Birthday Cake with Vanilla Buttercream

  Two Tiers, one vanilla, one chocolate, fresh lemon custard filling and my best buttercream icing. I decided this would make everyone happy. It had to be perfect.  It was my mother in laws 90th birthday and a gigantic family reunion.  Deciding on the best vanilla cake recipe was first.  This was my smaller tier but I wanted a dense, flavorful vanilla cake that could be used for larger pans and multiplied.  The recipe below is unbelievable.  It's not difficult, uses standard ingredients and tastes delicious.  If your going to use the lemon custard, make this a day in advance.  It's also easier to make the cake a day in advance for icing and slicing purposes.
Enough said, here goes:

Anna's Swedish Butter Cake
This is for 2  nine inch cake pans (if you have to , like I did, you can increase the recipe)
2 cups plus 2 tbs of sifted flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2tspsalt
1 cup salted butter at room1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar
2 large eggs 1 tsp of vanilla or almond extract

Preheat oven to 350 and line pans with parchment paper
Stir together dry ingredients & set aside
Cream butter & sugar till smooth and add eggs one at a time
Alternately add dry ingredients and milk.  (if you are doubling the recipe, remove from mixer and stir the ingredients)
Stir in extract
Spoon batter into pans & bake 30 - 35 minutes till cake tester comes out clean

The lemon custard is the best.  I have used this over and over and could eat it all by itself!
Ingredients
3 tbs corn starch
1 cup water
2 large eggs
11 tbs sugar
1/8 tsp salt
5 tbs fresh lemon juice

Dissolve the cornstarch in 1/2 cup of water, add the eggs and whisk till blended.
Heat the remaining water, sugar & salt in a small saucepan over medium low heat until sugar dissolves and the mixture is hot (about 2 min)
Add the cornstarch mixture to the hot liquid, whisk costantly and add the lemon juice.
Most important to keep whisking till mix thickens (about 3 -4 min)
Pour into small bowl and allow to cool
Place a piece of plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours

Next post
Decorating the Cake
Vanilla Buttercream Icing
Cake Banner