Lemon curd cake

Please note the base recipe is the Delia Iced Lemon Curd Cake, though this will just have the 2 layers

For the cake you will need:

2 x 6 inch loose bottom cake tins (though I just used one and did it in 2 batches) lightly buttered and lined base

Cooling rack

Large mixing bowl

Hand electric whisk or food mixer (I used the mixer) 

175g self raising flour

1 level teaspoon baking powder

175g soft butter

175g caster sugar

3 large eggs

grated zest of 1 lemon

1 - 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 

Pre-heat oven to 170C or gas mark 3

Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl add all the other ingredients and mix for about 1 minute until you have a smooth creamy constancy. 

Divide the mixture into the 2 tins (or like I did pour 1/2 the mixture into 1 tin) make sure the mixture is spread across the bottom of the tins and smooth down with a back of a wooden spoon.

Bake in oven for about 25 minutes until when you press the centre of the cake with your finger the sponge springs back. I always stick a skewer into the middle and if it comes out clean then the cake is done.

Once cooked remove from oven leave to cool slightly before turning out onto the cooling rack. Make sure the cakes sit the right way up and remove the lining from the bottom of the cakes.

For the lemon Curd you will need:

a sauce pan with about an inch or so of hot water in the bottom 

A bowl that will fit over the sauce pan but doesn't touch the water 

Another small bowl

Wooden spoon 

Zest and juice of 1 large lemon

60g caster sugar

1.5 large eggs (I know it's really hard to separate 1/2 an egg)

38g Butter  

put the lemon zest and sugar into the bowl, in another bowl mix together the lemon juice and egg and pour this over the sugar/lemon zest.

Add the butter in small pieced and place the bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir well every so often until it thickens, this should take about 20 minutes.

Leave to cool.

For the Icing you will need :

A large bowl

Wooden spoon

100g soft butter

200g icing sugar

2 tablespoons of the lemon curd

Beat the butter in a bowl until soft, add in the icing sugar and lemon curd and mix until soft.

To assemble the cake 
Cut the top of one of your cakes to make a flat surface, this will be your bottom layer of your cake. Spend on the top of that your remaining lemon curd, it should be about 1/2 a cm thick if that. Place the other cake on top. Now spread the icing all over the cake.

You should be able to freeze all the elements of this cake separately. This cake can be enjoyed upto 2 days after making it may go a 3rd but I always think a sponge cake is better eaten sooner rather than later. You can also make twice as much lemon curd and then cut each cake in half and assemble the 4 layers with lemon curd in-between.  

Now sit back and enjoy with a nice cuppa.