Cakes & Bakes: Lemon birthday layer cake

It’s Justin’s birthday in less than a week. Unsurprisingly, when I asked what kind of cake he’d like, he said, “Lemon”. I turned to Delia, one of my favourites, and she didn’t let me down. I tweaked a recipe from her book, Delia’s Cakes to make him a lemon birthday layer cake.

It’s based on her all-in-one sponge cake recipe where you sift the flour and baking powder together into a bowl before simply stirring in all the other ingredients.

The recipe calls for two, 18cm diameter tins – a particular size that I don’t have. I do have one 20cm diameter tin which I used to bake the cakes in two batches. The extra 2cm meant my cakes were wider and shorter, but I still managed to slice them in half.

I usually make my own lemon curd, but we’d been gifted a jar of Tiptree’s, so I used about ¾ of the jar. I covered the cake with whipped double cream flavoured with a little lemon extract and zest. If you prefer, you could add a bit of sugar to the cream mix, but I think the rest of the cake is sweet enough.

I would have also topped it with some birthday candles… but there wasn’t enough room for all of them!

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Lemon birthday layer cake

Delia Smith

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Cook Time 25

Course Party

Cuisine British

Servings 8

Ingredients

For the cake

175 g self-raising flour
1 level tsp baking powder
175 g spreadable butter
175 g golden caster sugar
3 large eggs
½ tsp lemon extract
250 g lemon curd

For the topping

150 ml double cream
½ tsp lemon extract
zest of 1 lemon

To serve

zest of 1 lemon

Instructions

For the cake

Pre-heat the oven to 170ºC/ 325ºF / Gas mark 3
Grease and line a pair of 18cm/7" round loose-bottom cake tins
Sieve the self-raising flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl
Add all the other ingredients and combine well
Divide the cake mixture equally between the prepared tins
Bake for 25 minutes
Remove from the oven and after about 30 seconds loosen the edges by sliding a palette knife all round then turn them out onto a wire cooling rack
Carefully peel away the liners. Lightly place another cooling rack on top of the cakes and flip them over so that their tops are facing upwards (this prevents them sticking to the cooling rack)
Allow to cool completely before slicing each cake in half horizontally using a sharp serrated knife
Put one slice on to a cake plate or cake stand base. Spread generously with ⅓ of the lemon curd. Put another slice on top and spread this one with another ⅓ of the lemon curd. Put the third slice on top and spread with the last of the lemon curd. Put the final slice on top

For the topping

In a large mixing bowl whisk together the double cream, lemon extract and zest of 1 lemon until stiff. Spread the mixture evenly over the top of the layer cake
Sprinkle over the zest of the other lemon
Slice and enjoy!

Keyword birthday, birthday cake, layer cake, lemon, lemon cake

Cakes & Bakes: Lemon and blueberry drizzle cake

This is a classic flavour combination that I’ve never attempted in this form; it’s a lemon and blueberry drizzle cake.

We usually have a bag of blueberries stored in the freezer; in the winter, we love a bowl of blueberry porridge for breakfast and in the summer we love them in a refreshing smoothie. Just make sure that they’re defrosted before they go into the batter otherwise they may affect how well the cake cooks in the middle.

The resulting cake is sweet, moist and delicious; made even more moist with the addition after baking of the lemon syrup.

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Lemon and blueberry drizzle cake

2020-02-13 10:08:25

Serves 10

Cook Time

40 min

Cook Time

40 min

Ingredients

175g/6oz unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
175g/6oz caster sugar
Finely grated zest of 2 lemons, and juice of 1
3 eggs
175g/6oz plain flour
1tsp baking powder
150g/5¼oz blueberries
3tbsps granulated sugar

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas mark 4
Grease a 20cm/8" round cake tin and line with baking parchment or cake tin liner
Beat the butter and caster sugar with an electric whisk/stand mixer for 4-5 minutes until light and fluffy, then beat in the zest of 1 lemon
Beat the eggs together in a jug with a fork, then slowly mix into the batter, adding a spoonful of flour if the mixture starts to curdle
Sift together the flour and baking powder before folding into the mixture until just smooth
Spoon a thin layer (about 1cm deep) of the mixture into the tin
Set aside a handful of the blueberries, then fold the rest into the remaining cake mixture and spoon into the tin
Scatter the reserved berries on top
Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean
Cover it loosely with foil if it starts to brown too much on top
As soon as the cake is removed from the oven, pierce the top all over with a skewer
Mix the lemon juice and remaining zest with the granulated sugar and spoon all over the top
Cool completely in the tin before removing and serving

Notes

This cake can also be made in a 900g/2lb loaf tin. Bake for 1 hour, covering loosely with foil after 45 minutes if it begins to brown too much on the top

H is for Home Harbinger https://hisforhomeblog.com/

Cakes & Bakes: Nigella’s lemon tendercake

Justin saw Nigella’s recipe for lemon tendercake online somewhere and immediately submitted a request for me to make one.

I’d never heard of a tendercake before, so I searched the internet for other versions – I couldn’t really find anything else.

The recipe is three separate stages – the cake batter, the coconut yoghurt topping and the blueberry compote.

There isn’t a lot of flour in the batter recipe – it’s quite runny. But don’t despair, that’s what makes it a tendercake; the texture is melt in the mouth.

And, quite unintentionally, this cake is 100% vegan – no eggs, no butter, no milk!

In my opinion, the amount of coconut yoghurt topping and blueberry compote is a bit much. The quantities can probably be reduced by about a third; I shouldn’t have put it all on top of the cake. What I should have done was combine the excess into home-made blueberry yoghurt for breakfast!

