Step 1

In a small saucepan, bring the half-and-half to a simmer. In a medium bowl, whisk the yolks, sugar, flour, cornstarch and salt. Whisk in the hot half-and-half. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over moderate heat, whisking constantly, until very thick, about 3 minutes. Whisk in the butter and vanilla. Scrape the pastry cream onto a large plate and let cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes.

Step 2

Preheat the oven to 375°. Butter an 8-inch spring form pan. In a medium bowl, whisk the pastry cream with the 6 tablespoons of butter until smooth. Whisk in the lemon zest and juice. Add 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of the sugar, the cake flour, semolina, baking powder and salt and whisk the batter until smooth.

Step 3

In a clean bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites at medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar at high speed until the whites are glossy and stiff. At low speed, beat one-fourth of the beaten whites into the batter, then fold in the rest with a rubber spatula until no streaks of white remain.

Step 4

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the lower third of the oven for about 40 minutes, until the cake is golden and a skewer inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Let cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then remove the ring and base and transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Step 5

Using a serrated knife, split the cake in half horizontally. Spread strawberry jam on the bottom layer and replace the top. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve with raspberries.