Lemon Cake

1. Grease and flour two 9-inch pans, set aside. Preheat oven to 180°C or 350°F.
2. Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Give it a good stir with a whisk to combine everything.
3. In a standmixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, sugar and lemon zest until pale and fluffy, about 3-4 min. Turn the speed down to low and add in the eggs one at a time. Then add the lemon juice.
4. Keeping the speed on low, add in the flour mixture and buttermilk, alternating. First a third of the flour mixture then a third of the buttermilk, then another third of the flour mixture and so on until everything is inside.
5. Fill into your prepared cake pans and bang the pans onto your kitchen counter 3 times to get the trapped air to the top. This is an important step to ensure that your cakes will rise evenly.
6. Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let them cool completely.
7. Then level the cakes and cut each cake in half. Assemble your layers by spreading lemon curd on top of a layer and adding the next until you get to the last which you will turn upside down (the crumb side should face downwards). Chill in the fridge for at least 30 min before adding on your crumb coat.

Lemon Frosting

1. In a large bowl cream the butter and lemon extract for one minute. Then sift the powdered sugar into the bowl. I do not add in all the sugar at once, but add a part, then mix into the butter and add another, to make sure everything is well combined, until all the sugar is in the bowl.
2. Then add in the water, mix it all together, and tint with food coloring. The consistency should be quite soft, easily spreadable. (Like ice cream.) Add more water if necessary.
3. Crumb coat the cake by coating it with frosting with an angled spatula, sealing in all the crumbs. Smooth sides and top with a bench scraper and make sure your frosting is level. Chill again for at least 30 min, until the frosting has slightly hardened.
4. Pipe the ruffles onto the cake (see video), leaving some room in the center of your cake. Add a lemon slice to the center to garnish.