White Wonder Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Do you remember Lewis Carroll's famous verse, "You are old, father William..."? I do. Every foolish word is etched in my brain, claiming space that should be, but is not, used for things of more importance. Worse still are the insults omitted from the rhyme. I bumped bellies with another one of them today. To my horror, I've discovered that an 8-inch cake is no longer large enough to hold all my birthday candles. I'm bummed. I've dealt graciously with wrinkles and knees that squeak in the night, but this latest is the cruelest of indignities. I refuse to serve overflow cupcakes at my own birthday party. Especially cupcakes made with my favorite White Wonder Cake batter. I first had this cake when I was ten years old and, for sentimental reasons, it has remained my favorite birthday cake. I think the recipe was originally printed in a Farm Journal cookbook, but I can't find any reference to the cake on the internet. It is a truly white cake that is filled with lemon curd and frosted with a icing that is barley kissed with the scent of lemon. The candles are optional and I trust those of you who love me not to count them. All seventy are there. I like the cake enough to think you might enjoy it too. Here's the 9-inch version of White Wonder Cake.

White Wonder Cake...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite



Ingredients:

Cake

1/2 cup white shorteneing

1-1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2-1/4 cups sifted cake flour

2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup whole milk

4 egg whites

Lemon Filling

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 egg yolks, lightly beaten

1 cup cold water

1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Lemon Cream Frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened

2-1/2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

1 tablespoon cream

1 egg yolk

1 tablespoon lemon juice





Directions

1) To make the cake: Cream shortening. Add sugar and vanilla, beating until fluffy. Sift flour with baking powder and salt. Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture alternately with milk. Blend just until smooth after each addition. Beat egg whites until stiff enough to form peaks. Fold into batter. Pour batter into 2 well-greased 9-inch cake pans. Bake in 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Test for doneness with a toothpick. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Turn onto racks to complete cooling.

2) To make lemon filling: Combine cornstarch, sugar and salt in a saucepan. In a separate small bowl stir egg yolks with water and lemon juice. Add to dry mixture. Cook until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add butter and lemon rind. Cool.

3) To make lemon cream frosting: Cream butter. Blend in other ingredients and beat until smooth. Add a few drops of hot water if necessary to make mixture of spreading consistency.

4) To assemble: Sandwich layers together with lemon filling and frost top and sides of cake with lemon cream frosting. Yield: 8 to 10 servings.

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