LAMORINDA WEEKLY | LEMON CAKE with LEMON CURD FILLING

Cake

INGREDIENTS

1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)

2 cups granulated sugar

4 large eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

5 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

DIRECTIONS

Line three 6-inch cake pans with waxed paper or grease well. (You will only need two of these cake layers for the wedding cake, but you will have extra batter so you might as well make a third and enjoy it!)

Sift flour, baking soda and salt and set aside.

In a large bowl, beat butter with sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and beat well (2-3 minutes) until light yellow in color. Stir in vanilla.

Stir dries into batter alternately with milk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Stir in lemon juice.

Divide batter into three pans and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.

Cool cakes, then wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to frost.

Lemon Curd

INGREDIENTS

2 large eggs

6 tablespoons granulated sugar

6 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 tablespoon chilled unsalted butter

DIRECTIONS

In a small saucepan, whisk together eggs, sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest. Cook, stirring constantly, over low heat until mixture begins to thicken and thermometer reaches 165 degrees. Sauce will be thick enough coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and quickly stir in butter. Transfer to a clean bowl and cool. When cool, cover with plastic wrap placed directly on the lemon curd, and refrigerate until ready to use. If the curd is lumpy after cooking, strain it before chilling.