The Perfect Party Cake!

When I first got my Dorie Greenspan cookbook Baking from My Home to Yours, I knew I wanted to make this cake. In fact, there are two cakes I wanted to make. With my daughters birthday right after Christmas, I asked her if she wanted one of these cakes. Her first response was yes, but after a week of thought, she went with the checkered cake. Damn it. But that just made me that much happier when Morvan announced this months challenge.
The Perfect Party Cake. Although we were allowed to express our artistic side, I stuck to the recipe. Maybe if I had made it before, I would add chocolate or almond or something to switch it up, but I wanted the perfect party cake as written. Reading our private blog, I learned some others had a problem with the rising of the cake. I'm afraid I might have been in that category. Do they seem like skinny layers to you?The frosting is what I want to brag about. I've never made a Swiss Meringue frosting before the Daring Baker Yule Log , but I love it. I didn't do it right on the yule log, but I did it right this time. I could forget the cake and just have a bowl of this frosting. O.K. maybe not, but it was that good. I didn't think the frosting shined through how I would of liked on this cake. I'm not complaining. There was just alot going on. You had a lemon scented white cake, raspberry preserves between each layer, and the lemon scented meringue. The lemon was just a whisper but a great addition. It wasn't a lemon cake, it wasn't a coconut cake, it was The Perfect Party Cake! Anyone in Redding need a cake? I would love to make it again! I didn't get any pictures of the layers. There were four of them. I took it to Easter dinner and felt a little foolish snapping away pictures like I would at home. Another excuse to make this cake? Maybe! If you would like to see about 800 different party cakes, and their layers, check out all The Daring Bakers! For the recipe, go here.