Lemon cake with lemon cream cheese frosting

Set the oven to 350F.

Whisk the all purpose flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda together in a large bowl and set aside.

Cream the room temperature unsalted butter on medium speed until it is a smooth paste.

Add the sugar, scrape the bowl down, add the lemon zest and mix on medium about five minutes until light and fluffy.

Prepare two eight-inch pans: butter the sides, lay in a parchment circle, add a spoonful of flour and kick it around the pan.

Roll the lemons, juice and strain them into a measuring cup to get about a quarter cup of fresh juice.

Add three room temperature eggs one at a time; the mixture may break and dimple, which is expected.

Combine the buttermilk with the quarter cup of lemon juice and stir in the vanilla.

Add the flour mixture and the milk mixture in alternating batches on the lowest setting, stopping just short of combined.

Finish by hand with a spatula until the flour is worked in; the batter foams as the acid meets the baking soda.

Divide between the two pans, just over 600 g of batter each, and level with the spatula.

Optional: fit wet cake strips around the pans so the edges stay cool and the layers rise level.

Bake at 350F for 35 to 40 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean, the centre springs back and the edges pull away from the pan.

For the frosting, cream the softened cream cheese and the room temperature unsalted butter on medium one to two minutes, scraping the bowl at least once.

Zest the whole lemon into the mixture and mix about three minutes on medium until light and fluffy, which also releases the lemon oil.

With the mixer on low, add the powdered sugar in stages, alternating with the lemon juice, tasting and checking the texture around the sixth cup.

Add the vanilla, then reserve about a cup of frosting for the dollops.

Optional: mix in one drop of weak yellow food coloring, or a little turmeric.

Move the first layer onto a cake plate and spread about a cup of frosting, then add the second layer.

Cover with the remaining frosting. No crumb coat is needed for this cake.

Spread the sides with a bench scraper on a turntable, then pull the top ridge in with an offset spatula, wiping it between swipes.

Pipe dollops of the reserved frosting around the edge with a large closed star tip.

Set paper thin lemon slices between the dollops and scatter edible pansies just before serving.

Chill a few minutes before cutting, as the frosting is soft.