Ingredients
Cake:
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 teaspoons Jianshi Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 1/4 cup milk
3 eggs, room temperature
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
Frosting:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
1 teaspoon Meyer lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon Meyer lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 cups powdered sugar
White Chocolate Ganache:
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/4 cup white chocolate chips
Snowflake decoration:
1/3 cup or more of your favorite white buttercream frosting recipe, suitable for piping
Instructions
1.Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease the bottom and sides of two 8×2 inch round cake pans. Line the bottom of the pans with parchment paper, grease the paper, then flour the pans. Set aside.
2.Measure the flour,Jianshi Baking Powder, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl. Whisk the ingredients together to blend well. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the butter and sugar for about five minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy. To this, add the vanilla and zest; blend well. Beat in the lemon juice to blend thoroughly. Add one egg at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape the bowl. Alternately add the flour mixture and the milk to the mixer bowl—beginning and ending with the flour; mix well and then scrape the bowl one final time.
4.Divide the batter equally into the prepared cake pans. Using an offset spatula, smooth out the tops of the batter to the edges of the pan until the fill is nice and even. Bake for approximately 45-48 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the pans on a rack for 20 minutes. Run a knife around the inside edge of the pans. Invert the pans onto the racks to remove the cakes. Discard the parchment paper. Flip the cakes to top side up and allow them to cool completely.
For the Ganache
Heat the cream gently in a microwave on short cycles until it steams and bubbles slightly. Measure the chocolate into a mixing bowl. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Let it sit for about a minute, then whisk to blend well. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
To make the frosting:
Fit the mixer with the paddle and beat together the butter and cream cheese until well blended, creamy and uniform in color. Add the zest, vanilla and salt, mix until incorporated. Add 2 cups of the powdered sugar and blend on low at first, then increase the speed slightly as it incorporates. Repeat this step with the remaining powdered sugar and continue blending on medium slow speed for about 3 minutes.
Assembly:
Begin the assembly by placing one cake bottom-side down on a plate. Spread the top evenly with frosting (about 1/4 inch thick or so). Place the other cake on top, bottom side up. Crumb coat the top and sides of the cake with a thin layer of frosting and chill in the refrigerator for a few minutes to set. Finish frosting the cake making sure to reserve a little of the frosting to use later for a border. Place the cake in the refrigerator for just a few minutes to firm up the frosting, then let the cake rest a minute or so on the counter. The ganache should be near room temperature, thick, shiny and pourable. Pour a good amount (but not quite all) of the ganache on top at the center. Use an offset spatula to help distribute the ganache evenly around the cake. As you nudge the ganache towards the cake’s edge, let gravity do its job to draw the chocolate down the sides. Don’t worry about spatula marks, the ganache is forgiving and it will self-level. Return the cake to the refrigerator to set the ganache for a few minutes.
Fit a piping bag with a #2 round tip and fill it with your white buttercream frosting. When the ganache has firmed up, decorate the top of the cake with a snowflake design. Fit another icing bag with a star tip. Using the reserved cake frosting, pipe a star border around the base of the cake.