What to do with some of that meyer lemon curd you made last week? Why put it in a cake of course!
I spent many a sneaky moment last week with my head buried in the fridge swiping spoonfuls of lemon curd straight from the jar. It’s that good, I needed no vehicle other than my trusty spoon.
But as delicious an activity as that was, I thought I might should find a more imaginative way to consume the second jar tucked away in my fridge. And so…cake!
This is a fun and delicious twist on the classic Victoria sponge cake (which is sandwiched with cream and jam). Instead of adding vanilla to the batter, I used a teaspoon of lemon zest although I don’t think the vanilla would go amiss now that I think of it. You could also use a teaspoon of lemon extract though honestly, the lemon curd provides all the tangy zing you need.
Victoria Sponge Cake with Lemon Curd
Ingredients
- knob of butter, melted
- 1 cup (8oz) butter, softened
- 1 cup (8oz) sugar
- 4 large free-range eggs
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 cup (8oz) all-purpose flour, sifted (you may need a bit extra)
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Lemon curd, for the filling
- Powdered sugar, to dust
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Gently heat the knob of butter in a pan and brush two 8 inch cake tins with the melted butter. Line the bottom of the two cake tins with a circle of greaseproof paper.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until pale and creamy, using an electric whisk or a wooden spoon. Beat well to ensure you get lots of air into the mixture.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time. You want to avoid the mixture curdling, so that it stays airy. If it does curdle, add a tbsp of flour. Add the lemon zest and stir gently to combine.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients using a large metal spoon (this will cut into the mixture better than a wooden spoon). Be careful not to over-mix it. Pour the mixture equally between the two cake tins and level.
- Place in the oven and bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until the cakes are well-risen, spring back when pressed gently with a finger and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Remove from the oven and set aside for 5 minutes, then remove from the tin and peel off the paper. Place onto a wire rack and let cool completely, about an hour.
- Spread a thick layer of lemon curd on top of one of the cakes and sandwich the other on top. Dust with powdered sugar and serve.
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