Filled Sunshine Cake

Filled Sunshine cake, once a signature dessert at the late, lamented Watts Tea Room in Milwaukee, is as pretty as dessert can be. Made from a recipe that dates back to the era of polite ladies lunch (gloves, please!), filled sunshine cake is three layers of orange-zested sponge cake separated by ribbons of custard filling and topped with swirls of seven-minute boiled frosting. The sponge is tender to the Nth degree; one of the greatest pleasures of this confectionery charmer is the way it feels to slide a fork down through the cake. It moves so easily, and you almost can hear it slide through the yellow moistness. A citrus halo mediates the sweetness of the precious sugar frosting and silky custard. To make it a picture of perfection, the cake should served on fine Blue Willow china and decorated with a single pastel flower.