Lime Honey Cake

Cake:
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup lime juice
5 eggs
3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line bottoms of 2 cake tins with parchment, and grease the sides of the tins.

In a small bowl, combine buttermilk and lime juice. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating in each egg completely before adding the next one.

In another bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Stir 1/3 of the flour mixture into the egg mixture. Then stir in 1/2 of the buttermilk mixture, then flour again, buttermilk again, and flour again. Do not overmix.

Spoon batter into prepared pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, testing with a toothpick for doneness.

After removing from oven, let the cake rest in the pans for 15 minutes before inverting onto a rack to cool completely.


Filling:
6 Tbls. cream cheese
1/4 cup softened butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. fresh, grated lime zest
1/4 cup honey

Beat together all filling ingredients until fluffy. Keep chilled until time to use.

When the cake is totally cooled, smooth the filling onto one of the cake layers. Place the other layer on top.


Frosting:
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 Tbls. water
1 tsp. fresh, grated lime zest
2 egg whites at room temperature

Mix the sugar, honey, water, and lime zest in a saucepan. Heat to a rolling boil over medium heat. Keep boiling until it reaches 242 F on a candy thermometer.

In a large bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Pour the boiling syrup slowly in a thin stream into the egg whites, beating constantly on medium speed. Then beat on high speed until stiff peaks form.

Spread the frosting over the top and sides of the cake.