Lemon layer cake recipe

Our lemon layer cake is made from sweet lemon sponge cakes layered with zesty homemade lemon curd – but you could always use shop-bought lemon curd to save time! This impressive lemon cake has five layers and is topped with simple lemon icing. Don’t be intimidated by the many layers of this lemon layer cake, it’s easy to make but gives such impressive results!

Ingredients

75g caster sugar

• finely grated rind and juice of 1 large lemon
• 2 eggs
• 60g unsalted butter
• 175g self-raising flour

¼tsp baking powder

• 175g butter, at room temperature
• 175g caster sugar
• 3 eggs
• finely grated zest of 1 lemon
• 1tbsp lemon juice
• 125g icing sugar, sieved
• juice of 1 lemon

sugar flowers

• Wilton Easy Layer 15cm Cake Pan Set (£14.99, Lakeland), greased and base lined

Method

1. For the lemon curd, mix the sugar, lemon zest and juice, eggs and butter in a large heat-proof bowl, resting on a pan of simmering water. Keep stirring, almost constantly, until the mixture has thickened, then chill.
2. Heat the oven to 180°C. Blend the flour, baking powder, butter, sugar, eggs and lemon zest and juice in a food processor.
3. Divide the mixture evenly between the 5 tins. Bake the cakes for 15 mins, until well risen, and shrinking away from the tins’ sides. If you don't have the layer tins you can bake two thicker sponges and slice in half, just add another 15 mins cooking time if so.
4. Cool the cakes in the tins. Then turn out and cool on a wire rack.
5. Spread a generous amount of lemon curd on each layer of cake and sandwich them together.
6. Combine the icing sugar and lemon juice to make smooth pouring icing. Spoon over the top, allowing the icing to drizzle a little down the sides. Decorate the top with sugar flowers.

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