Caramelized Sourdough French Toast with Mixed Berry Compound Butter, Macerated Blackberries, Homemade Whipped Cream, & Buttered Maple Syrup

Caramelized Sourdough French Toast with Mixed Berry Compound Butter, Macerated 

Blackberries, Homemade Whipped Cream, & Buttered Maple Syrup

So, there was a nasty cold front that moved through Atlanta this week, and it was absolutely dreadful. Pipes were bursting, roads were freezing... all chaos ensued. It's funny how Southerners act like the world is ending when it isn't even snowing. We're all a bunch of nut cases. But really, can you blame us? We live in a world where it's a hot as hell, the cold is far too frigid. Anyway, the sun finally came out today, YAY. And it started feeling like springtime again. We all know that gives me the itch to make a decadent brunch on the porch, butofcourse. I already had a gorgeous loaf of sourdough bread, so french toast was meant to be. Now, I feel really strongly about french toast. There a three keys to success when making this iconic breakfast staple... 1. Thick, THICK slices of bread 2. Perfect Batter 3. Lots & lots of gourmet toppings. First we tackle the bread. I cut my slices about two inches thick and soak them for about 15-20 minutes in the batter. Now the batter is important because that is where all the flavor is injected. So mine is flavored with heavy cream, milk, vanilla bean rum, orange zest, cinnamon, and nutmeg. When you soak the thick slices of bread in this luscious batter, the middle puffs up into this almost souffle-like center, but the crusts remain crunchy + chewy. But what really puts this recipe over the top is the dusting of powdered sugar. Some of you might be wondering how I get the french toast so perfectly caramelized-- and that's because of the confectioners' sugar! I used a fine mesh sieve to lightly dust the sugar all over both sides of the soaked bread and quickly tossed them into hot butter. Since the pieces of bread are so thick, you have to cook them a good while until everything has heated through and the outsides have evenly browned & crisped. It is also very important to bake it in the oven for about 10-20 minutes to round everything out and keep it warm for serving. Onto the gourmet topping... I made homemade mixed berry compound buttered, macerated blackberries, whipped cream, & buttered maple syrup. Mixed berries + french toast are a match made in heaven, y'all. So don't leave them out... especially the compound butter... and the whipped cream... oh shit, don't leave out anything, alright?! Finishing out the meal, I served our french toast with cheesy scrambled eggs + praline bacon. Umm yumm. Well, I hope y'all make this soon because it makes Sunday Brunch that much better!! Enjoy :)

Soaking the thick slices of french toast in batter...

Ahh the dusting of confectioners' sugar...

SEE-- the PERFECT caramelization

french toast, cheesy scrambled eggs, & praline bacon

raspberry sorbet mimosa in a mason jar

For the Mixed Berry Compound Butter:

4 Sticks of Unsalted Butter, Softened

1C Mixed Berries (I used raspberries, blackberries, & blueberries)

1t Vanilla

1T Sugar

Pinch of Salt & Cinnamon

For the Macerated Blackberries:

3C Fresh Blackberries

½C Sugar

2T Balsamic Vinegar + 1T Fresh Lemon Juice

For the Caramelized Sourdough French Toast:

1 Loaf of Crusty Sourdough Bread, Sliced Very Thick

4 Extra Large Eggs

½C Heavy Cream

¼C Milk + Vanilla Bean Infused Rum

3T Sugar

2t Vanilla Extract

1T Fresh Orange Zest

¼t Cinnamon & Freshly Grated Nutmeg

Pinch of Salt

Confectioners’ Sugar, For Dusting

Unsalted Butter, For Frying

For the Buttered Maple Syrup:

½C Maple Syrup

4T Butter 

For Serving:

Prepared Mixed Berry Compound Butter, Cut into Rounds

Prepared Macerated Blackberries

Warm French Toast Slices

Prepared Buttered Maple Syrup

Homemade Whipped Cream

Directions:

1. For the Mixed Berry Compound Butter: Beat together the softened butter, vanilla, sugar, salt, and cinnamon until combined & fluffy. Add in the mixed berries and beat until they have broken up and evenly dispersed throughout the butter. Spoon it onto a piece of plastic wrap and form it into a log and refrigerate until the butter has chilled and hardened. Cut into rounds and enjoy on your French toast.

