For the cake:

1. Cream butter, sugar, and lemon zest until light and fluffy. Mix in eggs, one at a time, making sure the first egg is well incorporated before adding the second. In a separate bowl, combine buttermilk, lemon extract, and vanilla. In another bowl, sift together flour, salt, and baking powder.
2. Alternate adding dry and wet ingredients by adding 1/3 of the dry mixture into the butter/sugar, then 1/2 the buttermilk mixture. After adding the last 1/3 of the dry mixture, stop mixer or hand mixer and stir in by hand till just combined (over beating after adding flour will make for more dry, dense cake).
3. If making a layer cake, pour batter into two round cake pans that have been sprayed or buttered and lined with parchment. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 5-7 minutes, then turn out of cake pans and allow to cool completely before frosting.
4. If making cupcakes, pour into two muffin pans lined with muffin cups. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or till tops are JUST golden and cupcakes test clean with a toothpick. Allow to cool entirely before frosting.

For the lemon cream icing:

1. Cream together cream cheese and butter till well combined and not lumpy. Add lemon juice, 1 tsp lemon extract, and vanilla. Beat in 1c powdered sugar. Taste and add more lemon extract if desired. If you want a stiffer frosting, feel free to stir in more powdered sugar. If you want it looser, you can add less. It’s really personal preference.
2. Frost cupcakes or assemble layer cake by placing one cake layer on your plate/cake stand, 1/2 of the frosting, the second cake layer, and the remaining frosting. Serve with raspberry sauce.

For the Raspberry Sauce:

1. In a blender or food processor, puree raspberries with sugar and lemon juice. Taste and add additional sugar if desired. Push through a mesh strainer to remove seeds and refrigerate until ready to serve.