Makes 8-10 slices
To make this recipe dairy free, use dairy-free cream and either a vegan lemon curd or a lemon drizzle (lemon juice + icing sugar).
When planning, remember to allow time for the cakes to cool completely (about 40mins) or your cream will melt. You can make the sponges the day before and store them in airtight container. You can’t whip the cream the night before, as I learnt the hard way last Christmas. The finished cake will keep in the fridge for a few days.
Tip 1) You may want to keep the lemon curd in the fridge before adding it to the cake to keep it from dripping.
Tip 2) If you find your cakes look cooked on top but the skewer isn’t coming out clean, cover the tops with tin foil and put them back in the oven for 5 minutes at a time.
Ingredients:
200g self raising flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
175ml lemon rapeseed oil
175g caster sugar
4 medium eggs
200ml double cream
Lemon curd (I recommend Bonne Maman)
Icing sugar
Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 180C fan.
2. Add the oil, caster sugar, eggs, flour, salt and baking powder to a large mixing bowl. Stir into a smooth mixture.
3. Stir the mixture really fast for a bit until a few bubbles appear. (I don’t know if this does anything, but I think it makes it lighter.)
4. Use the dregs of oil that are left over to grease two round 20cm baking tins. Line the bottoms of the tins with circles of greaseproof paper.
5. Divide the mixture evenly between the two tins and smooth the surface with a metal spoon.
6. Place the cakes on the middle shelf in the oven and bake for 20-25mins. If one cake is further back in the oven than the other, you may have to swap their positions halfway through baking, so that they cook evenly. The cakes are done when they’re golden on top and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Remove the cakes from the oven and leave to cool in their tins for 10 minutes.
8. Loosen the edges with a palette knife, tip the cakes onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
9. Whip the cream until it’s firm enough to form small peaks when you pull the whisk out.
10. Place one sponge on your cake plate If you want a very neat finish, cut off the domed top of your sponge to create a flat surface.
11. Layer with cream and then lemon curd. Top with the other sponge and dust with icing sugar.