LEMON LAYER CAKE WITH LEMON FROSTING

FOR THE CAKE:
3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temp
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs, slightly beaten
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Zest of 2 lemons
FOR THE LEMON FROSTING:
1/3 cup sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
2 packages cream (8 ounces each) cheese, room temperature (for the frosting)
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Arrange two racks in the center of oven. Line the bottoms of two 8 x 2 inch buttered cake pans with parchment paper. Dust the bottoms and sides of pan with flour, and tap out any excess.

TO MAKE THE CAKE:
Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

Cream butter on medium until softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually add sugar, and beat on medium until lightened, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down sides once or twice. Gradually add eggs, beating after each addition until batter is no longer slick, stopping once or twice to scrape down sides, about 5 minutes. Slowly add the sifted flour mixture, alternating with the buttermilk, a little of each at a time, at low speed, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat in the vanilla and the lemon zest. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.

Bake 25 minutes, and rotate the pans in the oven if needed for even browning. Continue baking until a cake tester inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean, 10 to 20 minutes more. Transfer pans to wire racks to cool. Let cool 15 minutes.

Remove cakes from pans. Leave the cakes on a wire rack, tops up, to cool completely, about 1 hour.

MEANWHILE, TO MAKE THE FROSTING:
In a food processor or blender, process the remaining lemon peel and the remaining 1/3 cup sugar until the peel is finely ground.

In a medium-sized bowl, beat the cream cheese, remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and sugar mixture with an electric mixer until smooth (this may be done in the food processor). Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 1 hour, or until firm but spreadable.

TO ASSEMBLE:
To assemble, remove the parchment paper from the bottom of each cake. Slice each layer in half horizontally with a serrated knife. Reserve the prettiest dome top to use for the top of the cake. Place the other top, dome-side down, on the serving platter to make the first layer.

Frost the cake with the frosting using about 1/3 cup between the layers. Frost the outside then refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes 1 eight-inch (4-layer) cake.
Adapted from source: Martha Stewart Living Magazine, May 1997 (cake)
And: The Woman's Day Cookbook (frosting)