Drizzled with a zesty lemon sauce, this makes a great cake for afternoon tea. Make it in round or heart-shaped tin, decorate around the base with fresh flowers and it will look as good as it tastes. 200g butter, softened
200g caster sugar 3 large eggs Grated rind and juice of one lemon 200g self-raising flour 4 tbsp caster sugar For the filling: 100ml double cream 3 tbsp lemon curd For the lemon sauce: 100g sugar 2 tbsp cornflour Juice and grated rind of 3 lemons 250ml water Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C/Gas Mark 4. Grease and flour a high-sided round or heart-shaped tin approx 25cm wide. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Gradually mix in the eggs one by one. Add the lemon zest, then gently stir in the flour. Pour into the tin and bake for 30 - 40 mins, until golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove the cake from the tin and skewer all over using a fork or kebab stick. Sprinkle the top with the sugar then pour over the lemon juice. Leave to cool. For the filling: When cool, slice the cake into two layers, and put the bottom layer on a serving plate. Whip the cream lightly then mix together with the lemon curd. Spread the mixture over the bottom layer of the cake, then place the other layer on top. For the lemon sauce: Mix the sugar and cornflour in a heavy-based saucepan. Pour in the lemon juice, rind and water and heat, gently stirring all the time, until the mixture thickens. Remove from the heat and serve warm with the lemon drizzle cake. |