Cake Directions: 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and line the bottoms of three 6″ cake pans with parchment paper. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients, flour through poppy seeds.

In your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until incorporated, and scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl as needed. Add the vanilla and almond extracts. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low until just incorporated, being careful not to over mix. Add the buttermilk, lemon juice and zest, mixing until all ingredients come together.

Pour batter into the three prepared cake pans, and bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs.

Allow the cakes to cool in their pans for about 5-10 minutes, and then turn them out on a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Lemon Curd Directions: Combine all ingredients except the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Be sure to whisk constantly so the mixture doesn’t burn. Cook about 10 minutes, or until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Remember that the curd will continue to thicken as it cools! Remove the curd from the heat, and melt in the butter. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting Directions: 

Combine the butter and cream cheese in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time, mixing after each addition. Add the vanilla, lemon juice and lemon zest. Beat for an additional 3 minutes on high speed. To frost, spread a layer of frosting onto the bottom layer. Use a small frosting tip to create a perimeter around the frosted cake layer. Fill the well with a thin layer of lemon curd. Repeat with remaining layers, and enjoy!