Old-Fashioned White Cake with Lemon Curd Filling

My interpretation of an old-fashioned white cake—the addition of buttermilk is the secret to a perfect, tender grain. And the intensity and tartness of the lemon curd is well matched with the richness of the cream cheese frosting. I highly suggest this recipe for your next grown-up birthday party, and—happy accident, it was to die for paired with our 2007 Fair White Blend. (It’s not always easy to pair cake with wine!)

Ingredients

Old-Fashioned White Cake

2 1/4 cups plain cake flour plus more for dusting pans
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, soft—not melted
6 large egg whites at room temperature
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Lemon Curd

 3 teaspoons finely grated fresh lemon zest
 1/2 cup plus three tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon corn starch
 3/4 cups sugar
 4 large egg yolks
 1 stick unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon pieces

Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar

Preparation

Old-Fashioned White Cake

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Grease three 9-inch pans with a non-stick baking spray that contains flour. In a separate bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. Cream the sugar and butter in large bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Stir dry ingredients into butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients.

Divide batter among prepared pans. Bake until tester inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Transfer pans to racks and cool 15 minutes. Turn out cakes onto racks and cool completely. Wrap tightly in plastic and store at room temperature.)

Lemon Curd

Over medium heat, whisk together zest, 1/2 cup lemon juice, sugar, eggs, and a pinch of salt in a 2-quart heavy saucepan.

In a small bowl, add stir together 3 tablespoons lemon juice with one tablespoon corn starch. Stir until smooth and set aside.  Add butter to the saucepan and heat until melted over moderately low heat, whisking constantly. Add the cornstarch mixture and whisk continuously, until curd is thick enough to hold marks of whisk and first bubbles appear on surface, about 10 minutes. Immediately transfer curd to a bowl, then chill, covered. Curd keeps well in the refrigerator, so anything you don’t use will be lovely on scones or biscuits.

Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

Using electric mixer, beat 12 ounces cream cheese, 1/2 cup butter and vanilla extract in large bowl until smooth. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, beating until smooth after each addition.

Assemble, once the cake has cooled completely.

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