Pretty Princess Cake

There’s nothing quite as gratifying as a cake that comes out exactly as planned…and even better. The tangy lemon layers of this cake came out precisely as desired. The raspberry cream moussey filling..Check. Fluffy as a cloud not-overwhelmingly-sweet whipped cream frosting. A+++   I’d make this cake again. And again. And again. Pretty. Tasty. Pretty Princess Cake.

Lemon Raspberry “Pretty Princess” Cake
Adapted from Vanilla Buttermilk Cake from Sky High
4 eggs
2 yolks
2 t. lemon extract
1 1/4 c. buttermilk, divided
3 c. cake flour
2 c. sugar
4 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
2 sticks butter, at room temperature
1T.  lemon zest

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Butter 2-9″ deep cake pans. Line bottoms with parchment and grease the parchment. 
2. Combine eggs, yolks, vanilla, and 1/4 c. buttermilk in a small bowl. Whisk to combine.
3. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixer bowl and whisk to blend. Add remaining 1c. buttermilk and butter to the dry ingredients and with mixer on low speed, blend together. Raise speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
4. Add the egg mixture in 3 additions, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Mix only until incorporated. 
5. Divide batter among prepared pans and bake 30-40 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted removes clean. Cool 15 minutes and remove from pans to cool completely before filling and frosting.

Raspberry Cream Filling
1 c. whipping cream
3/4 c. raspberries
1 packet unflavored gelatin
1/2 c. sugar

1. Combine raspberries and sugar in a small saucepan and heat over low until simmering, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved and berries soften. Puree and chill. Strain if desired.
2. Combine half of the puree and the entire contents of the gelatin packet together in a small saucepan. Let sit 5 minutes. Over low heat, stirring often, melt gelatin. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
3. Meanwhile, whip the cream to soft peaks. Slowly pour in cooled-but-still-liquid gelatin mixture and whip to stiff peaks.
4. Place in refrigerator to chill 5 minutes and then dallop atop 1st cake layer. Chill again until firm and place second cake layer atop.

Creamy Lemon Whipped Frosting
2 c. whipping cream, very cold
2 t. gelatin
2T. water
2 t. lemon extract
1 t. vanilla extract
1/2 c. powdered sugar
pinch salt

1. Combine gelatin and water. Set aside to bloom 5 minutes. Microwave in 5 second increments stirring between, until gelatin is melted. Set aside.
2. Begin whipping cream, adding salt and sugar at the beginning. When soft peaks form, slowly add in the remaining ingredients, including gelatin, which should still be liquid (If not, melt again.). Whip to stiff peaks and chill 5 minutes before frosting cake. If you have leftovers, you may make a lemon semi-freddo or mousse by mixing the cream with lemon curd and refrigerating it  (mousse) or freezing it (semi-freddo). Easy peasy lemon squeezy.