New Year's 4-Layer Lemon Cake

Cake

• 1 cup (250 mL) milk
• 1/4 cup (50 mL) lemon juice
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) butter, softened
• 2 cups (500 mL) granulated sugar
• 3 eggs
• 3 cups (750 mL) Five Roses All Purpose Flour (White or Never-Bleached)
• 3 tbsp (45 mL) finely grated lemon peel
• 1/2 tsp (2 mL) baking soda
• 1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
• 1/4 cup (50 mL) lemon marmalade or apricot jam, melted

Glaze

• 3/4 cup (175 mL) whipping cream
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) golden corn syrup
• 10 squares Baker's Bittersweet Chocolate, chopped

Cake

1. Combine milk and lemon juice and let stand for 5 minutes. Beat butter until light; beat in sugar and add eggs one at a time beating until fluffy. Stir together flour, peel, baking soda and salt. Add flour to butter mixture, alternately with milk mixture, in three additions. Scrape down sides of bowl and mix well.
2. Pour batter into two buttered 8-inch (22 cm) round baking pans. Bake in 350 ºF (180 ºC) oven for 30 minutes or until tester inserted in cake comes out clean. Cool on rack. Cut each layer in half crosswise using a serrated knife. Brush cut surfaces evenly with marmalade.

Glaze

1. Bring cream and corn syrup to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate until completely melted. Chill until thick enough to spread thickly.
2. Place a layer of cake, cut-side-up, on platter; spread with enough glaze to coat. Top with remaining layers and repeat. Clean any crumbs from knife and spread entire cake thinly with half remaining chocolate glaze.
3. Chill cake in freezer for 5 minutes or until glaze is set. Pour remaining glaze over cake and spread evenly to cover sides and top. Place in refrigerator for 30 minutes. Store under cake dome.