• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter or spray
• (I used coconut cooking spratwo 9 x 2 inch round cake pans and line
• the bottom of each pan with a round of buttered parchment or wax paper.

To Make the Cake:

• Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
• Whisk together the milk and egg whites in a medium bowl.
• Put the sugar and lemon zest in a mixer bowl or another large bowl
• and rub them together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant.
• Add the butter and with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer,
• beat at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar
• are very light.
• Beat in the extract, then add one-third of
• the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed.
• Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the
• remaining dry ingredients until incorporated. Add the rest of
• the milk and eggs beating until the batter is homogeneous,
• then add the last of the dry ingredients.
• Finally, give the batter a good 2-minute beating to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed and well aerated.
• Divide the batter between the two pans and smooth the tops with a
• rubber spatula.
• Bake for 35-45 minutes or until the cakes are well risen and
• springy to the touch - It really depends on your oven and location. I take it out
• when my toothpick comes out with a small amount of crumbs, not clean.
• Let the cakes to cool for about 10 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the
• cakes, unfold them and peel off the paper liners. Cool to room temperature, right side
• up (the cooled cake layers can be wrapped airtight and stored at room temperature
• overnight or frozen for up to two months).

To Make the Frosting:

• Add the sugar and the egg whites into a heatproof mixing bowl.
• Fit the bowl over a pan of simmering water. Whisk constantly until the mixture is hot,
• sugar is dissolved and the egg whites are a little frothy. About 4 minutes. It should
• look like shiny marshmallow cream.
• With the whisk attachment, beat eggs on medium speed until cooled and thicker for
• about 5 minutes. Switch to the paddle attachment and add in one stick of room
• temperature butter at a time beating until smooth.
• On medium speed, add in the lemon
• juice and vanilla bean extract. If the buttercream curdles or separates, just keep beating
• until it comes back together. You should end up with a shiny, smooth and absolutely
• delicious buttercream frosting!

To Assemble the Cake:

• Using a sharp serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion,
• slice each layer horizontally in half.
• Put one layer cut side up on a cardboard cake
• round or a cake plate protected by strips of wax or parchment paper.
• Spread it with one-third of the preserves. Cover the jam evenly with about one-quarter
• of the frosting.
• Top with another layer, spread with preserves and frosting and then do
• the same with a third layer (you'll have used all the jam and have frosting leftover). Place
• the last layer cut side down on top of the cake and use the remaining frosting to frost the
• sides and top.
• Sprinkle coconut on the top and sides! Enjoy!!