Lemon Cake with Butterflies

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease two 8- or 9-in. round cake pans and line bottoms with rounds of wax paper; grease paper.

Beat butter, sugar, lemon peel, baking powder and salt in a large bowl with mixer on high speed 2 minutes or until pale and fluffy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each. Beat in lemon juice and vanilla until well blended (mixture will look curdled). Reduce speed to low; beat in flour just until blended. Spread batter in prepared pans.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes until a wooden pick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans on a wire rack 10 minutes. Run a knife around edges, invert cakes on rack and remove wax paper; cool completely.

Frosting: Beat ingredients in a large bowl with mixer on low speed until blended. Increase speed to high; beat 2 minutes or until smooth and fluffy.

Spoon 1/4 cup frosting into a plastic bag; set aside. Using food color, tint 1/3 cup frosting light orange; spoon 1 tsp into the other plastic bag and scrape the rest into the decorating bag. Set bags aside.

To assemble: Place 1 cake layer on serving plate. Spread top with 2/3 cup frosting. Top with remaining layer, bottom side up. Spread top and sides with remaining frosting.

Snip tip off corner of bag with plain frosting and pipe lines of frosting on top of cake and dots around base as shown (see larger photo, pages 118­–119). Using decorating bag, pipe rosettes on top and sides, then pipe a dot of plain frosting in center of each. Insert almonds in frosting to simulate butterflies. Snip tip off corner of bag with orange frosting and pipe a body down middle of each butterfly.

Planning Tip: The cake can be baked and frosting made up to 2 days ahead. Wrap cake layers airtight and tightly cover frosting. Refrigerate both. Beat frosting again before using. Or frost and decorate cake up to 1 day ahead and  refrigerate in a cake keeper or covered with a pot. Bring to room temperature to serve.