In a small mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks until smooth, then set them aside. Combine the raspberry and lemon juice, sugar, and salt in a medium sized saucepan, then stir and heat over medium-low heat until the sugar has completely dissolved and the mixture is steaming.

Slowly pour the hot juices into the egg yolk while whisking briskly. Be sure not to add it too quickly, or it will cook the egg yolks and create chunks. Pour it all back into the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Remove it from the heat, then cut the butter into chunks and stir it in until it has all melted. Pour the curd into a clean bowl and cover it with a sheet of plastic wrap. Refrigerate until completely cool, then store in an airtight container.

For the Buttercream:

Place the egg whites and sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer (make sure it’s heat proof). Add about an inch of water in the bottom of a medium sized pot and bring it to steaming over medium low heat. It shouldn’t be actually boiling, but there can be small bubbles around the edges. Place the bowl with egg whites over the water, and whisk and heat until the sugar has completely dissolved and the mixture has reached 160F.

Once they are ready, place the egg whites bowl on your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on medium speed until it forms stiff peaks and the bowl no longer feels hot to the touch. You don’t want it melting your butter!

Cut the soft butter into chunks of 1-2 tablespoons, and with the mixer still running, add the butter in one piece at a time. It will look curdled while adding the butter, but once it’s all added it should be smooth and fluffy, perfect for spreading!

To Assemble the Cake:

Set one layer of the cooled cake on your cake plate, then spread a very thin layer of buttercream over it. Place some of the buttercream in a piping bag or ziploc bag and cut the corner of. Pipe a rope of frosting around the edge of the cake, creating a dam to hold the filling in. Spoon a layer of the curd over the cake inside the dam, then set another layer of cake on top.

Repeat the frosting/dam/filling steps, and place the top cake on upside down so that the finished edge from the pan is facing up. This will make it easier to decorate without getting lots of crumbs in the frosting.

Frost the entire cake with a thin layer of frosting, then put it in the refrigerator and allow it to harden completely. This traps and crumbs in the lowest layer and makes the final product look cleaner.

Once the frosting is chilled and hardened, add a thicker layer of frosting. You can opt for a semi-naked finish on the sides (that’s what I did), which simply means you want to add less frosting and allow some of the cake to show through. Or you can smooth more frosting over it and cover the cake completely.

To decorate the frosted cake, make the ganache by bringing the whipping cream to a simmer. Pour it over the chopped chocolate and allow it to sit for 5-8 minutes, then stir until smooth. Spread it over the top of the cake, pushing it gently over the sides if you want a drip. Top with the candied oranges, and serve. 

Cake can be made a day ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator.