SOUTHERN LEMON WHITE CAKE WITH LEMON CURD

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 350'F. Grease and line with parchment 2 9-inch round cake pans. Be sure to grease parchment as well once it is laid in pans.
• 2. For curd: In a small saucepan combine egg yolks, sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Heat over medium heat for 5-7 minutes, be sure to stir mixture almost continuously. Once the mixture becomes thick enough that it sticks to your spoon almost like a syrup remove from heat and stir in one tablespoon of butter at a time until all 4 tablespoons are completely dissolved. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours at least. You can store it for 2 days at the most. Side note: If you lay the plastic wrap directly against the lemon curd while it sets you won't get that weird skin curds and pudding always get while they set typically. It'll make it easier to mix and spread on your cake later.
• 3. For cake: In a large mixing bowl, sift cake flour, salt, and baking powder together; set aside.
• 4. In another large mixing bowl, cream together butter, 2 cups of sugar and lemon zest until completely creamy.
• 5. In a measuring cup pour 1 cup of cream. Mix it with vanilla extract and lemon juice; set aside.
• 6. In another large mixing bowl, whisk egg whites vigorously. Gradually add 1/2 cup of sugar as you whisk. Bring egg whites up to soft peaks. Be sure to not overwhip or whites will separate.
• 7. Add flour to creamed butter mixture in thirds, adding cream mixture to batter in between adding your flour. In all, you will interchange adding three batches of flour and two batches of the cream. Completely incorporate, but do not over mix.
• 8. Gradually fold egg whites into batter until completely incorporated.
• 9. Pour out into greased lined cake pans and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until just golden on top.
• 10. Cool cakes on wire wrack for 1 hour and turn out of pans to completely cool.
• 11. For buttercream frosting: In a mixing bowl, cream butter until fluffy. Gradually add confectioner's sugar until completely incorporated. Add vanilla and lemon juice and whip until smooth. Set aside.
• 12. Once cakes are completely cooled, level any doming off with a serrated knife or cake leveler. Place one cake on a cake board and spread lemon curd on top of it.
• 13. Stack second cake on the first, and frost as desired with buttercream.