INGREDIENTS:
Lemon Cake:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pans.
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs plus 3 large egg yolks
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup buttermilk
★Lemon Buttercream★:
7-8 cups icing sugar
Juice of 2 lemons
6 tablespoons lemon zest
1 cup butter, softened to room temperature
8 -10 tablespoons milk
BAKING INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350°C degrees.
Grease and flour two 8-by-2-inch cake pans.
Make sure to tap out the excess flour.
In a bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest.
In a large bowl mixing bowl and using an electric mixer, cream together butter and 1+1/2 cups sugar until light and fluffy.
Reduce mixer speed to low and add in eggs and yolks, one at a time.
Mix in 4 tablespoons lemon juice.
Alternate adding in flour mixture and buttermilk beginning and ending with flour.
Mix until well combined.
Pour ½ of the batter into one pan and add the remaining to the second pan.
Place in oven and bake for 30-34 minute or until cake starts to pull away from the sides of the pan.
Once cakes are completely baked, remove from the oven and cool.
Allow the pans to cool for 10 minutes on a cake rack, then remove cakes from the pans and place back on cake rack, allowing them to completely cool.
While the cakes are cooling, make:
★Lemon buttercream★
In a large bowl, cream together the icing sugar and butter until smooth. Gradually mix in the milk, lemon flavoring, lemon zest and juice with an electric mixer until smooth and stiff, about 5 minutes.
OR
★Lemon Curd Cream Icing★
Beat a tub of fresh cream until stiff.
In a seperate bowl:
Mix approximately 100g cream cheese and 100g lemon curd until combined.
Add approximately 100g icing sugar and mix well.
Fold in the cream.
Spread half the mixture on one layer, top with the other layer and spread on the rest of the cream mixture.
Sprinkle with lemon zest and decorate with candied lemon slices.
Candied Lemon Slices:
Simmer 2 thinly sliced lemons without pips and 2 cups water in a covered saucepan over low-medium heat for 45 minutes or until very tender.
Drain and set aside.
Place 1 cup castor sugar and 1/4 cup water in pan and stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves.
Add lemon slices.
Cook for 15 minutes or until translucent.
Prepared, tried and tested by: Priscilla Huxford
