Video: Teddy's Birthday / A Vanilla Birthday Cake with Meyer Lemon Curd Filling

We're taking a momentary break from all the book publicity to celebrate the first year of our son's life. No big deal! Psyyyyych. It's a huge deal. I love this kid soooooooo much.

Basically, I took three different recipes and put them together to make a layer cake. Teddy loves citrus, so I put a few dollops of lemon curd in between each cake layer, and then I iced it all with the vanilla frosting (which I obviously dyed with food coloring). Also, I used Meyer lemons for the curd because we have a Meyer lemon tree (God bless, Southern California!), but you could definitely use regular lemons.

Vanilla Birthday Cake with Meyer Lemon Curd Filling 

serves a bunch of adults and even a few babies

Vanilla Cake (can be divided into either two or three 9-inch round cakes) slightly adapted from The Art of Simple Food

4 eggs, separated
1 cup milk
3 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350F. Butter the cake pans and line the bottom of each with parchment paper. Butter the paper and dust the pans with flour, tapping out the excess. Separate your eggs. Measure the milk.

Sift and measure the flour. [I always skip the step of sifting flour, though I'm sure my cake would be somewhat lighter if I didn't.] Stir in the baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat the softened butter until light and fluffy. Add the sugar. Cream until it's also light and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time. Add the vanilla.

When well mixed, add the flour mixture and milk alternately, starting and ending with the one third of the flour. Stir just until the flour is incorporated. In another bowl, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks. Stir one third of the egg whites into the batter, then gently fold in the rest. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30 to 40 minutes if using two cake pans and more like 20 to 30 minutes if using three cake pans.


Meyer Lemon Curd slightly adapted from The Art of Simple Food
Note: This recipe makes about two cups of curd, which is more than enough for the cake. Maybe use the rest on top of toast for a special breakfast? Or on top of zucchini bread? I don't know!

about 3 Meyer lemons (You need 1/2 cup of lemon juice)
2 eggs
3 egg yolks
2 tablespoons milk
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt (omit if using salted butter)
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) of butter, cut into small pieces

Grate the zest of one lemon and set aside. Juice the lemons; you want about 1/2 cup juice. Beat the eggs, egg yolks, milk, sugar and salt together until just mixed. Stir in the lemon juice and the lemon zest. Add the butter.

Cook in a nonreactive heavy pan, stirring constantly over medium heat until it's thick enough to coat a spoon. Do not allow the mixture to boil or the eggs will curdle. (Guess what? My eggs did curdle just a tiny bit, but no worries! I just strained the mixture through a sieve and it was totally fine.)

Pour into a bowl or clean glass jars to cool. Cover and refrigerate for up to two weeks.

Vanilla Frosting slightly adapted from Martha Stewart Living
makes enough to ice and decorate a 9-inch layer cake

2 sticks butter, softened
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
about 6 cups confectioner's sugar
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Beat together butter and cream cheese with a mixer on medium-high sped until pale and creamy, about 1 minute. Reduce speed to low. Add confectioner's sugar, about 1 cup at a time, beating well after reach addition.

Add salt and vanilla and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes.

(If not using immediately, cover surface of frosting with plastic wrap. Frosting can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 1 week. Before using, bring to room temperature, then beat on low speed until smooth.)