RECIPES

Lemony Limoncello Cake

Posted on May 25, 2017

Lemon curd, candied lemon peel, fresh strawberries and raspberries, sounds heavenly? The zingy lemon taste keeps coming; both in the cake and the topping.  This Lemony Limoncello Cake makes a great addition to the tea table, or it can be served as a dessert: the hole in the middle can be filled with berries. Make your own lemon curd; it tastes so much better, and for this cake, is far nicer than store-bought but let’s be honest, homemade is always better than store-bought!  This recipe can serve up to 8 people.

INGREDIENTS:

Sponge cake:

  • 2 large eggs
  • 210 g castor sugar (250 ml)
  • 250 ml plain, unsweetened yoghurt
  • 80 ml sunflower oil
  • Zest and juice of two lemons to make 50 ml juice
  • 125 ml Limoncello, or similar lemon liqueur
  • 280 g cake flour (500 ml)
  • 7 ml baking power
  • 3 ml bicarbonate of soda

Syrup:

  • 150 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 50 ml Limoncello liqueur, or similar lemon liqueur
  • 150 g castor sugar

Candied Lemon Peel:

  • 375 ml water
  • Finely sliced peel of two lemons
  • 375 ml sugar

To decorate:

  • 50 g lemon curd
  • Candied lemon peel, or fresh strawberries, or raspberries

METHOD

  1. For sponge cake: Preheat oven to 180ºC/160ºC fan/Gas mark 4.
  2. Grease in a small metal 24 cm bundt or ring pan; line the base with baking paper, and grease again.
  3. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, whisk the eggs and castor sugar together until thick and creamy.
  4. Whisk the yogurt, oil, zest, 50 ml lemon juice and Limoncello together.
  5. Sift flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda together.
  6. Alternate the yogurt mixture with the flour mixing on a slow speed to amalgamate. Be careful not to over-mix, as the gluten in the flour will be stretched, and the cake will not rise properly. Pour mixture into prepared pan.
  7. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes, until golden, and a skewer inserted into centre of cake comes out clean.
  8. Syrup: Combine syrup ingredients; pour overthe warm cake.
  9. Candied peel: Bring water to the boil in a small saucepan.
  10. Add lemon peel, and continue to boil for 5 minutes, until tender.
  11. Stir in sugar; mix gently to combine, and boil until the peel becomes transparent. Drain well. 
  12. To serve: Remove cake from cake pan and, when cool, spread with lemon curd, and top with candied peel, or sliced strawberries, or raspberries.