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Italian Lemon Custard Cake Ingredients 1¼ cup all purpose flour 1¼ teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon salt 6 tablespoon unsalted butter room temperature ¾ cup granulated sugar 3 large eggs room temperature 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ½ cup whole milk room temperature Crumb Topping ¾ cup all purpose flour ¾ cup confectioners' sugar 6 tablespoon unsalted butter cold and cut into 6 pieces 1 teaspoon lemon zest 1 teaspoon vanilla Cake Filling 1 cup heavy cream 8 oz mascarpone cheese room temperature 2 cups confectioners' sugar 1 teaspoon lemon zest 2 tablespoon lemon juice fresh Instructions Vanilla Cake Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8-inch round cake pan. Grease the sides and line it with parchment paper. Add the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and table salt to a large bowl. Set aside until needed. Add the unsalted butter and granulated sugar to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large bowl and an electric hand mixer). Whip until light and fluffy (3-4 minutes). Add eggs to the creamed butter. Mix to combine, scraping down the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla extract and milk and mix to combine. Add the dry ingredients to the cake batter. Mix just enough to combine. *Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan .Place the pan on the center rack of the preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in its pan for 5 minutes, and then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Lemon Mascarpone Cream Filling Add the heavy whipping cream to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment. Whip the cream slowly until you get stiff peaks. Set aside until needed. Add the mascarpone cheese, powdered sugar, lemon zest, and juice to a large bowl. Use an electric mixer (or wooden spoon) and whip until well blended. Add the whipped cream to the mascarpone mixture. Gently fold the whipped cream into the mixture. *Chill in the refrigerator until ready to use. Crumb Topping Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the flour out on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place the baking sheet on the center rack of the preheated oven and bake for 5 minutes to cook the raw taste out of the flour. *Let the flour cool for a few minutes before using. Add the cooled flour and powdered sugar to a large bowl. Whisk to combine. Add the pieces of unsalted butter to the flour mixture. Using a pastry cutter, forks, or your hands, cut the cold butter into the dry ingredients. *You should have pea size or smaller pieces. Add the lemon zest and vanilla extract to the crumb topping. Mix to combine. *Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the mixture is cold, about 1 hour. To Assemble Cut the cooled cake horizontally. Place one layer on a cake plate. Reserve ¾ cup of filling, and spread or pipe the rest of the filling on top of the cake. Place the second cake layer on top. Spread the reserved cake filling all over the top and sides of the cake. Press crumb topping all over the tops and sides of the cake. Dust the entire cake with powdered sugar. *If you're not serving the Italian lemon cream cake immediately, wait to dust it with powdered sugar until you're ready to serve. Keep the cake refrigerated until serving. Refrigerate the cake when not being served.