2. For the Macerated Blackberries: Using a fork or the back of a wooden spoon, mash 1 cup berries with sugar and balsamic vinegar in a large bowl until sugar begins to dissolve. Gently stir in remaining berries; let sit at room temperature, tossing occasionally, until berries are juicy, 1-2 hours.

3. For the Caramelized Sourdough French Toast: Cut the bread into 8 large wedges. Whisk the eggs, heavy cream, milk, rum, granulated sugar, orange zest, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a large baking dish. Add the bread and turn occasionally until soaked through, about 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Put the confectioners' sugar in a fine-mesh sieve. Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add half of the bread and dust generously with the confectioners' sugar; cook, turning and dusting often with more confectioners' sugar, until golden brown and caramelized, 15 to 20 minutes (add more butter to the skillet, if needed). Transfer the French toast to a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven. Add more butter to the skillet and repeat with the remaining bread. Serve with maple syrup.

4. For the Buttered Maple Syrup: Heat maple syrup in a small pot and whisk in a tablespoon of butter at a time, while whisking the entire time, until the mixture is completely incorporated. Serve warm.

5. For Serving: Serve the French toast with some mixed berry compound butter, macerated blackberries, a drizzle of buttered maple syrup, and a dollop of homemade whipped cream. Enjoy!

Bourbon Peach Tart with Perfectly Purple Blueberry Crust

Bourbon Peach Tart with Perfectly Purple Blueberry Crust

I have always found it so interesting in how the way food plays such a big part of our memories. Many of my biggest milestones revolve around what was served or made in order to celebrate. Buttermilk Pie, made by my mother, is a must at Thanksgiving, so much so that a riot will ensue if another dessert tries to sneak into its' place at the dinner table. Spicy-yet-hearty chili always reminds me of mini frito pies that we ate out of potato chip bags while tailgating on the Quad at the University of Alabama. Fried chicken is the only thing I will eat on my birthday, no if's and's or but's. And just the smell of smoke + BBQ evokes images of the 4th of July and the block parties to celebrate it (a la The Sandlot... best movie ever). And to be honest, I think that is why I truly love food, and more specifically, cooking because it helps me remember all those childhood days that I would be so devastated to forget. These recipes I make + create are like a little scrapbook that I can look back on and remember the joyful day we enjoyed while eating it. In Georgia, peaches are king. We're called the "peach state" and every street is named Peachtree, just with a different ending... drive, street, avenue, place, road, etc. So any peach dessert, like peach pie or peach cobbler, smells like home to me. For any of y'all that don't live in the South, one of the most favorite combinations is peach + blueberry together. We always had peach + blueberry cobbler because it was one of my mom's favorites. But, for the life of me, I can't create a successful fruit pie, it's one of my many weaknesses. No matter how much effort I put in or how much cornstarch/flour/tapioca I add into the filling... I always, always, always getting a runny pie that in turn make my supposed-to-be-flaky pie crust, super soggy. I hate that. I really do. I lose nights of sleep over it, ha well sorta. For the longest time, I wanted to make a peach + blueberry pie, but couldn't muster up the confidence to do so. Naturally I reasoned that if I did a little twist of the classic combination, I would most likely be successful.... AND I WAS. Instead of a labor intensive lattice-topped pie, I decided to make a free form tart or crostata. I couldn't just throw blueberries into the peach filling, no no no no NO. Not going to fly y'all. And then it struck me, make a blueberry pie crust!! I am in love with the texture, flavor and color of this pastry dough.

just whipped up the blueberry pie crust :)

