Lemonade Layer Cake

From Cooking Light magazine (don't know when)

This cake was auctioned off to benefit the Biostatistics team for the 2010 Minnesota AIDS Walk.

Cake (Original recipe, modifications I made are at the bottom):

• 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 6 Tblsp butter, softened
• 1 Tblsp grated lemon rind
• 3 Tblsp thawed lemonade concentrate
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 large eggs - whites only
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1-1/4 cups fat-free buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Place first 5 ingredients (sugar through vanilla) in a large bowl. Beat at medium speed until well blended.
3. Add eggs and egg whites, one at a time, beating well after each.
4. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda; combine well with a fork or whisk.
5. Add flour mixture to the sugar mixture, alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour. Beat until just combined after each addition
6. Pour batter into two 9-inch round cake pans coated with cooking spray (or with butter and dusted with flour). Sharply tap pans once on the counter to remove large air bubbles.
7. Bake for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
8. Cool cakes in pans for 10 minutes on a wire rack, then remove the cakes from the pans and cool the cakes fully on the racks.
9. Frost as desired.
10. Store cake loosely covered in the refrigerator. Eat cold or bring to room temperature before eating.

Lynn's Frosting:

• 2 Tblsp sour cream
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 Tblsp cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 Tblsp grated lemon rind (use more or less, to your taste)
• 2 cups powdered sugar

1. Beat together well the first five ingredients (sour cream through lemon rind).
2. Beat in powdered sugar, about 1/2 cup at a time, until desired consistency and sweetness are obtained.
3. Chill until stiff enough to spread.

Lynn's modifications to the cake recipe:

• Reduce granulated sugar to 1 cup.
• Increase lemon rind to 1-1/2 or 2 Tblsp.
• Replace 2/3 cup of the all purpose flour with 2/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour.
• I've also cooked this cake in a 9x14 inch pan. It comes out pretty thin, but it worked well to put a wax paper sling in the bottom of the pan in both directions (then butter and flour the paper) before pouring the batter in. Use the sling to pull the whole cake out at once (you'll probably need four hands to do this).
• Decorate after frosting with fresh strawberries. If you slice the strawberries, let them drain a bit on a paper towel before putting them on the cake, otherwise the berry juice will run across the top of the frosting.