Happy Birthday Lulu!

Lulu loves lemon cake and I love lemon cake so when she asked for lemon cake for her birthday- no problem.

I have successfully made this recipe before and this time even better because it was EASY. This is not how I got the recipe from ALLRECIPES.com, but it is how I actually made it and it was WONDERFUL!

Lemon Cake with Lemon Filling and Lemon Butter Frosting

Curd:
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon cornstarch
6 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup white sugar
4 egg yolks, beaten

Frosting:
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons milk

DIRECTIONS

To make filling (curd): In medium saucepan, mix together 1 tablespoon lemon zest, 1/2 cup lemon juice and 1 tablespoon cornstarch until smooth. Mix in 6 tablespoons butter and 3/4 cup sugar, and bring mixture to boil over medium heat. Boil for one minute, stirring constantly. In small bowl, with a wire whisk, beat egg yolks until smooth. Whisk in a small amount of the hot lemon mixture. Pour the egg mixture into the sauce pan, beating the hot lemon mixture rapidly. Reduce heat to low; cook, stirring constantly, 5 minutes, or until thick (not to boil). Pour mixture into medium bowl. Press plastic wrap onto surface to keep skin from forming as it cools. Cool to room temperature. Refrigerate 3 hours or overnight.

To make cake: Take a Duncan Heinz Premium White Cake Mix and make it in 2 rounds with the addition of 1 tsp vanilla in the mix. Then… Allow to cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Then invert onto wire racks to cool completely.

To make frosting: In large bowl, beat confectioners' sugar, 1/2 cup butter, 2 tablespoons lemon juice and 1 teaspoon lemon zest until smooth. Beat in milk, and increase speed and continue to beat until light and fluffy, maybe 3 minutes or more.

To assemble: With long serrated knife, split each cake layer in half horizontally, making 4 layers. Place 1 layer, cut side up, on a serving plate. Spread with 1/3 of the lemon filling. Top with another layer, and spread with 1/3 of the curd. Add third layer, and spread with the remainder of the lemon filling.

Press on final cake layer and frost top and sides of cake with frosting.

Refrigerate cake until serving time.