This quick and easy lemon cake recipe is adapted from a Victoria Sponge recipe that I learnt at a Baking for Kids Practical Course at Betty’s Cookery School when I was 13, combined with some advice I received when I was 31 from my Executive Chef when I was working as a pastry chef in a London hotel!
I recommend pairing this with Italian meringue buttercream, or if you’re after something a bit quicker, try this cream cheese icing.
Serves 12 (makes three 6-inch layers or two 8-inch layers. You could also make these into cupcakes!)
Ingredients
4 lemons, zest
250g caster sugar
250g unsalted butter or margarine, softened
250g eggs (approx. 5)
250g self-raising flour
Method
1. Preheat oven to 170°C fan (190°C conventional)
2. Grease and line the base and sides of the cake tins [PG Tip Alert! Check out my blog post on lining cake tins]
3. Zest the 4 lemons into your mixing bowl and add 250g caster sugar. Mix together well so that the oils in the lemon zest are released into the sugar. If using a stand mixer, leave it mixing with the paddle attachment for several minutes.
4. Add 250g softened butter or margarine into the bowl and beat together with the sugar and lemon zest until very pale.
5. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well in between each addition. Don’t worry if the mix starts to curdle, it will come together again when you add the flour.
6. Gently fold in 250g self-raising flour. Stop mixing when all of the flour has been mixed in and there are no lumps.
7. Divide the mixture evenly between your cake tins.
8. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. The 6-inch cakes will bake faster than 8-inch cakes.
9. Leave to cool in the tins for 10 minutes, and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
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