Happy Birthday

Yesterday I had a great day!!! Jared took my to breakfast, I went to lunch, and then we had cake and ice cream at our house!! I love birthdays!! It probably has to do with the fact that I LOVE CAKE!!!!!! I am always trying to think of a reason to make a cake!!

This year, I made a lemon cake. I love lemon and Olive Garden has a fabulous Lemon Cream Cake. I found a recipe and it was about as good as the Olive Garden's cake!! Here is the recipe if any of you are interested!

Cake
1 white cake mix
1-1/4 Cups water
1/3 Cup vegetable oil
3 egg whites
1 tbsp lemon zest

Lemon Cream Filling
8 Ounces cream cheese, softened
2 Cups powdered sugar
4 Teaspoons lemon juice
1 Cup heavy whipping cream
1 tbsp lemon zest

Vanilla Crumb Topping
1/2 Cup all purpose flour
1/2 Cup powdered sugar
1/4 Cup cold butter
1/2 Teaspoon vanilla extract

Prepare cake following the directions on the box. Pour the batter into a greased 10-inch cake pan or spring form pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes. Allow cake to cool completely.

Make lemon cream filling by mixing cream cheese and powdered sugar in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Mix in lemon juice and lemon zest.

Whip cream in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold whipped cream into cream cheese mixture.

Make crumb topping by combining flour and powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Add butter and vanilla extract. Use pastry cutter or your hands to mix cold butter into the flour and sugar. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly - a not so even mixture of little and larger lumps of flour and sugar covered butter. You want a very crumbly consistency with pieces no bigger than a pea. Keep topping refrigerated until you are ready to use it.

After cake has cooled, slice it in half through the middle and remove the top. Spread all but 1/2 cup of the lemon cream mixture onto the bottom half of the cake, then carefully replace the top half of the cake. Spread the remaining 1/2 cup of cream filling over the top and sides of the cake.

Sprinkle the crumb topping on top of the cake and press it onto the sides of the cake.

Chill the cake for at least 3 hours before serving.