it
has turned out superbly. I do not know why is it called ’American’, we found it
in our 'Cakes and cookies' cookbook. It has a sweet, buttery dough as a base,
layered with whipped egg whites and lemon cream, and the whole cake is covered in lemon flavored thickened whipped cream, which makes it really fabulous.
Ingredients:
For the dough
125 g (4.4 oz) butter
325 g (11.5 oz) sugar
4 eggs
250 g (8.8 oz) flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
2 tablespoons of milk
For the filling and cover
3 lemons
100 g (3.5 oz) sugar
3 teaspoons of starch
500 ml (17 oz) double cream
Instructions:
Beat the butter with the sugar until fluffy. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites. Mix well the egg yolks with the flour, baking powder and milk, then combine with the butter mixture. Preheat the oven to 200°C (392°F). Pour half of the dough in a 26 cm (10 inches) cake mold and bake for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks, then add the remaining sugar to it, and whisk again. Spread half of the foam on the nearly baked dough, and bake for another 10 minutes. Set aside, and bake the remaining dough and egg white foam in the same manner. Let it cool.
Squeeze the lemon juice, mix with the 100 g (3.5 oz) sugar and add 120 ml (4 oz) water. Boil it, then mix the starch with 2 tablespoons of water, and add to the boiling lemon juice mixture. Mix until it thickens, then let it cool down.
Whip the double cream, and little by little add the lemon mixture to it. Spread some of it on one layer of the cake, then cover with the other one. Spread the remaining lemon flavored whipped cream on the top and sides of the cake. You can serve it immediately, or you can put it the refrigerator until the cream sets completely.