Vanilla Cake With Raspberry Filling & Lemon Buttercream Icin

I got this recipe out of a Southern Living cookbook but I only make it for special occasions. Every time I make it I only get one slice (it's supposed to feed 16 but good luck with that). It's not diet friendly but can be altered to your liking. The cake itself is excellent with any type of icing or even by itself. When storing this cake it's best to store it in the fridge just to keep the icing from falling off.

• Ready In: 51 mins
• Serves: 16
• Yields: 3 9 inch cakes

Ingredients

• Cake

• 1  cup butter, softened (I like Imperial brand)
• 1 1⁄2 cups sugar
• 4  large eggs
• 3  cups  sifted cake flour
• 2 1⁄2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1  cup milk
• 2  teaspoons vanilla extract or 1  teaspoon  vanilla and 1 teaspoon  almond extract
• 1 (10 ounce) jar  seedless raspberry preserves

• Icing

• 1 1⁄2 cups butter, softened (I like Imperial brand)
• 2  teaspoons fresh lemon rind
• 3  tablespoons lemon juice
• 3  cups  sifted powdered sugar

Directions

1. Cake:
2. Beat butter at medium speed until creamy; gradually add sugar, beating well. Add eggs one at a time beating after each addition. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; add to butter mixture alternating with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix at low speed after each addition until blended. Stir in flavorings.
3. Pour batter into three greased and floured 9 inch round cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 23 minutes or until a wooden tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes; remove from wire pans and cool completely on wire racks. Slice cake layers in half horizontally to make six layers. Place one layer, cut side up, on a cake plate; spread with 2 1/2 tablespoons preserves. Repeat procedure with remaining 5 layers and preserves, omitting preserves on top of last layer.
4. Icing:
5. Beat first 3 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating until spreading consistency.