Lemon Layer Cake for Two

Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 6” round cake pan.

In a medium bowl, beat together with an electric mixer the butter, sugar, lemon zest and almond extract. Beat very well, about 1-2 minutes. Add the egg and beat until well combined, about 15 seconds. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda. Add half of this to the batter and beat lightly. Stir half of the buttermilk into the batter and continue beating. Add the remaining dry ingredients to the batter and beat, then stir in the remaining buttermilk and 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice. Scrape the batter into the pan, smoothing the top and bake for 37-39 minutes, until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack in the pan. Carefully remove the cake from the pan once it has cooled and set aside.

Meanwhile, make the lemon curd: In a small bowl, beat together with an electric mixer the butter and sugar. Beat this mixture very well, until it is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the whole egg, beat until combined, then add the remaining egg yolk and beat well. Next, slowly stream in the lemon juice while beating. The mixture may look curdled, but do not worry. Pour the mixture into a heavy-bottomed sauce pan and cook over low heat while stirring continuously and scraping the sides of the pan. When the mixture coats the back of a spoon, in about 5-7 minutes, it is done. Remove from the heat, pour into a small bowl and press plastic wrap directly on the surface before placing it in the fridge to chill. (Can be made 1-2 days in advance).

When ready to assemble, slice the cake in half horizontally. Do this on a flat surface and cut slowly to ensure both cake layers are even. Flip the cake layers over so that the bottom is now the top so that you have a flat surface to frost the cake. Place one half of the cake on a cake stand or desired serving plate. Top with the lemon curd. Spread it almost to the edge. Top with the remaining cake layer.

In a medium bowl, beat the heavy cream and powdered sugar together until whipped and slightly stiff—do not over-beat. Frost the cake with this mixture. Slice and serve.