Lemon Layer Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

Lemon Curd

• 3 lemons
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/4 pound unsalted butter, room temperature
• 4 extra-large eggs
• 1/2 cup lemon juice (from 3 to 4 lemons)
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Cake

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs, room temperature
• 3 cups sifted self-rising flour*
• 1 cup milk, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 8 oz. unsalted butter, softened
• 4 cups powdered sugar (or more to taste)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions

Lemon Curd

1. Using a carrot peeler, peel off the yellow zest of each lemon. Put the zest in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add the sugar and pulse until the zest is very finely minced into the sugar.
2. In a separate bowl, cream the butter, then beat in the sugar and lemon mixture. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and then add the lemon juice and salt. Mix until combined.
3. Pour the mixture into a 2 quart saucepan and cook over low heat until thickened (about 10 minutes), stirring constantly. It should be cooking at just below a simmer. Remove from heat and cool completely. It is easiest to work with the curd in the cake layers when it is chilled out of the refrigerator.

Cake

1. 2 8"-9" cake pans, oiled and dusted with flour
2. Preheat oven to 350�F.
3. Using an electric mixer, cream butter until fluffy. Add sugar and continue to cream well for 6 to 8 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour and milk alternately to creamed mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Add vanilla and continue to beat until just mixed. Divide batter equally among prepared pans. Drop each cake pan flat against the counter a few times to release any air bubbles.
4. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove and cool in pan 10 minutes, then carefully invert onto a wire rack for complete cooling.
5. * Self-rising flour has both salt and baking powder in it, but you can make your own at home with the following formula: 1 cup self-rising flour = 1 cup all-purpose flour, minus 2 teaspoons + 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder + 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Frosting

1. In a large bowl, beat together the butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer. With the mixer on low speed, add the powdered sugar a cup at a time until smooth and creamy. Beat in the vanilla extract.

Assembly

1. Assure that your cake layers are completely cooled.
2. Using a serrated knife, carefully slice each cake round in half horizontally to create four cake layers.
3. Spread a spoonful of cream cheese frosting on the center of a cake plate, then place the first cake layer down. Spread one cup of lemon curd in the middle of the layer, keeping 1 inch away from the sides (curd will begin to spread as the cake is layered, so do not spread it to the edges). Top with the next layer and repeat with 1 cup lemon curd, next layer of cake, last cup of curd, then fourth layer of the cake.
4. Refrigerate until curd is re-firmed, then use half your cream cheese frosting to frost the top and sides of the cake, catching the crumbs and setting the crumb layer. Refrigerate 1 hour or until set.
5. Frost with the remaining frosting and decorate as desired. Serve slightly chilled.