White Cake with Lemon Filling

This fall my hubby and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary.  Still newlyweds, right?  To commemorate the date, I made a white cake with lemon curd filling - which is what we served at our wedding reception oh so long ago.  It is such a great flavor profile - tender white cake with thick layer of lemon curd along with creamy white frosting.  Hope you enjoy!

White Cake with Lemon Filling

Ingredients:

1 Box White Cake Mix + Ingredients to Prepare

1 Can White Frosting (or one batch of your favorite homemade vanilla frosting)

Lemon Filling Ingredients:

1 Cup Sugar

1/4 Cup Cornstarch

1 Cup Water

2 Egg Yolks, slightly beaten

2 Tablespoons Butter

1/3 Cup Lemon Juice 

Yellow Food Coloring (optional)

Cake Instructions:

Step 1:  Grease and flour a 9x13 cake pan.  Preheat the oven per the directions on the cake mix box.

Step 2:  Prepare the cake mix as directed on the box.  Pour into the cake pan and bake as directed.  

Step 3:  Once cake is baked, set aside and let cool completely.

Lemon Filling Instructions:

Step 1:  In a medium saucepan, mix the sugar and the cornstarch.  Gradually stir in the water.  Heat over medium, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and boils.  Boils and stir for 1 minute.

Step 2:  Gradually stir in at least half the hot mixture into the egg yolks.  Stir well.  Pour that mixture back into the pan.  Boil and stir for 1 more minute.  Remove from heat.

Step 3:  Stir in the butter, lemon juice and food coloring.  Set aside and let cool.  Store in fridge until the cake is completely cooled.

To Assemble:

Step 1:  Remove the cake from the pan.  The easiest way I know to do this, is to run a butter knife around the edge of the pan.  Then, cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap.  Standing over a counter or table (so you have someplace to place the cake) - tip the pan upside down and set on the table.  Lift the pan and if you had greased and floured your pan well, the cake should have popped right out.

Step 2:  Slice the cake in half.  To do so evenly, I like to mark the edge with toothpicks.  I use a ruler to measure where the middle of cake is on the edge and then place a toothpick there.  I do this twice on each short end and three times on each long side.  Using a serrated knife, gently saw through the cake, aiming for the toothpicks as markers.  You should know have two slabs of cake.

Step 3:  Place the bottom of the cake (1 slab) back into the cake pan with the cut side on top.  Slather on the lemon curd in an even layer.  Place the top of the cake onto the curd.  

Step 4:  Frost with your favorite vanilla frosting.  I recommend a soft frosting - because you will need to store this cake in the fridge due to the lemon curd.  Stiff frosting will be hard to cut through when refrigerated. 

Store the cake in the fridge.  Enjoy!