Lemon Sponge Cake with Candy Lemons and Buttercream Frosting

Lemon Daisy Cake ( a recipe from my grandma)

Cake:

2 eggs 

1 cup sugar

1 cup flour 

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla 

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup milk 

1 T butter

Lemon Zest 

1 T fresh lemon juice 

Beat the eggs and add the sugar, zest, and juice. Once mixed, add in the dry ingredients. Heat the milk and butter to a boiling before adding the liquid to the cake mix. 

Bake for 30 minutes in a 9-inch pan at 350 F or, if your pan is glass, 325 F. 

Simple Buttercream Frosting:

Half a stick of softened butter

4 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp milk (or enough to make it less solid but not enough to make it runny)

Mix slowly at first, then increase speed. For a creamier frosting, use a whole stick of butter. 

Candied Lemons:

Thinly slice two lemons picking out any seeds. Mix 1 cup of sugar with 1/2 cup of water in a pan and bring to a boil. Submerge lemon slices in the mixture and leave on medium-high heat until they start to turn translucent. Take out and place on wax paper. Allow slices to dry for a few hours. Best to let it dry overnight.  

Assembly:

To create a whimsical effect, I baked this cake using two round pans, one smaller than the other. Since buttercream can melt due to our hand's temperature, I wanted the cake to be cold enough for the frosting to hold shape after being applied, so after pulling the cake from the oven and allowing it to cool at room temperature before I put it into the freezer to firm it before frosting. 

I layered the cake using strawberry jam and a sweet water treatment of lemon juice and sugar to keep the cake moist before frosting. 

The little flowers were chamomile and were perfectly delicate and easy to wash and stick in after piping all the buttercream and placing the candy lemons.