Lemon ginger cake

Recipe & Food Styling Marisa Curatolo, Photography Cory Aronec

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Ingredients

2 cups sugar

3⁄ 4 cup unsalted butter, softened

4 large eggs

1 tablespoon lemon zest

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 cups cake flour

1 tablespoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

1 1⁄ 4 cups buttermilk

Cream cheese frosting

3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1⁄4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 cup icing sugar, sifted

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For frosting, beat cream cheese, butter, lemon juice, and vanilla in large bowl until smooth. Add icing sugar and beat until smooth.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter two 9-inch baking pans.

Line with parchment, set aside. Beat sugar and butter in large bowl until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla.

In medium bowl, sift flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; add to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk in 3 additions each, beginning with dry ingredients. Divide batter evenly between two pans. Bake until golden, about 30 minutes. Transfer pans to cooling racks and cool 10 minutes. Remove paper.

Place one cake layer on platter. Spread 3⁄ 4 cup cream cheese frosting over top. Place remaining cake layer over top, and using icing spatula spread remaining frosting on top. Serves 8.