Lemon-Raspberry Cake

Serves 16
Yield: three 8-inch or two 9-inch rounds or one 9x13-inch sheet cake.

2 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup (4 1/2 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks, 8 ounces) unsalted butter
1 3/4 cups (12 1/4 ounces) superfine or granulated sugar
3/4 tsp salt
5 large egg whites (6 1/4 to 7 1/2 ounces)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbs lemon zest, or 1 tsp lemon extract
1/4 cup (2 ounces) fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup (6 ounces) milk
1/4 cup (3 ounces) seedless raspberry jam
fresh strawberries for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour the pan or pans of your choice or line with parchment paper.

For the batter: Whisk together the flours, baking powder and baking soda in a medium bowl. Cream together the butter, sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy; stop to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl at least once. This should take at least 5 minutes, and the color of the butter should go from yellow to white. Add the egg whites one at a time, beating well after eacha addition and scraping the bowl before adding the next. Beat in the vanilla and lemon zest (or extract). Mix in half the flour mixture, and mix until the batter is evenly combined. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure there are not dry or wet spots in the batter before you finish mixing.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan/s. Level the top of the batter with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake the cakes for the amount of time appropriate to the pan size (below). The cake is done when it begins to pull back from the wedges of the pan and is an even golden brown color on top. The center won't spring back when you touch it lightly, but neither will it let your finger leave a dent. Remove the cake from the oven and cool on a rack for 20 minutes before removing the layers from the pans. Place the cake back on the rack to cool completely before frosting.

To assemble: Chill or freeze the cake layers before assembling the cake; this will make them easier to handle and mean fewer crumbs in your frosting. Place the frozen layers, bottom side up, on plates. Spread the tops with a thin layer of raspberry jam. Return the laters to the freezer for 15 minutes before filling with frosting, placing the second layer on top, and frosting with Lemon Buttercream.

Easy Fluffy White Buttercream Frosting

4 1/2 cups; enough to fill one 8-or 9-inch layer cake or a 9x13-inch sheet cake or 2 dozen cupcakes.

1/3 cup (2 5/8 ounces) unsalted butter
1/3 cup (2 3/8 ounces) vegetable shortening (not butter flavored)
4 to 5 cups (1 to 1 1/4 pounds) glazing or confectioner's sugar, sifted
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 to 1/3 cup (2 to 2 5/8 ounces) milk or cream

Beat together the butter, shortening and salt in a large mixing bowl till fluffy. Add about half the sugar, and beat slowly until well blended. Add the vanilla and half the milk (or cream), and beat until fluffy. Continue mixing in the remaining sugar and milk alternately until they've been completely incorporated, and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy.

Easy Lemon Buttercream
Decrease vanilla extract to 1 tsp; substitute 2 Tbs fresh lemon juice for 2 Tbs of the milk in the recipe; beat in 1 Tbs lemon zest at the end.

As found in King Arthur Flour's Whole Grain Baking.