juicy, ripe georgia peaches

Isn't that crust just to-die-for?? It is. But, I know what all of y'all are thinking... how can this chick add blueberries to a pastry dough without it getting all gummy & flabby with the moisture from the fruit. Wanna know the trick? Of course you do... dehydrated blueberries. I have featured dehydrated fruit before, like in this recipe, and I fell in love with their diversity. They are great for cookies, scones, ice cream, and apparently pie crust. All you have to do is lightly pulse them into the dough (like cubes of butter) until the entire thing turns purple. Then wrap that sucker up and let it firm up in the fridge before serving. After you roll it out, strategically place the peach slices around the crust to form a pretty pattern or you can just dump it all in for all I care. Finally you just tuck the dough up over the edges of the peaches, so that'll hold together while baking. My peach filling is spiked with bourbon, brown sugar, lemon juice, and cinnamon. Simple, yet classically perfect. This tart was the perfect summer dessert and will automatically fill that void of sunny day memories. Now, I'm going to lie to you about one thing because I don't do that around here, but the pie crust will not be as pretty as it looks pre-baked as it does baked. Naturally, anything in the color scheme of blue or purple captures a brownish tone when they are baked, that can be less than appealing. So there are two options for you... One, you can leave it as is and it will still taste delicious and packed with blueberry flavor OR two, you can dilute a little purple food coloring with water and use a small paint brush to lightly color the crust back to its original gleeful color. I wanted mine to look pretty in pictures, so I painted mine just ever-so-slightly during the cooling process, and it worked fabulously! The choice will really be up to you. I honestly can't wait to make many more flavored fruit pie crusts in the future... I'm thinking strawberry-rhubarb!! Enjoy :)

For the Flaky Blueberry Crust:

1 ½C AP Flour

1 Stick + 1T Unsalted Butter, Cold & Cut into Cubes

1T Cornstarch

1T Sugar

¼t Salt

1 Egg

1t White Vinegar

2-3T Cold Water

1C Dehydrated Blueberries

Diluted Purple Food Coloring, For Brushing (optional for better color)

For the Bourbon Peach Pie:

1 ½T Bourbon
2T Brown Sugar

1T Fresh Lemon Juice

½t Fresh Lemon Zest
Heavy Pinch of Cinnamon

1T Cornstarch

2 Large Peaches, Cut into Slices

1T Heavy Cream    

Raw Sugar, For Sprinkling

Directions:

1. For the Flaky Blueberry Crust: Combine the flour, cornstarch, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Pulse to combine. Cut the cold butter into rough ½inch cubes. Scatter on top of the flour, along with ½C of the dehydrated blueberries, and pulse just a couple of times to evenly disperse the butter. In a small bowl, stir together the egg, vinegar, 1T water, and the remaining ½C of the dehydrated blueberries. While streaming the liquids in pulse the machine. The dough will appear very crumbly. Once the liquid has been incorporated squeeze the mixture in your hands and if it holds together you are set. If not, sprinkle with a little more water and pulse a couple more times. Dump out the dough and form into a rough disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

2. Pre-heat the oven to 385 degrees. You want to start with a nice hot oven to make sure your butter in the dough, quickly comes to a boil creating steam that puffs up the dough… this is the magic of flakes. Hot oven plus cold butter equals beautiful flakes.

3. For the Bourbon Peach Pie: Combine the bourbon, lemon juice and cornstarch in a small bowl. Slice the peaches about ¼inch thin. In a medium bowl add the peaches and the juice/cornstarch mixture. Using your hands, toss to combine. Once the dough has chilled roll out to your desired size. Don’t worry about being neat because in my opinion, pies are best when they are rustic and rough. Roll out the dough to ¼” thickness. Place the dough on a parchment lined sheet tray so you don’t have to transfer the pie once assembled (can you tell I’m speaking from experience here?) Arrange the peaches or simply dump them in the center of your dough (just make sure to leave the excess juice in the bowl or it will be very soggy). Leave 1 ½ inches surrounding the peaches and fold this up on top of them pleating as you fold so that it securely encases the fruit. Drizzle some of the remaining juice on top of the peaches for extra flavor. Brush the top of the crust with cream and sprinkle the sugar over the crust and the fruit. Scatter the zest on top of that. Chill the pie in the freezer for 15 minutes before baking.

4. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour. If the crust starts to color too quickly before the juices have begun to boil then simply turn the oven down to 350*. You will be able to tell your pie is done with the crust is a deep golden color and the juices have bubbled and look thicker than boiling water and more like bubbling jam.

5. Remove from the oven and let sit for at least two hours before enjoying with a big scoop of ice cream!

source: tequila peach pie.

