Cake:2 1/3 c. cake flour
2 3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 Tbsp poppy seeds
5 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 1/2 c.sugar
2 Tbsp lemon zest
12 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 c. milk
Raspberry curd:
8 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 12-oz. package frozen raspberries, thawed
5 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
3/4 c. sugar
Pinch of salt
2-3 tsp lemon juice
Frosting:
8 oz cream cheese
2 c. powdered sugar
2 Tbsp lemon juice
Preheat to 350 degrees. Grease and flower your cake pans. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and poppy seeds.
In a separate bowl beat the egg whites until frothy then add the cream of tartar. Increases the speed and beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
In another bowl cream the butter and sugar until smooth. Add the lemon zest and milk. Slowly add the flour and mix until well blended. Fold in half of the beaten egg whites until they are incorporated then add the other half.
Pour the batter into the prepared pans and cook until golden brown or 25-30 minutes. Allow the cakes to cool completely before adding the filling or topping.
When the cakes are in the oven, start making the raspberry curd. Melt the butter in a saucepan and then add the raspberries, sugar, egg yolks, lemon juice and salt. Mash the raspberries while cooking. Stir frequently for about 10 minutes. Refrigerate the sauce until ready to use so it can thicken.
For the frosting beat the cream cheese, sugar, and lemon juice together.
Layer the cakes with the curd filling and then refrigerate it to help it set up for a while. Otherwise it can get pretty sloppy like this....
After frosting the cake I would refrigerate it again to harden the frosting a bit.
