This is the cake my Hubby always requests for his Birthday.



"A light cake which is sandwiched between tart lemon curd and frosted
with white chocolate. Garnish with lemon slices and fresh berries."

For one 9-inch cake, 10 servings, you will need:

Cake:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cups lowfat milk
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla
5 egg whites

Frosting:

12 oz. white chocolate, melted
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar
2 or 3 Tbsp. milk

Lemon Curd:

1 cup granulated sugar
Juice of 4 lemons
Rind of 2 lemons
1/2 cup butter
3 large whole eggs
3 large egg yolks


Preparation:

1. For curd, combine sugar, lemon juice, lemon rind and butter in a
saucepan. Cook over low heat until butter has melted. Cool slightly.
2. Whisk whole eggs and egg yolks lightly in a heavy saucepan. Add
lemon mixture to eggs, whisking over low heat until thickened. Cool.
3. Beat together ingredients for cake, except egg whites, with an
electric beater on medium speed for 30 seconds. Beat on high 2
minutes.
4. Beat in egg whites. Pour batter into 2 greased and floured cake
pans.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 30 to 35 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes.
Remove from pans.
6. Spread lemon curd over one layer of cooled cake. Top with second
layer. Reserve leftover lemon curd.
7. Beat together butter and chocolate for frosting until light and
creamy. Add vanilla, sugar and milk. Beat until smooth. Frost top and
sides of cake. Garnish.

"This is the kind of homey buttermilk cake that is incredibly comforting to consume. The crumb is soft, moist, and remarkably
light. It's known to disappear-along with tall glasses of milk-faster than you can say, well, "white chocolate"."

Cake
4 ounces finely chopped white
chocolate
1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room
temperature
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, separated, at room
temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk

Icing
6 ounces finely chopped white
chocolate
3/4 pound cream cheese, at room
temperature
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at
room temperature
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 to 3 cups confectioners' sugar, or
to taste

Make the cake:
1. Position the racks in the upper and lower thirds and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter the bottoms of three 8-inch round cake pans. Line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper. In a double boiler over hot-not simmering-water, melt the white chocolate, stirring frequently. Beat in the water and set aside.
2. Using an electric mixer set at medium speed, cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the white chocolate mixture and the vanilla.
3. Into a medium bowl, sift the flour, baking soda, and salt together. Beat the flour mixture into the white chocolate mixture, alternating with the buttermilk, until smooth.
4. Using an electric mixer set at low speed, beat the egg whites in a grease-free medium bowl until they start to foam. Gradually increase the speed to high and continue beating until the egg whites form stiff, shiny peaks. Fold one-fourth of the egg whites into the white chocolate mixture to lighten it; fold in the remaining egg whites.
5. Pour the cake batter into the prepared pans and bake until a cake tester inserted in the centers of the pans comes out clean, about 30 to 40 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool for 30 minutes. Invert layers from pans onto the wire racks, peel off the parchment paper, and cool completely.

Make the icing:
6. In a double boiler over hot-not simmering-water, melt the white chocolate, stirring frequently. Transfer to a large bowl. Let stand until almost completely cool. Using an electric mixer set at medium speed, beat in the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla. Add the confectioners' sugar, a little at a time, to make an icing consistency.
Assemble:
7. Place a cake layer on a serving platter. Spread one-fourth of the icing over the cake layer. Top with the second layer and spread with one-fourth of the icing. Top with the third layer and evenly frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting, swirling decoratively. Refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Do ahead: The unfrosted layers can be frozen up to 1 month. The frosted cake can be made and refrigerated up to 2 days in advance.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Title: White Chocolate Shortbread
Keywords:Shortbread, White Chocolate

4 1/2 ounces coarsely chopped white
chocolate
1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room
temperature
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown
sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour, sifted

1. Position a rack in the center and preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly butter a 9-inch pie pan. Using a food processor fitted with a metal blade, chop the white chocolate using on-off pulses, until it resembles coarse meal.
2. Using an electric mixer set at medium speed, cream the butter with the sugar in a large bowl until smooth. Beat in the flour. Stir in the chopped white chocolate.
3. Pat the dough evenly into the prepared pan. Using the tip of a sharp knife, score the dough into eight equal triangles.
4. Bake the shortbread until light golden in color, about 30 minutes. Transfer in the pan to a wire rack to cool slightly. Remove the shortbread from the pan and cool completely on the wire rack. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Do ahead: The shortbread can be made up to 2 weeks in advance, or
frozen up to 1 month.

White Chocolate and Raspberry Cheesecake

Serves 8 - 12

Preparation :15 Cook :45 Stand 1:00 Total 2:00

It's better to give out this recipe to your friends after serving it or they might just not leave. Really!

1 pound cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
3 each eggs, large
2 tablespoons lemon juice, fresh squeezed
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups sour cream
8 ounces white chocolate, softened in the microwave
4-5 ounces seedless red raspberry jam, microwave until fluid
1 each GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST, Recipe below

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make the graham cracker crust mixture listed below and line the bottom and partial sides of a 10-inch spring form pan. Set aside.

Cream the cream cheese and sugar in a mixing bowl until smooth and light, about 3 minutes at medium speed. Add eggs one at a time until just blended in. Add lemon juice, vanilla, salt and whip until just blended. Add sour cream and blend until just mixed well. Add white chocolate that has melted until just smooth when stirred with a fork, and blend in. You have done well !!! Taste the batter as a reward.

Pour the batter into the crust-lined pan. If you have a squirt bottle or a pastry bag with a small circular tip, fill it with the warmed (but not hot) jelly. Starting in the center of the cheesecake, squirt a thin line of the jelly in a tight circular pinwheel pattern until you reach the edge of the pan. You should have about a half-inch between the lines in the circle.

Here is the part where you make the cheesecake beautiful! Take a thin bladed knife and starting in the center of the cheesecake, draw four lines from the center to the edge of the pan, basically quartering your cheesecake (making sure not to cut to deeply into the batter). You'll have to wipe the knife clean between each stroke. You'll know what to do with the wiped batter!

Now, take the knife and draw it from the edge of the pan to the center, between the lines you made previously. See how it pulls the jelly into a beautiful pattern. No one will believe that you made it yourself.

Place the pan into water bath about 1 inch deep and cook in your preheated oven for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes shut off the oven. DO NOT open the oven door!!! Leave the cake in the shut down oven for exactly 1 hour. Remove and chill thoroughly overnight before cutting.

Chunky White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Yield: 30 Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup plus 2 tbsp. all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 lg. egg
1 tsp. vanilla
9 oz. white chocolate with almonds coarsley chopped
1 cup macadamia nuts coarsely and chopped

Preparation:

Position two racks in top and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat to 375F. Lightly grease 2 baking sheets. Sift together flour, baking soda and salt. In large bowl, using a hand-held mixer set at medium speed, cream butter with the sugars for 2 to 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Reduce speed and beat in the flour mixture until just combined. Stir in the white chocolate and macadamia nuts.

Using 1 tbsp. dough, roll dough into a ball between the palms of your hands. Place the ball on the cookie sheet, leaving 1 inch between the cookies. Repeat for each cookie. With moistened palm, slightly flatten the cookies. Bake 9-12 minutes, until lightly golden. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and cool completely.