Instructions

 |Pro Tip: Wipe the inside of your mixing bowl with vinegar to remove excess oils.

Lemon Cake

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F and prepare your pans. I personally line my cake pans with butter then flour on the sides, then a layer of parchment paper on the bottom.
2. Sift into a bowl your flour, salt, and baking powder and set aside
   
3. Mix together butter and sugar until fluffy and well-mixed.
   
4. Add eggs to the butter mixture, 2 at a time, mixing only enough to incorporate them. Do Not over mix.
   
5. Add in lemon zest and mix.
   
6. Alternate adding in your dry ingredients and milk in 3 or 4 parts each. Mix only enough to incorporate everything.
   
7. Scrape sides and give one final quick mix, making sure everything is incorporated
   
8. Bake at 350°F degrees for 30-45 minutes. The cake should have a light brown crust, and a toothpick or thin dowel should come out mostly clean.

|Pro Tip: If using a stand mixer, when you go to push your batter with your spatula, go all the way down into the crevice of the bowl and scoop the bottom of your bowl to grab ingredients that aren't getting mixed in.

Lemon Rosemary Simple Syrup

The simple syrup is optional but I like the extra flavor it provides and moisture. Both flavors are impactful but simultaneously subtle so I like ramping them up a bit with simple syrup.

1. Combine all ingredients in a sauce pot over medium heat and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved.
2. Once the mixture begins to boil, immediately remove it from the heat and allow it to sit for about 30 minutes to infuse and cool.
3. Once cool, remove the rosemary.
4. Brush this onto cooled cake layers, or use a soaker bottle to saturate your layers after leveling and cutting them. You don't need to soak them, just quickly go over the layers so that each part is sprinkled with the simple syrup.

|Pro Tip: Leftover Simple Syrup can be used to make flavored lemonades and mixed drinks.

Rosemary Buttercream

1. Place butter and sprigs of rosemary in a small pot.
   
2. Over medium heat, stir the butter until it's mostly melted.
   
3. Take it off the heat and continue stirring until all the butter is melted.
4. Allow the rosemary to sit and soak in the butter for at least 30 minutes. I recommend an hour or two.
5. Once your butter is cooled and your rosemary has had time to soak, remove the rosemary. If the butter has rehardened, just pull the full sprig of rosemary out and wipe the excess butter down the stem, back into the pot using clean fingers or tongs. I prefer this over reheating the butter because the more you liquify, the less it will stiffen back up when you're making your buttercream.
6. Once you have your infused butter, you want to blend the rest of the butter and the powdered sugar gradually in with the infused butter
7. Mix until smooth.
   
   

|Pro Tip: I suggest adding the powdered sugar a cup at a time and tasting as you go. Everyone has a preference for sweetness, and this way, you can gauge it and add more or less based on your personal preference.

Assembly

1. Cut and level the cake layers
2. Add optional simple syrup. If you do, wait a few minutes for it to settle
3. Frost as desired