And Justin’s verdict? Very nice indeed! He says the coconut yoghurt topping tastes just like the frosting you get on a carrot cake (which is a good thing, in his book). There’s a nice balance of sweet and the slightly sour. A great-tasting and attractive cake. It will undoubtedly be revisited in the future.

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Nigella's lemon tendercake

2018-09-04 16:34:40

Serves 8

Cook Time

30 min

Cook Time

30 min

For the cake

225g/8oz plain flour
1½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
¼ tsp salt
150ml/5¼fl oz vegetable oil (plus more for greasing)
150g/5¼oz caster sugar
275g/9¾oz coconut milk (see recipe introduction)
2 lemons (finely grated zest, plus 3 x 15ml tbsp of juice)
1tsp vanilla extract

For the compote

150g/5¼oz blueberries
1 x 15ml tablespoon lemon juice
1 x 15ml tablespoon caster sugar
50ml/1¾fl oz cold water plus 1½ teaspoons
1½ tsp cornflour

For the topping

250g/8¾oz coconut milk yoghurt
1tsp vanilla extract
2½tsp icing sugar

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/350°F/Gas mark 4
Grease the sides and line the base of a 20cm/8" spring-form cake tin with baking parchment

For the cake

Combine the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt in a mixing bowl large enough to take all the other ingredients later
In a large measuring jug (or another bowl), whisk the oil, sugar and coconut milk together, followed by the lemon zest and juice and the vanilla extract
Pour the jug of liquid ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients, whisking to combine, then pour into the prepared tin and bake for 30-35 minutes, by which time the top will be golden brown, the sides shrinking away from the tin and a cake tester should come out clean
Transfer to a wire rack and leave the cake to cool completely in its tin. It may sink slightly as it cools, but this need not concern you in the slightest. While you're waiting, you can get on with making the blueberry compote

For the compote

Put the blueberries, lemon juice, caster sugar and the 50ml/3 tbsp of cold water into a saucepan and bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer, stirring gently every now and again, for a couple of minutes until the blueberries have softened in the now garnet-glossy liquid. Remove the pan from the heat
In a small cup, slake the cornflour with the 1½ teaspoons of cold water and stir this paste into the pan of blueberries, making sure you scrape every last bit out
Stir together, put the pan back over the heat and stir gently for about 30 seconds, by which time the sauce will have started bubbling again and will have thickened. If you feel it has become too jammy and thick, simply add a little more water and stir it in over the heat
Pour the compote into a small heatproof bowl or jug to let it cool. It will set once cold
Do not assemble the cake until just before serving. So: unclip the completely cold cake from its tin, unmould it and turn it over (so the underneath is now on top) onto a cake stand or plate

For the topping

Mix the coconut milk yoghurt and vanilla extract together, spoon the icing sugar into a tea-strainer, then sieve it over the yoghurt and stir it in, too, before spreading and swirling this soft mixture over the top of the cake
Thrash the blueberry compote a little with a fork to loosen it, and gently spoon it on top, leaving a gleaming white frame
Serve immediately

Adapted from At My Table: A Celebration of Home Cooking

H is for Home Harbinger https://hisforhomeblog.com/

Cakes & Bakes: Earl Grey tea and lemon cake

Never have I baked a cake that is more perfect for tea-time! As its name suggests, this Earl Grey tea and lemon cake is infused with oil of bergamot and drizzled with a lemon icing.

You begin by steeping Earl Grey tea in hot milk. We used a lovely loose leaf tea from Fortnum & Mason however Earl Grey teabags will suffice.

The recipe I used was by ex-Bake Off contestant, Urvashi Roe and it was originally for mini loaf cakes. I don’t have any mini loaf tins (yet!), so I used a single 500g/1lb loaf tin and upped the cook time to an hour.

I know that ‘lemony’ cakes often top the charts when it comes to people’s favourites (Justin included), but personally I’m not the biggest fan of lemon flavour – however, a little drizzle of the icing I could handle! I suppose I could supplement the lemon juice and zest with a little of my home-made elderflower cordial.

Teaming this cake with a cup of Earl Grey or full-bodied Darjeeling or Assam is tea-time heaven!

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Earl Grey tea and lemon cake

2017-06-07 17:54:25

Serves 8

For the cake

125ml/4½fl oz milk
4 tsp loose Earl Grey tea (or 4 tea bags)
115g/4oz butter, softened
225g/8oz caster sugar
2 eggs
125g/4½oz self-raising flour
125g/4½oz plain flour

For the icing

½ lemon, juice & zest
200g/7oz icing sugar

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For the cake

Place the milk in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat and immerse the Earl Grey tea in the hot milk. Cover the pan and set aside for 40 minutes to allow the tea to steep
Strain the liquid from the leaves (or squeeze the liquid out of the teabags) and set the liquid aside to cool some more
Preheat the oven to 180°C/355ºF/Gas mark 4. Grease and line a 500g/1lb loaf tin with baking parchment
Cream together the butter and sugar using an electric whisk or free standing mixer with a paddle attachment. It takes a while - about 10 minutes and you'll need to scrape down the sides of the bowl from time to time
Once the mixture is light & fluffy, add the eggs one by one and mix well. Add half the flour and half of the tea-infused milk and mix until combined. Add the rest of the flour and milk and mix until there are no traces of flour in the bowl
Pour the cake batter into the prepared loaf tin
Bake for 50-60 minutes until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes away clean
Allow to cool in its tin on a wire rack

For the icing

Mix the lemon juice, zest and icing sugar together into a smooth paste. It should be quite gloopy so it doesn't dribble too much down the sides (though a little dribble is okay)
Pour over the loaf and leave the icing to set for about 30 minutes

By Urvashi Roe

Adapted from Great British Chefs

H is for Home Harbinger https://hisforhomeblog.com/