Inspired by Anna Jones who says on lemons “I use them as often as salt and pepper in almost everything I cook — to me, they're the third seasoning.” I use citrus flavours in pretty much everything I cook and that does not stop at baking
I therefore, tweaked my fail-safe sponge recipe with some orange/ lemon zest &juice. The filling was a citrus flavoured mascarpone and a layer of rich lemon curd.
As this was a birthday cake for my favourite person in the world - my grandma Phyllis, I made it extra special with candied lemon and summer fruits. I was pretty pleased with the final decoration (but remember fresh fruit or mascarpone filling won’t last for more than 3 days max!)
And, of course, do not under any circumstances put the cake (or any cake for that matter) in the fridge.
Makes 10 slices
Ingredients
225g/8oz butter, at room temperature
225g/8oz golden caster sugar
4 large eggs + 1 egg yolk
225g/8oz self-raising flour, sifted (you may need a bit extra)
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
2 teaspoons of orange/ lemon juice
Zest of 1 lemon
Zest of ½ orange
For the mascarpone buttercream
250g tub of mascarpone
Zest of 1 lemon
Zest of ½ orange
2 teaspoon of lemon/ orange juice
50g butter, at room temperature
175g icing sugar, sieved
Good quality lemon curd
Candied lemon or orange
5-6 orange & lemon slices (do extra if you want to pick the best)
100g caster sugar
200g water
To decorate
70g icing sugar
Lemon juice
Your choice of summer fruits
Candied lemon/orange
Candied lemon
Boil the water and sugar in a small saucepan until the sugar is dissolved
Add your slices of orange/lemon
Simmer for 15 minutes turning them over a few times
Lie the slices on baking parchment and leave in a cold place for at least 1 hour
Making the cake
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4/ 350°F
Grease two 6in-7in/15cm-17.5cm cake tins, I use butter and then dust with flour
With an electric mixer, beat together the butter, sugar, lemon/ orange zest and vanilla until pale - this takes a while be patient
Sieve and measure your flour and set aside
Add the eggs, one at a time and beat after each egg, you might want to add a little flour with the egg to stop it from curdling
Add the flour and mix it to combine, at this stage make sure you do not over beat the mixture as the cake will become dense
Pour into the prepared cake tins and bake for 20minutes - to ensure the cakes are cooked prod with a sharp knife, there should be no raw mixture stuck to the knife
Once the cakes are done, carefully tip out of the tins immediately and leave to cool
Mascarpone filling
While the cakes are cooling make your filling
Beat together the butter, lemon/ orange zest, and the icing sugar until pale and fluffy
Beat in the mascarpone, adding it a small amount at a time
Beat in the juice and vanilla
Assembling the cake
Cover one half of the cake with lemon curd
Cover the other half with buttercream
Carefully layer together (i like the lemon curd layer on the top)
Make your lemon icing for the top by mixing together icing sugar with lemon juice, add it gradually until you have a consistency that is like runny honey
Then decorate the cake with your summer fruits and candied peel
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