Trio of lemon!

All praise the trio of lemon! It was mums birthday yesterday so I got my baking hat on and made this lemon sponge cake in her honor. Lemon cake has always been a favourite in my house so it seemed the perfect fit for a birthday celebration. Lemon cake was one of the first cakes I ever learnt to make, a simple sponge cake with a lemon twist, whats not to love? The basic sponge is so easy to make and totally fail proof. Easy if your just getting started with baking. The lemon icing is really simple too, I am not a lover of icing at all (the fondant type) so when I am working with the stuff it brings me to tears, okay not literally, lets just say we have a love hate relationship with each other. All the icing needs is a little lemon juice and it sets beautifully on top of the cake, I love the crackles it makes when it sets, reminds me off wrinkles.

I chose for the icing not to cover the whole of the cake because I like the 'naked' look of the sponge. I think it just makes the cake look elegant? Can a cake look elegant? I love the way the icing drips down the sponge too, catching on all the crooks and crannies of the sponge. I've never made a three tiered cake before. Of course I have made the usual two tiered Victoria sponge but I have never attempted to make anything larger than that. And boy this cake is big .. so big I couldn't find anything to put it in as it is so tall, word of warning - buy a tall cake box before attempting to make this beauty!

Equipment

3 x Sandwich tins 

Electric mixer or 

Mixing bowl and wooden spoon 

Small mixing bowl 

(I would recommend an electric mixer for this recipe as it has a large amount of ingredients. Save those arms from getting tired!) 

Ingredients

300g Butter 

525g Self - raising flour 

3 Tsp Baking powder 

525g Caster sugar 

5 Eggs

50ml Full fat milk 

Zest of one lemon 

1 Tbsp lemon curd 

Lemon curd for spreading 

100g Icing sugar 

Juice of one lemon 

Zest of half a lemon 

Line and grease the sandwich tins and preheat the oven to 180 degrees. 

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs and a third of the flour, mix together for two minutes. 

Add in the remaining flour and baking powder and mix together for three minutes on a medium speed. Pour in the milk and on a low speed mix together for one minute. 

Add in the lemon curd and lemon zest and mix for two minutes.  

Pour the mixture equally between the three tins and level the mixture flat in the tins. Place in the oven for 20 - 25 minutes until golden brown, or until a skewer comes out clean. 

Once cooked place on a wire rack to cool. 

If the cake has risen unequally, once cool take a sharp knife and cut off the lumps and bumps until the cake layer is flat, only do this with the first two layers. Place a tbsp of lemon curd and place on top the first tier, spread around until all the cake is covered. Place the second layer on top evenly and repeat with the lemon curd. Place the final layer on top. 

To make the icing, add the lemon juice to icing sugar and mix together until smooth and lump free, you want the consistency to be thick but runny so that it runs down the side of the cake. Add more icing sugar if it is too runny. 

Pour the icing sugar on top of the cake and let it fall down the sides of the cake and so that it covers the top. Sprinkle the lemon zest on top of the icing.