Summer Staples : Roasted Summer Berry Swirled Buttermilk Ice Cream Sandwiches with Rehydrated Berry-Sweet Corn Cookies + Lemon Curd Center

Summer Staples : Roasted Summer Berry Swirled Buttermilk Ice Cream Sandwiches with
Rehydrated Berry-Sweet Corn Cookies + Lemon Curd Center

I've been on a really big ice cream sandwich kick as of this summer. It's really the perfect cool treat during a hot day. Especially when you have a homemade cookie and a killer creamy-icy filling... it can't be beat! These summer treats start with Momofuku's famous sweet corn cookie that has been dialed up a notch with some vanilla bean rum rehydrated summer berries. The chilled cookie dough is then rolled in raw bourbon vanilla sugar, which gives it the perfect crackly-crunchy exterior. These cookies are truly fabulous on their own and I can guarantee you'll want to make them over and over again like I have in the last month. They taste like a mixture between cornbread + yellow cake. It's divine and you just have to make them! Better yet, make them with ice cream stuffed in between the middle. This ice cream is Southern to its core because it has the ever-so-popular buttermilk as the base. It's perfectly tangy and is balanced amazingly with the swirls of sweet berry preserves. But what I'm most excited about is the lemon curd center. With the use of my handy-dandy doughnut cutter, I was able to cut out perfectly round ice cream fillings, and then pop our the center and fill it with creamy lemon curd. It's the  best little surprise when you bite into the ice cream sandwiches and get a lemony burst of flavor! All of these components work together brilliantly and quite frankly, I can't wait to use this doughnut-ice cream filling technique for sandwiches in the future!! Enjoy :)

For the Roasted Summer Berry Swirled Buttermilk Ice Cream:

1 Stick Unsalted Butter, Melted & Cooled Slightly

2C Heavy Cream

1C Buttermilk, Well-Shaken

6 Egg Yolks

1C Sugar

½t Salt

2T Buttermilk Powder, Sifted

1t Vanilla

2T Vanilla Bean Infused Rum (or any kind of infused booze that is clear)

1 Whole Vanilla Bean, Split & Scraped for Seeds

Homemade Roasted Summer Berry Jam (or any other kind of preserves may be used)

Homemade or Store-Bought Lemon Curd, For the Center Filling

For the Rehydrated Berry-Sweet Corn Cookies:

2 Sticks of Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature

1 ½C Sugar

1 Egg

1 1/3C AP Flour

¼C Corn Flour

2/3C Freeze Dried Corn Powder

¾t Baking Powder

¼t Baking Soda

1 ½t Salt

½C Each of Dehydrated or Freeze Dried Berries (blueberries, raspberries, & strawberries)

2-3T Vanilla Bean Infused Rum (or just enough to barely rehydrate the berries until soft)

Raw Bourbon Vanilla Sugar, For Rolling the Cookies in

Directions:

1. For the Roasted Summer Berry Swirled Buttermilk Ice Cream: In a saucepan, bring the cream, buttermilk, sifted buttermilk powder, vanilla bean pods, and vanilla bean seeds to a simmer. In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and salt until fluffy. Slowly whisk in the melted butter. Once combined, gradually and slowly into the simmering milk. Pour this mixture back into the saucepan and cook over low heat, until thickened (it should coat the back of a spoon). Strain the custard into a bowl that is placed into an ice bath. Stir in the vanilla bean infused rum and vanilla. Cool the custard base until completely chilled. Once the mixture is chilled, freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. As soon as the mixture is done churning, pour or scoop in one-third of the ice cream into a large container, and then spoon some of the summer berry preserves on top of the ice cream. Using the spoon, smooth it out into any even layer and swirl it some for a pretty marbling effect. Repeat this process until all of the ice cream and preserves have been use. Once it has been assembled, store in the freezer until firm, at least 4 hours.

2. For the Rehydrated Berry-Sweet Corn Cookies:In a small bowl combine the dried summer fruit with the vanilla bean infused rum. Using a spoon, toss the berries and liquid together until they are completely coated. Let them sit and plump up while you make the cookie dough batter. Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, and cream together on medium-high for about 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the egg, and beat for 7 to 8 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour, corn flour, corn powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix just until the dough comes together, beat no longer than 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add in the rehydrated berries and gently beat them in until they are just incorporated. Using an ice cream scoop, portion out the cookie dough onto a Silpat-lined sheet pan. Pat the tops of the cookie dough balls until they are flat on top. Wrap the sheet pan tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 12-24 hours. Do not bake your cookies from room temperature or they will not bake up properly.

