-
For the Lemon Curd- Make at least one day ahead of time.
-
Using a carrot peeler, remove the zest of 3 lemons, being careful to avoid the white pith.
-
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.
-
Cream the butter and 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.
-
Pour the mixture into a 2 quart saucepan and cook over low heat until thickened (about 10 minutes), stirring constantly.
-
The lemon curd will thicken at about 170 degrees F, or just below simmer.
-
Remove from the heat and cool or refrigerate until cold.
-
To Make The Cake:Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
-
Grease 3 6- inch or 2 8-inch round pans.
-
Make sure all your ingredients are room temperature.
-
In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder and soda and mix.
-
In your mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, blend butter, sugar and vanilla lemon juice and lemon peel at medium speed until pale and fluffy.
-
Add eggs, one at a time, scraping the bowl after each addition.
-
Reduce speed to low and add a cup of flour followed by ⅓ of the buttermilk.
-
Repeat this 3 times, until you have incorporated all the flour and buttermilk.
-
Pour into pans evenly and bake about 20 minutes or until a knife is inserted and when remove is clean.
-
Cool completely.
-
To make the buttercream-
-
Cream room temperature butter in a large bowl.
-
Mix in vanilla and salt.
-
Add in powdered sugar one cup at a time. Keep on mixing until sugar is dissolved. Add a tablespoon of milk whenever mixture becomes hard to mix. Add about 6 cups of powdered sugar, then test to see if it is your desired sweetness, if not, add one more cup of powdered sugar.
-
Mix until smooth.
-
To assemble the cake, place cooled cake layer on cake plate.
-
Pipe a thick ring along the edge of the cake, then fill with about ½ cup of lemon curd.
-
Top with next layer and repeat. Once middle layers have curd, place cake in fridge for 1 hour.
-
Once set, frost the outside of the cake. To make the watercolor effect, please refer to my ebay guide for directions.