Lemon Love Cake

This is a fantastic cake which I make when I am craving the sweet tang of lemon curd paired with fluffiness of vanilla bean cake, and the creaminess of lemon cream cheese icing. It is simple enough to make, yet elegant and indulgent at the same time. The lemon curd can be made and stored in the fridge for up to two weeks, and is fantastic also on its own, or spread on buttered toast on a special morning. It can also be used in little lemon tarts or thickened and used in a lemon meringue pie. I love to keep a little jar in my fridge to dip into when I need a sugar kick. And it is, of course, perfect in this recipe, sandwiched between the vanilla cake layers, and topped with lemon cream cheese icing.

 For the Lemon Curd:

Ingredients:
2-3 lemons (to equal 1/3 cup lemon juice)
1/2 cup white sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup butter

Directions:
1. Finely grate the zest of two lemons. Juice two of the lemons. If you have 1/3 cup of juice, you don't need the third lemon, if not, zest the third, and take enough juice from it to make 1/3 of a cup in total.
2. In a double boiler over simmering water, whisk the lemon juice and zest, sugar and eggs. When combined, begin to add butter in cubes gradually, letting each melt before another is added.
3. Cook, whisking, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. (10-15 min). Do not let boil or get too hot, or the eggs will scramble. Strain out the lemon zest and pour into a bowl to cool, covering the surface of the curd with saran wrap, so it does not form a crust.

For the Vanilla Bean Cake:

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
dash of salt
1 1/3 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 tbsp vanilla bean paste, 1 vanilla bean, or 1 tbsp vanilla
3 eggs
1 cup milk

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit. Butter two layer cake pans, and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
2. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt, and set aside.
3. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Add eggs and vanilla, and mix until smooth.
5. Add drys to the creamed mixture in three batches, alternating with the milk.
6. Divide the mixture between the two prepared pans and bake for 20-30 min, or until a skewer inserted into the middle of each cake comes out clean.
7. Let cool before turning out of pans.

For the Lemon Cream Cheese Icing:

Ingredients:
3/4 cup cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
2-3 cups icing sugar
1/8 cup or more lemon juice (adjust to taste)

Directions:
Beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth, gradually add the icing sugar until you have reached the desired sweetness, and stir in the lemon juice, adjusting amount to your taste. If it's hot in your kitchen, chill the icing in the fridge while you begin to assemble the cake.

To Assemble the Cake:

1. Turn the cake layers out onto cooling racks or plates. Remove the parchment paper, and trim the tops of the cakes so they are flat. (These trimmings can be snacked on or discarded). If you would like a fancier cake, carefully slice each cake layer into two layers, so that you have four layers in total.
2. If making a two tiered cake, spread the lemon curd generously over one of the cake layers. If making a four tiered cake, spread it over three of the cake layers.
3.  Cut out four rectangles of parchment paper and lay on the edges of the serving plate, so they will catch any icing which would normally soil the plate, but will be easy to remove once you have finished icing the cake.
4. Place the bottom cake layer on the serving plate, and adjust the parchment paper so it is not too far under the cake. Stack the other layer, or layers atop this one, ending with the curd-free layer.
5. Ice the cake generously, and if desired, you can pipe rosettes around the top of the cake as I did, or decorate with freshly grated lemon zest, sherbert lemons, or whatever suits your fancy.

Enjoy!