This Italian cream dessert is very simple but fancy enough to serve as a birthday cake. It’s low on sugar and big on flavor. You can swap the lemon zest for orange or lime to change things up. You can also add a layer of jam on top of the first layer of dough—raspberry jam, marmalade jam or even Nutella work well. —Maria Morelli, West Kelowna, British Columbia
Italian Cream-Filled Cake
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 4 large egg yolks, room temperature
- 1-1/2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- Dash salt
- FILLING:
- 2-1/3 cups plain whole milk yogurt
- 1-2/3 cups sour cream
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 large egg whites, room temperature
- 3/4 cup sugar
- Confectioners' sugar, optional
Directions
- In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in zest and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture.
- Divide dough in half. Shape each into a disk; wrap. Refrigerate 1 portion and freeze 1 portion for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350°. On a lightly floured surface, roll refrigerated portion of dough to fit a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Refrigerate while making filling.
- Meanwhile, for filling, in a large bowl, combine yogurt, sour cream, flour and vanilla. With clean beaters, beat egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high after each addition until sugar is dissolved. Continue beating until stiff glossy peaks form. Fold into yogurt mixture. Spread evenly over crust.
- Using a box grater, grate frozen dough portion over filling. Press lightly into filling. Bake until puffed and edges are light brown, 30-35 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into bars; if desired, sprinkle with confectioners' sugar. Refrigerate leftovers.
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