Vanilla Buttermilk Cake with Strawberry Lemon Filling

     I think baking the cake was the easiest part of making this Father's Day Cake.  The recipe was easy and I had three 9 inch pans and was able to cook all three layers at the same time.  I love this cake.  It is firm but moist and has a delicious buttery vanilla flavor.  After doing some research I put a light crumb coating layer of buttercream on the top of both layer before putting the jam on so that it wouldn't seep into the cake.  I layered the three layers and then let it set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. 

    The toughest part was frosting the cake.  It was hot and humid out and my buttercream was melting all over the place, causing the filling to run as well.  At one point the layers were slipping everywhere and I thought the cake was ruined.  However, after a few trips in the refrigerator and finally some buttercream modified with Crisco, I got the frosting to stay and got the cake decorated.

Vanilla Buttermilk Cake with Strawberry Lemon Filling (cake recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen)
For the cake:
3 ¾ c. cake flour
2 ½ c. sugar
1 T. plus 2 t. baking powder
½ t. salt
2 sticks butter, at room temperature
¼ c. applesauce
1 ¼ c. buttermilk
4 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
⅓ c. low fat sour cream
1 T. vanilla

For the Lemon Buttercream:
5 c. powdered sugar
10 T. butter
5-6 T. lemon juice
2 t. grated lemon peel

1.  Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Butter three 9 inch round cake pans then line the bottoms with parchment paper.  Butter the paper and top lightly with flour.  Set aside.

2.  In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. 

3.  In a smaller bowl combine the butter, buttermilk, and applesauce.  Mix well.  Pour the butter mixture into the flour mixture and mix on low with a hand mixer for 30 seconds.  Adjust the speed to high and mix an additional 2-3 minutes or until the batter becomes light and fluffy.

5.  Divide the batter between the 3 cake pans.  Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick stuck in the middle comes out clean.  Turn pans onto a wire rack and remove the parchment paper.  Let cool completely.

7.  Make the buttercream icing while the cakes are setting.  With an electric mixer beat together the butter, lemon juice, and lemon peel. Slowly add in the powdered sugar until it is well combined and the icing is smooth. This may take several minutes.

This post linked to:
Friday Potluck, Fat Camp Friday
Foodie Friday, Sweet Tooth Friday
Sweets for a Saturday, Fresh Food Friday