This deliciously decadent lemon cake is layers upon layers of lemony goodness - a family favourite!
INGREDIENTS
For the Cake...
12oz butter (or baking margarine)
12oz caster sugar
6 eggs
12oz self-raising flour
3 lemons
For the buttercream icing...
4oz butter
8oz icing sugar
Juice of the 3 lemons Milk, if required
Plus a jar of lemon curd and a little extra icing sugar to decorate.
METHOD
Smear some butter around the base and sides of three 8” round cake tins and place a circle of greaseproof in the base of each tin. Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 6.
In a bowl, add the butter, sugar and the zest of the 3 lemons (keep the juice for later). Then using a stand mixer, an electric whisk or with a wooden spoon, beat together the butter, sugar and lemon zest really well until the mixture becomes light and fluffy and the mixture turns pale.
Add in the eggs one at a time, beating the mixture well between each one. If the mixture separates slightly, you can add one spoonful of the flour into the mixture and beat well.
Slowly stir in the flour, taking care not to beat hard and knock out all of the air that has just been worked into the mix.
Spoon the mixture into the three tins evenly and level the tops so they are mostly flat. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Check the bakes after 20 minutes, you may need to swap them around in the oven so they cook evenly. The cakes will be done when they have come away slightly from the edges of the pan and the top of the cake is springy to the touch.
Leave the cakes to cool. When cool, use the lemon juice from two of the lemons to drizzle over the sponges to really boost that lemony flavour and keep the cakes lovely and moist.
To ice the cakes, make a simple buttercream icing by beating together the butter and icing sugar before adding the juice of the remaining lemon. If the mixture becomes too stiff, soften with a little extra juice (or milk). If the mixture is too soft, you can just add some more icing sugar.
To ice the cake, layer the sponges on top of one another, spreading some of the icing and some lemon curd between each layer.
For a really decadent finish, drizzle the top with some more lemon curd and some extra icing sugar mixed with some lemon juice.