Nanny’s Lemon “Cheesecake” with Macerated Strawberries

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a traditional 10-cup bundt cake pan.

Sift the flour and salt together in a bowl and set aside. Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment and beat them on medium speed until light and fluffy, three to four minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each. Add the lemon zest and vanilla. Turn the mixer on low and alternate adding the flour and buttermilk in three parts, beginning with the flour, and scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl several times.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake the cake, rotating the pan once, until a cake tester inserted in middle comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Transfer the cake to a baking rack and let it cool in the pan for 15 minutes before inverting it. While cake is cooling, make the icing.

The cake can be made two days in advance and freezes well before and after being iced.

Put the lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, and salt in the insert of a double boiler. Fill the bottom of the double boiler with water, set the double boiler over low heat, and add the insert. The water should not touch the bottom of the insert and never be hotter than a simmer. Whisk the lemon mixture until smooth. Whisk in the egg yolks. Slowly add in pieces of butter and whisk until the mixture thickens, about five minutes. Take the double boiler off of stove and let the icing set for a few minutes, as it will thicken more. Spoon it over the cake.

Store the cake in an airtight container on the counter for up to three days or in the refrigerator for up to five days.

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and toss. Let the strawberries set for five minutes, stir, and serve them alongside slices of cake.