Lemon Wedding Cake

On December 14th we heard the great news that 2 of our friends, Joe & Anika, were getting married the following day! That's right, the very next day! On December 15th they tied the knot & I just had to present them with a wedding cake. Afterall, you can't have a surprise wedding without a surprise cake!

I used a recipe from Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten, with a few changes, of course.

It turned out to be delicious and I will definitely be making it again!

the original recipe can be found here:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/lemon-cake-recipe/index.html

As I stated, I made a few changes to the recipe. Here is what I did:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided
• 4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• zest of 3 lemons
• 3 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, divided
• 3/4 cup whole milk + juice of 1 lemon (to substitute for buttermilk)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• Cream the butter and 2 cups granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, and the lemon zest.

  Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, combine 1/4 cup lemon juice, the milk (with juice of 1 lemon) and vanilla. Add the flour and milk mixtures alternately to the batter, beginning and ending with the flour.

  Divide the batter evenly between the pans, smooth the tops, and bake at 350.

  Cakes are done when tops bounce back when pushed & no jiggling when wiggled. I am sorry I do not remember how long the baking took ;) check the cakes after 20 minutes and rotate. check again periodically until done.

  Frosting:

  16 oz cream cheese

  1 stick of salted butter, room temp

  1 tsp vanilla

  6-8 cups of powdered sugar

  combine cream cheese & butter in mixer. Add vanilla and mix until combined.

  Slowly add powdered sugar until you reach the desired consistency.

  To make this layer cake I made the recipe twice. I baked two 8 inch round pans and two 6 inch round pans. I line the pans with parchment and spray with a non-stick spray. After baking, I let the cakes cool and then cut the rounded tops off of the cakes to make them flat on top. I spread a bit of cream cheese frosting on the serving platter and placed the first 8 inch round cake upside down on the platter. The frosting underneath the cake helps the cake stay in place. I then frosted the top of the first layer & placed the second 8 inch round cake on top of it. I frosted the top of that cake and placed gently the first 6 inch cake upside down in the center of the cakes. Frosted the top & placed the 4th and final cake on top. I then frosted the top of that cake and worked my way down the sides. I then used a piping bag with no tip, just the round opening to pipe dots around the edges of the cake. I had cut a beautiful bloom from a hydrangea and placed it on top of the cake, and also placed a leaf from the same plant along the bottom edge for decoration.

  A simple, but beautiful & quick "surprise" wedding cake!