Test your baking skills and devote your time to this raspberry lemon macaron cake.
Macarons—the epitome of the French patisserie! These elusive little cookies are a real treat to enjoy, especially with a cup of coffee. Raspberry lemon macarons, in particular, are one of my favorites. There’s something incredibly delicious about the sweetness of the macaron combined with raspberry and tart lemon. This cake is filled with homemade lemon raspberry curd, fluffy whipped cream frosting and loads of raspberries. Macarons are known to be finicky and I highly recommend using a kitchen scale for this recipe.
Ingredients
Macaron Cake Layers
- 2 1/2 cups almond flour
- 1/3 cup plus 1 1/2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
- 2 3/4 cups plus 2 1/2 teaspoons confectioners' sugar
- 6 egg whites, room temperature
- 1/2 cup sugar
- red food coloring, gel only
Raspberry Lemon Curd
- 1/3 cup lemon juice, strained
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3 egg yolks
- pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup raspberries, crushed
- 1/2 teaspoon raspberry extract
Whipped Cream Frosting
- 2 cups heavy cream, chilled
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 8 ounces mascarpone cheese, softened
- 1 cup white chocolate chips, melted
- 2 cups fresh raspberries
Directions
For the cake
Line three baking sheets with parchment paper and trace 6-inch (15-cm) circles on the back. Prepare a large pastry bag tipped with a simple round tip, such as Ateco tip #806.
Sift the almond flour, flour and confectioners’ sugar into an extra-large mixing bowl. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the egg whites and sugar on high speed for 4 to 5 minutes, just until stiff peaks form. Add a few drops of food coloring to the meringue and mix again for 30 seconds.
Add the meringue to the dry ingredients, folding and mixing thoroughly until the batter reaches ribbon stage.
Transfer the batter into the prepared pastry bag. Starting from the center of each circle, pipe the batter onto the parchment paper, forming a flat disk, approximately 1 cm tall. Pipe 1-inch (2.5-cm) macaron disks with any remaining batter.
Tap the baking pan against a kitchen counter to release any trapped air bubbles. Rest the macarons for at least 1 hour, allowing a thin shell to form on the outside.
While the macarons are resting, preheat the oven to 320°F (160°C) and prepare the raspberry lemon curd.
Combine the lemon juice, sugar, egg yolks and salt in a small saucepan. Combine the cornstarch with the water to form a slurry and add that into the saucepan. Heat the curd over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and begins to bubble, about 7 minutes.
Remove the curd from heat and add the butter, whisking until the butter is melted. Add the crushed raspberries and extract last. Transfer the curd into a large bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it into the refrigerator to cool.
Bake the rested macarons one sheet at a time for 18 to 20 minutes. Allow them to cool on the parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form. In a separate bowl, whisk together the mascarpone and melted chocolate for a minute until creamy. Add the cheese mixture to the whipped cream and whisk again for 1 to 2 minutes, until stiff peaks form. Transfer the cream into a pastry bag tipped with French star tip #8FT.
To assemble the cake, pipe dollops of cream onto each layer, top with raspberries and add a generous amount of the lemon curd in the center. Garnish the top with whipped cream, more raspberries and extra, small macaron disks.
Set the cake into the refrigerator for 1 day, allowing the macarons to mature. When ready to serve, use a sharp serrated knife to slice the cake.
