DOME CAKE PAN RECIPES

Steps:

• Place a rack in center of oven; preheat to 350°. Butter a 9x4" loaf pan, fully coating bottom and sides. Line pan lengthwise with parchment paper, leaving about a 2" overhang. Are you reading this and wondering, "Can I use wax paper instead of parchment paper?" The answer is: absolutely NOT. That strip of parchment paper will help you to lift the finished cake out of the loaf pan cleanly. Wax paper, on the other hand, will melt and stick to the cake—it's never meant to go into the oven. Now you know!
• Using a Microplane, finely grate the zest from 2 lemons into a large bowl. Add 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted room temperature butter and 1 cup granulated sugar to bowl. It might be tempting to ignore the part about the butter being "room temperature," but working with butter that's soft and spreadable—but not melted—is essential here.
• Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat until mixture is very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. You know how people talk about "creaming" butter and sugar together? That's what you're doing here. You're basically whipping a bunch of air into the butter and sugar mixture, which will help keep the finished cake light and fluffy. And as we mentioned in the last step, that butter needs to be room temp in order for this to work.
• Beat in 3 eggs one at a time, waiting until each is incorporated before adding the next. Continue to beat until mixture is lighter and even fluffier, about 2 minutes.
• Whisk 1¾ cups all-purpose flour, 1½ tsp. baking powder, and ½ tsp. salt in another large bowl. It might seem funny to add salt to a dessert recipe, but a little bit helps to make all of the rich, sweet elements really sing.
• Add one-half of dry ingredients to butter mixture and beat on low speed just until combined.
• Beat in 6 Tbsp. milk on low just until smooth, then add remaining dry ingredients and beat just until combined. Now that you've added the flour, you want to mix the batter as little as possible—if you beat it up too much, you'll start to form gluten, which will make the cake tough. Using a spatula, scrape down sides of bowl and give batter a final mix so dry ingredients are fully incorporated.
• Scrape batter into your buttered loaf pan; smooth top with a spatula. Bake cake, turning once halfway through, until a cake tester, toothpick, skewer, or thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean, 45-55 minutes.
• While the cake bakes, make the glaze: First, remove zest from remaining lemon with a vegetable peeler in wide strips. (FWIW, if this part seems overly fussy or annoying, you can feel free to just use a Microplane to zest all of the lemons for the glaze, but we think doing it this way looks cuter.)
• Transfer zest to a cutting board and slice as thinly as possible; set aside.
• Halve 2 lemons (the ones you already zested) and squeeze the juice into a small bowl with a reamer or fork (you should have about ½ cup lemon juice).
• Place 1½ cups powdered sugar in another medium bowl. Slowly whisk in about half of lemon juice until smooth, then add sliced lemon zest; set glaze aside.
• Let cake cool about 10 minutes. (Yeah, it really does need to cool a bit, so set a timer if you're impatient.) Poke 10-15 holes evenly throughout cake with a cake tester or toothpick. Pour the remaining lemon juice—the stuff that didn't end up going into the glaze—over the top of the cake. Let cool completely. (Seriously!)
• Run a butter knife around edges of pan to loosen. Using parchment overhang, lift cake onto a wire rack; remove parchment.
• Now, pour the lemon zest glaze over cake, letting it fall down the sides. Let icing set for at least 10 minutes before slicing. Serve on its own, or with a spoonful of Greek yogurt, a dollop of whipped cream, or a scoop of ice cream on top. (You deserve it!)

Steps:

• FOR THE CAKE: Begin early in day or day ahead to make Cannoli Cake.
• Preheat oven to 375°F In small bowl, with mixer at high speed, beat egg whites until soft peaks form; gradually sprinkle in 1/2 cup sugar, beating until sugar completely dissolves and whites stand in stiff peaks.
• In large bowl, using same beaters and with mixer at low speed, beat egg yolks, flour, baking powder, salt, remaining 1/2 cup sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 2 Tablespoons water until blended. With rubber spatula, gently fold beaten egg whites into egg-yolk mixture, one-third at a time.
• Spoon batter into UNGREASED 10 inch by 3 inch springform pan. Bake 30 to 35 minutes until cake is golden and top springs back when lightly touched.
• Invert cake in pan on wire rack; cool completely in pan.
• FOR BRUSHING CAKE LAYERS: From oranges, grate 2 teaspoons peel (use the rest of peel for the filling) and squeeze 1/3 cup juice (IF NOT USING LIQUEUR, INCREASE JUICE TO 1/2 CUP). Stir liqueur into 1/3 cup juice; set aside.
• FOR THE FILLING: In large bowl, with mixer at low speed, beat ricotta, cream cheese, rest of the grated orange peel, confectioners’ sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until smooth. Stir in 1/4 cup semisweet-chocolate mini pieces.
• With metal spatula, loosen cake from edge of pan; remove pan side. Loosen cake from pan bottom; remove pan bottom. With serrated knife, cut cake horizontally into 2 layers. Brush orange-juice mixture evenly over cut side of both layers.
• Place bottom cake layer, cut-side up, on cake plate. Spoon ricotta-cheese filling on center of cake layer. Spread some filling out to edge, leaving a center rounded to achieve a dome effect.
• Cut a small wedge out of remaining cake layer; and gently rest cake layer over filling. (Cutting wedge will allow cake layer to bend, without cracking, to fit over dome shape.).
• PREPARE VANILLA-CREAM FROSTING: In small bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat 3 Tablespoons margarine or butter, softened, 3 Tablespoons milk, 1 3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar, and 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract until smooth, adding more milk if necessary until mixture has an easy spreading consistency. In large bowl, using same beaters and with mixer at medium speed, beat 2 cups heavy or whipping cream until stiff peaks form; fold confectioners’-sugar mixture into whipped cream. Spread over top and down side of cake.
• In a heavy small saucepan over low heat, heat remaining 1/3 cup mini pieces, stirring frequently, until melted and smooth.
• Into waxed-paper cone, spoon melted chocolate. (Or, use small decorating bag with small writing tube.) With chocolate, make feather design.
• Refrigerate cake until filling is firm for easier cutting, about 3 hours.
• TO MAKE WAXED-PAPER CONE: Cut square of waxed paper; fold in half into triangle. Lay triangle on flat surface so wide side is at top. Fold left-hand corner down to center point. Take right-hand corner; wrap it completely around folded left-hand corner, forming cone. Both corners meet at center point of original triangle. Fold in these ends twice to hold together. Fill cone two thirds full; fold top over.
• MAKING FEATHER DESIGN: Piping circles on Cake: Using paper cone with tip cup to make 1/8 inch diameter hole, pipe melted chocolate on top of cake in concentric circles, starting in center and moving to edge of cake. Start with small circle in the middle of cake and go around each circle to the edge. This should be 6 circles.
• Drawing spokes towards center: Before chocolate hardens, quickly with tip of toothpick or small knife, draw lines in spoke fashion, about 1 1/2 inches apart around edge of cake; alternate direction of each spoke, first from edge to center of cake, then from center to edge.
• Completing feather design: Continue around top of cake, alternating direction of each spoke to make attractive feather design. 16 servings.
• The Good Housekeeping Book of Desserts.