I made this for Teatime on a very hot sunny day, where the hot weather played havoc with the buttercream. This meant I had to keep putting the cake and the buttercream back into the fridge to prevent it from becoming too soft and unworkable.

A few springs of fresh mint from the garden really complement the Lemon and strawberry flavours. But you can leave them out if you wish.

Lemon Cake with Lemon Buttercream and Fresh Strawberries

Lynn Hill

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Cook Time 25

Total Time 25

Course Afternoon Tea

Cuisine British

Servings 10 - 12 slices

Calories 506 kcal

INGREDIENTS

For the Cake

170 grams Butter Softened
170 grams Caster Sugar
3 Medium Eggs
Zest of one Large Lemon
2 tbs Ready Made Lemon Curd
170 grams Self Raising Flour

Filling and Topping

250 grams Icing Sugar sifted plus a little extra for dusting
170 grams Butter Softened
1 tbs Lemon Juice
15-20 Strawberries for decoration
Small Sprigs of Mint optional

Instructions

Grease and line the base of a 26cm x 16cm (6 ½" x 10") sandwich tin. Using Easy Cake Release Spray works very well. Then line the base and side, if needed, with baking parchment.
Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs, one at a time, until well combined, adding a little flour between each egg to help prevent curdling.
Add the Lemon Zest, Lemon Curd and mix until well combined.
Carefully mix in the remaining flour until well combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared tin carefully levelling out the top.
Bake in the centre of the oven for 20-25 mins or until baked, testing the centre of the cake with a skewer until it comes out clean.
Leave in the tin for 10 mins to cool a little before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the Buttercream
Beat together the icing sugar, butter and lemon juice until light and fluffy. I made this on an extremely hot day, so you may need to adjust the icing sugar and Lemon Juice according until you reach your desired spreading consistence.

Decorate the cake

Slice the cake in half down the middle of the cake so that you have two evenly sized halves.
Sandwich these two halves together with the Lemon Curd and a thin layer of Buttercream. If needed, slice the edges of the cake to square them off.
Crumb coat’ the whole cake by spreading a thin layer of buttercream along the top and sides. Place the cake in the fudge for about 20 mins for it to set a little.
Remove from the fridge and cover the whole of the cake with the remaining buttercream.
Slice the Strawberries in half and decorate the top. Add the sprigs of Mint if using.
Finish off with a dusting of icing sugar.

Serving

On very hot days, this cake will need to be kept in the fridge. Bring back to room temperature before serving.Serve with any left over strawberries. Ring the changes with different fresh fruits and complementary curds zest and zingy juices.

Keyword Lemon Buttercream