3. Baking the Cookies:Remove the chilled cookie dough balls from the refrigerator and immediately roll them in the raw sugar (this will give them a crackly crust, yet chewy interior). Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Arrange the chilled dough a minimum of 4 inches apart on Silpat-lined sheet pans. Bake for 18 minutes. The cookies will puff, crackle, and spread. After 18 minutes, they should be faintly browned on the edges yet still bright yellow in the center; give them an extra minute if not. Cool the cookies completely on the sheet pans before transferring to a plate or to an airtight container for storage. At room temp, the cookies will keep fresh for 5 days.

4. Preparing the Ice Cream Center:Using a doughnut cookie cutter, cut out rounds of the buttermilk ice cream. And then using a knife or spoon, push or scoop out the center of the ice cream. Place the hollowed out rounds onto parchment paper and freeze them again to re-harden or re-firm the texture of the ice cream. Once it has frozen again, place the ice cream rounds onto a cookie and spoon some lemon curd into the hollowed out center. Top with another cookie and enjoy before it melts!

Sweet Cornbread Cake with Blueberries & Candied Bacon Compound Butter

Sweet Cornbread Cake with Blueberries & Candied Bacon Compound Butter

Have y'all ever tried the combination of blueberries + bacon together? Well I have, and I ain't never missing out on it ever again. I adored it. So much so, that I wanted to create a cake that highlighted this delightful pairing. And I know that many Southerners that are about to read this might shun me forever, but I'm willing to take the backlash. My name is Juliana... and I like my cornbread, sweet. Very very sweet. My momma should whoop me for saying something like that, but it's true and I take full responsibility for it. So, when I make my cornbread, I almost always turn it into a cornbread cake. My recipe is pretty simple, I make my favorite classic yellow cake mix as well as a buttermilk cornbread mix, gently fold together the two, and bake it up. This time, I added fresh blueberries, which is always a welcomed addition in my house. Not only did they liven up the flavor, but brought such a pop of color to the bright yellow batter. But what's the best part of this recipe, you ask? The Candied Bacon Compound Butter that gets slathered on top. Yes, I made a Candied Bacon Butter... my obsession has gone too far now, folks. You've got to trust me though, this butter is heavenly. And the uses for it are endless!! Think about smearing it on pancakes or waffles, a simple piece of toast, a buttery biscuit... or hey, you could substitute it into your next chocolate chip cookie recipe. I sure ain't stopin' ya! Bacon + Blueberries belong together, and my friends, cornbread is the perfect vessel to bring the magic all together. We served it as a side because we're naughty, but please, by all means, enjoy it for dessert as well!! Enjoy :)

CANDIED BACON BUTTER, y'all

Give yourself a big ole' slab of that butta.

For the Candied Bacon Compound Butter:

2 Sticks of Unsalted Butter, Softened

¼C Dark Brown Sugar

1t Cinnamon

½t Salt

8-10 Slices of Candied Bacon, Finely Chopped

For the Yellow Cake:

2C + 1T Cake Flour

1t Baking Powder

¾t Baking Soda

½t Salt

1 Stick of Unsalted Butter, Softened

1C Sugar

1t Vanilla

2 Large Eggs, Room Temperature

1C Well Shaken Buttermilk

For the Cornbread:

1 Stick of Unsalted Butter, Melted

2/3C Sugar

2 Eggs

1C Buttermilk

½t Baking Soda

1C Yellow Cornmeal

1C AP Flour

½t Salt

For the Sweet Cornbread Cake:

¼C Vegetable Oil

¼C Sour Cream 

Prepared Yellow Cake Recipe

Prepared Cornbread Recipe

2-4C Fresh Blueberries (depending on how much you want)

Directions:

1. For the Candied Bacon Compound Butter: Place all of the ingredients into the bowl of a standing mixer. Beat on medium-high speed until whipped and all of the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Scoop out the butter and place into a dish or roll into a log with some plastic wrap. Refrigerate until it has become firm again.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a 13x9inch-baking pan. Set it aside.

3. For the Yellow Cake Batter: In a mixing bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together until light & fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in one egg at a time, making sure each one is completely incorporated before adding the next. Mix in the vanilla. Beat in the sifted flour mixture and buttermilk in alternating additions until every ingredients has been added and the cake is completely incorporated and smooth. Set it aside while you make the cornbread mixture.

