Lemon and lime cake recipe

Lemon and lime cake is perfect for afternoon tea but it also makes a great dessert or alternative to classic birthday cake. 

This lemon and lime cake is moist, sweet and easy to make. We’ve filled it with a zingy lemon curd but you could use lightly whipped cream for something more indulgent if you like. It takes 45 minutes to make and assemble and is under 500 calories a slice. 

Ingredients

• 120g/4oz butter
• 180g/6oz caster sugar
• 2 medium eggs
• 180g/6oz self-raising flour
• 60g/2oz ground almonds
• 5tbsp milk
• Grated rind of 2 large lemons

For the lemon curd filling:

• 4-5 tbsp of lemon curd 

For the lime icing:

• 125g/4oz unsalted butter (at room temperature)
• 300g full-fat cream cheese (at room temperature)
• 1 lime, juice and zest
• 75g/3oz sieved icing sugar

To decorate:

• Thinly sliced fresh limes for decoration (optional)

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan, Gas 6). Grease two 20cm sandwich tins and line the bottom with a circle of greaseproof paper.
2. For the lemon and lime cake: put the butter and sugar into a bowl and beat together until smooth, add the eggs and combine. Then sift in the flour and fold in the ground almonds, milk and lemon zest.
3. Divide the mixture between the sandwich tins and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until cooked (or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean). Allow to cool slightly, then remove from tins and place onto a cooling rack.
4. To make the lime icing: Beat the butter in a bowl using an electric whisk, then add the cream cheese. Combine until smooth, add the lime juice, zest and icing sugar. Beat until smooth.
5. Spread the lemon curd on top of one of the cakes then place the other cake on top to sandwich together.
6. Spread the lime icing on the top of the sandwiched cakes then decorate with lime if you wish.

Top tips for making lemon and lime cake

This cake is perfect for afternoon tea or for a loved one that doesn’t like plain birthday cake. If you have leftover lemons and limes you don’t know what to do with, read below for some helpful ideas. 

Using a mandoline slicer is the easiest way to achieve thin, uniform slices of fruit. If you want to decorate the cake with lime slices we highly recommend using a mandoline for the best results.

OXO Good Grips Handheld Mandoline Slicer - View at Amazon

This compact mandoline makes light work of slicing fruit and vegetables. Not only is it perfect for making the candied citrus slices in this orange and lemon cake recipe, it’s also excellent for making homemade coleslaw or French onion soup. It’s easy to clean and comes with a handy safety guard to protect your fingers. Food writer Jessica Ransom says: ‘This is one of my favourite kitchen gadgets and unlike most bulky mandolines, it fits neatly into my utensil drawer.’ 

If you like this combination of flavours you need to try the lemon and lime cheesecake recipe from Mary Berry. We also have a delicious lime and ginger cheesecake which has a crunchy topping and base. For something simpler our lime cupcakes will satisfy your sweet tooth.