Miette's Lemon Debutante Cake

The Miette Bakery Cookbook arrived in my mailbox recently, a birthday gift from my family who knows me so well. After making three recipes, I can tell that this is going to be my "go to" book for all things cake related--- the lemon buttercream alone sold me right away, you must try it. This particular cake is vanilla, with a generous layer of lemon curd, sour cherry jam and that buttercream I can't get enough of.  I have yet to master the perfect icing technique, the silky smooth sides and that signature Miette swirl at the top, but I am finding out that, as usual, the simplest things are the hardest to achieve. Practice makes perfect and something tells me my man and my coworkers don't mind too much if I keep at it...