4. For the Cornbread Batter: In a large mixing bowl, stir together the melted butter and sugar, and then quickly add in the eggs and beat until well blended. Add in the buttermilk. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking soda, and salt. Add this flour mixture to the wet mixture until completely incorporated.

5. Once both batters have been made, gently mix or fold them together to form one cake batter, and then fold in the fresh blueberries. Pour this batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes to an hour, depending on your oven.

6. Cut the cake into squares and serve with a square of Candied Bacon Compound Butter. Enjoy while it is still warm.

Mixed Berry Shortcake Layer Cake with Fresh Berries, Lemon Soaking Syrup, & Whipped Mascarpone Frosting

Mixed Berry Shortcake Layer Cake with Fresh Berries, Lemon Soaking Syrup, & Whipped Mascarpone Frosting

I know that the Fourth of July has come and passed us now, but I still have one more festive recipe to post. For our meal on the 4th, we enjoyed jello shots & fried chicken and this cake for dessert. This cake is so simple, yet so flavorful. Sometimes you don't want a cake with a bunch of crazy components... you just want a vanilla cake with a bunch of fresh berries and a killer frosting. I mean the frosting was divine. I used  this frosting as the base, but I added in a whole bunch of mascarpone, so it's like ten times better than before. We were literally eating it with a spoon. And it might seem like there's a lot of the frosting on the cake, but trust me, you want it there. I love the balance of flavors in this cake. And hey, it's patriotic to boot! I know I'm a little late, but it'd be a great cake for next year's celebration!! Enjoy :)

For the Vanilla Cake:

5 Large Egg Whites, Room Temperature

¾C Whole Milk, Room Temperature

1 Lemon, Zested

2 ¼t Vanilla

2 ¾C Cake Flour, Sifted

1 ¾C Sugar

1T + 1t Baking Powder

¾t Salt

12T Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature & Cut into Cubes

For the Lemon Soaking Syrup:

¼C Sugar

3T Fresh Lemon Juice

For the Whipped Mascarpone Frosting:

10T AP Flour

2C Milk

2t Vanilla

4 Sticks of Salted Butter (or you can use unsalted and just add salt to taste)

2C Sugar

16oz Mascarpone

For the Mixed Berry Shortcake:

Prepared Three Layers of Vanilla Cake

Prepared Whipped Mascarpone Frosting

Lemon Soaking Syrup

Fresh Blueberries, Blackberries, Strawberries, & Raspberries, For Garnishing

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 3 round cake pans with parchment paper and spray with Pam and set aside.
2. For the Cake: In a medium bowl, combine and stir the egg whites, ¼C of milk, lemon zest, and the vanilla. Set it aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the dry ingredients together on low speed for 30 second. Add the butter and remaining ½C of milk, and mix on low speed until just moistened. Increase to medium speed and mix for 1½ minutes. Scrape the side of the bowl and begin to add in the egg mixture in 3 separate batches; beat on medium speed for 20 seconds after each addition. Divide the batter evenly into the three prepared cake pans. Bake each cake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center (do not over-bake). Let the cakes cool on racks for 10 minutes before loosening the sides with a knife, and invert onto greased wire racks.
3. For the Lemon Soaking Syrup: In a small bowl, combine the sugar and lemon juice, stir with a fork until the sugar dissolves. Set it aside until ready to use.
4. For the Whipped Mascarpone Frosting: In a small saucepan, whisk flour into milk and heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens. You want it to be very thick, thicker than cake mix, more like a brownie mix is. Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature. (If I’m in a hurry, I place the saucepan over ice in the sink for about 10 minutes or so until the mixture cools.) It must be completely cool before you use it in the next step. Stir in vanilla. While the mixture is cooling, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. You don’t want any sugar graininess left. Then add the completely cooled milk/flour/vanilla mixture and beat the living daylights out of it. If it looks separated, you haven’t beaten it enough! Beat it until it all combines and resembles whipped cream. Once it has reached the consistency you liked, gently adding in the mascarpone and beating to combine. It should be fluffy and light, but smooth.

source: fluffy vanilla cake.