Recipe

Zesty Lemon Sponge

All Recipes / Cake / Baking

I must admit I cannot seem to escape my roots, because as soon as it is 3 or 4 o’clock in the afternoon my British upbringing kicks in and wherever I am in the world, I want to drink tea, and then of course, I always want either a piece of cake or a sweet biscuit with it. I do not want to add sugar to my tea (no no that’s a terrible sin!) but I just must have something sweet to bring out the true flavour of the tea, and of course feed my addiction.

So for me, this wonderfully light, very citrus zingy lemon cake is a real winner. The recipe I sourced from a recent trip to the UK, adapted it slightly of course, and now bake it often either enjoying its lemon zingy delight immediately or freezing in preparation for my afternoon indulgence if and when the moment arises. If you do freeze best to ‘open freeze’ i.e place uncovered in the freezer and allow to freeze hard before wrapping lightly with cling film and tin foil (this way the decorative topping does not get damaged).

A great cake to make and bake, as you basically ‘throw it altogether’ in a large bowl (or Kenwood mixer) and blend like mad. Easy peasy lemon squeezy!

8
20 minutes
20-25 minutes
180ºC

Ingredients

  • Zesty Lemon Sponge
  • 225g butter
    - unsalted, softened
  • 125g caster sugar
  • 1 tbsp golden syrup
  • 225g self raising flour
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 lemon
    - finely grated zest
  • Zesty Lemon Icing
  • 100g butter
    - unsalted, softened
  • 1 tbsp golden syrup
  • 200g icing sugar
    - lump free
  • 1 lemon
    - zest + 3 tsp juice
  • Dusting of icing sugar for the final show

Instructions

  • Prepare cake tins:
  • 01 Lightly grease 2 x 20cm non stick sandwich tins, and line the base of each one with a circle of non stick baking paper. Tins with removable bases are an asset, but if not available use the solid type, but do make sure you line the base with baking paper for both types.
  • Prepare zesty lemon cake mixture:
  • 02 Place the softened butter, sugar, golden syrup, flour, baking powder, eggs and grated lemon zest into a large bowl (or Kenwood) and beat well until the mixture is pale and light.
  • 03 Divide the cake mixture equally between the 2 prepared cake tins, and with a dampened spoon smooth the top level.
  • 04 Bake in the oven until the cakes are golden brown and springy to the touch. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tins before turning out onto a wire wrack to cool. Remove the base paper. Allow to become cold.
  • Prepare zesty icing:
  • 05 In a clean bowl (or electric mixer) add softened butter and golden syrup and beat well until smooth and pale. Now add the icing sugar and lemon and again beat until smooth.
  • Assemble cake:
  • 06 Place one of the cakes onto a serving plate, spread well least half of the zesty icing, place the second cake on top of the icing and then decorate with the remaining icing - either a flat top or lemon icing rosettes, topped with a scattering of lemon zest. Don't forget a dusting of icing sugar.

Notes

Using separate baking tins for each part of this cake definitely is the way to go, as each separate layer will bake to good height, making the the end result really impressive (a great cake with admirable height!). Always make sure you use quality butter and a fine caster sugar. Do not forget to wash and dry the lemons well before removing the zest, as it is important to remove the invisible wax that all commercially sold lemons have nowadays (it acts like a thin preservative layer around the lemon).

Follow my flavourful journey #julesofthekitchen

Partners