This zesty cake is great for all occasions but it is perfect to finish off a summer barbecue. This cake recipe uses simple ingredients and fool-proof methods to create a delicious and beautiful cake.
Ingredients:
Cake
– 225g soft butter
– 225g caster sugar
– 4 eggs
– Zest of 1 lemon
– 225g plain flour
– 2 tsp baking powder
Icing
– 250g soft
– 500g icing sugar
– Zest and juice of 1 lemon
Decoration
– 1 egg white
– 200g icing sugar
– Lemon juice
– Dehydrated lemon slices, crushed pistachios, crystallised rose petals, fresh flowers (optional)
Method:
1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius and grease and line two 8inch sandwich tins.
2. Cream the butter and sugar together with a handheld or electrical mixer until pale and fluffy.
3. Add the eggs and lemon zest and beat until the mixture turns a pale yellow colour.
4. Sift in the flour and baking powder and mix until fully incorporated and pale.
5. Split the mixture between the two tins, smooth and place in the oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown and the sponge springs back when you touch it.
6. While the cake is baking, prepare the buttercream by beating the softened butter until very pale yellow and adding the icing sugar one cup at a time until smooth and fluffy. Once the icing sugar is incorporated, add the zest and juice of 1 lemon to flavour.
7. When the cakes are cooked, turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
8. To make the lemon royal icing drip, whisk one egg white with the icing sugar and lemon juice until it is white and smooth.
9. When the cakes are cooled, sandwich them together with the buttercream and then smooth the remainder of the icing over the top and sides of the cake. Drip the royal icing over the sides of the cake for a glossy and tangy finish.
10. I decorated the top with dried lemon slices and crushed pistachios but fresh flowers would be a lovely summery twist.
With a dream to open her own baking business, Thea is currently doing Culinary Arts at Dublin Institute of Technology, while also working full-time as the pastry chef for The Fat Fox, Camden Row. Thea has been baking for as long as she can remember and at the age of sixteen she began decorating and selling her cakes to order. On her Instagram page you can find her creations from both The Fat Fox and her private clients.
@CakesByThea