In pursuit of the perfect lemon cake

I am host(ess)ing a surprise birthday dinner for my best friend and want to plan a menu of her favorites. She loves lemon cake that is not too sweet and is moist. I think her favorite involves lemon curd between the layers. I am not much of a cake devotee and can't bake worth a damn. So, I need to purchase a lovely lemon cake from a bakery. I live just west of the loop, but will travel for food if necessary. I appreciate any suggestions. Thanks.

I had a similar problem when my mother's birthday came around. Just this weekend I found a little bakery in Park Ridge called Baked by Betsy that has a lemon cake with lemon filling. I haven't tried that, but I tried their lemon-macadamia bar and butter melts cookies and they're quite good. It's a bit of a distance from you, but it's right by the Metra station (Union Pacific Northwest to Park Ridge).

www.bakedbybetsy.com

124 S Prospect Ave
Park Ridge, IL 60068-4035
(847) 292-1434

Bittersweet on Belmont also has lemon cake with curd filling. I haven't tried it, but I'm going to assume that it'll be good, since most of the stuff that I've tried from there is good. I think you have to place the order 48 hours in advance.

Bittersweet
1114 W. Belmont Ave
773-929-1100

http://www.bittersweetpastry.com/cakemenu.pdf

Happy cake hunting!