For the Cake

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and spray 3 8” cake pans with a nonstick spray that contains flour, like Baker’s Joy.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk the sugar, olive oil, eggs, and egg whites until smooth and pale in color, about 2-3 minutes.
• Whisk in the buttermilk, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract until well combined.
• Stir in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir until the flour is mostly incorporated. A few small clumps of flour is okay. The batter should be thin, light, and have several air bubbles.
• Pour the batter evenly into the prepared cake pans. Bake at 325 for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs attached.
• Let cakes cool for 10-15 minutes in the pans, then flip out onto a cooling rack to finish cooling. Wrap cakes in plastic and chill in the fridge while you make the buttercream.

For the Buttercream

• In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the mascarpone and the butter for 10 minutes, scraping down the bottom and sides of the bowl several times in the process.
• Add the salt, vanilla, and lemon extract. Mix to combine.
• Add the sifted powdered sugar ½ at a time, mixing on low for 3 minutes after each addition. Make sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed.
• Add the heavy cream 2 TBSP at a time until you reach your desired consistency. You want the buttercream to be easily spreadable, but still hold its shape. I added 6 TBSP for this recipe, but you could need more or less depending on the butter and mascarpone you use!

Assembly

• Apply a thin crumb coat to the chilled cake. Add about 1 C of the buttercream between the cake layers. Optional – swirl the lemon curd into the buttercream in between the layers of cake.
• Chill the crumb coat for 30 minutes, then apply a final smooth coat of buttercream.
• Top cake with fresh raspberries, lemon slices, and fresh florals. 
• Slice and enjoy.