Lime Upon Lime Cake

created by Katrina Stonoff (www.stonoff.com)

Cake:
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1/2 cup shortening
4 egg whites
2 tsp vanilla

Filling:
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 cup water
2 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
2 Tbls butter
1 Tbls fresh lime zest
5 Tbls freshly squeezed lime juice

Glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
2 Tbls water
2 Tbls melted butter
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
strips of fresh zest for garnish

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour bottom of springform pan. In large bowl, blend first six ingredients (through shortening) at low speed until moistened. Beat two minutes at medium speed. Add egg whites and vanilla; beat two more minutes at medium speed. Pour batter into pan and bake for about 35-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Allow cake to cool for five minutes.

While cake is baking, prepare curd filling. Ideally, filling and cake will be ready at the same time (but it’s more important for the curd to be warm than the cake). To make curd filling, combine sugar and cornstarch in saucepan. Gradually add water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and comes to a boil. Boil, stirring, for one minute. Remove pan from heat. Put about 1/2 cup of the hot mixture into a small bowl with egg yolks and stir quickly until well-mixed. Stirring constantly, add egg mixture to saucepan and cook, stirring, until curd is thickened and lemon-colored. Remove from heat, and add butter, lime zest and lime juice.

Remove springform sides and slice cake horizontally into two layers. Carefully remove top layer. Put the sides back on the springform pan, enclosing the bottom layer of the cake. Pour curd (while warm) over bottom layer of cake in springform pan. Place top layer of cake on curd and press down gently to seal.

Mix glaze ingredients. With meat fork, punch holes into top layer of cake. Pour glaze over cake. If glaze is not absorbed, poke more holes. Put cake in refrigerator to set.

To serve, remove springform sides and slice. 10-12 servings.