Paula's Birthday

In September, Paula came to visit for her birthday.  We made her a delicious Lemon Cake.  It is a recipe from Pampered Chef.  I am not usually a big fan of anything lemon but I tasted this at a party and really enjoyed it.  Paula loves Lemon Meringue Pie so I knew this would be perfect for her birthday.   It is really good.   This recipe is a little bit more involved than I like but if you love lemon it is worth every second!

Mock Lemon Meringue Cake   by Pampered Chef

• 5 lemons
• 1 yellow cake mix
• 1c. sour cream
• 1 egg
• 2T. plus 1c. powdered sugar, divided
• 1 pkg. instant lemon pudding and pie mix
• 1/2c. milk
• 1 16oz. Cool Whip thawed, divided
• 4 oz. cream cheese, softened

1. Preaheat oven to 350*.  Spray Torte Pan with nonstick cooking spray.  ( This pan helps by making a well in the center for the pudding to go in later.  I guess you could make this without the pan but it does help.)  Place an 8 in. circle of parchment paper over the center circle of the pan.
2. Zest four of the lemons to measure 1/4c. ( I zested all 5 lemons,  just made it easier to get enough zest.)  Juice the zested lemons to measure 2/3c. lemon juice, set aside.  (I also had to juice all five to get enough.)
3. In bowl, combine cake mix, sour cream, egg, and 1T. of the zest, whisk 1 min.  Pour batter into pan and spread evenly.  Bake 10-12 min or until center is firm.  The batter is pretty thick but the cake is the consistency of a pound cake. 
4. Remove cake and allow to cool approx. 3 min then invert onto cooling rack.  Remove parchment paper and cool 10 min.   While cooling prepare glaze.  Combine 2T. of the lemon juice and 2T. of the powdered sugar and heat in microwave 15-20 seconds or until sugar is dissolved.  Transfer cake to serving platter, brush with the glaze. 
5. For filling, combine pudding mix, milk, 1T. zest and 1/4c. of the lemon juice; whisk briskly until smooth.  Fold in 1c. of the whipped topping until very thick.  Spread this into the well of the cake. 
6. For the topping, whisk cream cheese, remaining 2T. of zest and 1/4c. lemon juice until smooth.  Slowly add remaining sugar; whisk until smooth.  Add remaining whipped topping all at once; fold just until combined. 
7. Garnish can be sliced lemons or zest which ever you choose.