LEMON & RASPBERRY LAYER CAKE
I last made this cake for my Dad's birthday, and it went down an absolute treat! Layers of lemon curd, raspberry jam, swiss meringue buttercream and lemon sponge compliment each other beautifully without being overly sweet. I recommend making this over two days if you can; prep the decorations, lemon curd and raspberry jam the day before, then all you need to worry about the next day is making the sponge and frosting.

INGREDIENTS

Serves 10-12

FOR THE LEMON CURD RECIPE CLICK HERE

FOR THE RASPBERRY JAM RECIPE CLICK HERE

FOR THE WHITE CHOCOLATE DISCS

65g white chocolate

Few freeze dried raspberries

FOR THE LEMON SPONGE

175g vegetable oil

215g caster sugar

Zest of 3 lemons

4 eggs

1tsp vanilla extract

215g plain flour

2tsp baking powder

3/4tsp salt

1/4tsp bicarbonate of soda

140g plain yoghurt

FOR THE SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM

4 egg whites

300g caster sugar

400g unsalted butter, cubed and at room temperature

TO DECORATE

x1 batch lemon curd

x1 batch raspberry jam

Handful of freeze dried raspberries

METHOD

1

Preheat the oven to 170°C. Grease and line two 8-inch round pans and set aside.

2

For the sponge, briefly combine the oil, sugar and lemon zest. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition, followed by the vanilla extract.

3

In a large bowl, sift together the plain flour, baking powder, salt and bicarbonate of soda. Add half of this to the wet mixture and mix well, followed by the yoghurt, then the remaining half of the dry ingredients. Be sure to scrape down to the bottom of the bowl to ensure no dry bits of flour are left.

4

Divide the batter between the two tins. If you're pedantic like me, you may wish to weigh the batter to ensure you get equal amounts in each tin (it should be in the ballpark of around 500g per tin). Bake for 25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before decorating; I find cooling the cake to room temperature, then refrigerating the cake for about an hour or so really helps firm it up for decorating.

5

For the white chocolate discs, line a small aking tray with baking parchment. Melt 50g of the white chocolate in the microwave. I like to do 30-second increments, stirring well between each blast. Once fully melted, add 15g of room temperature white chocolate, and stir until smooth. This is a rough method (admittedly not proper) of tempering chocolate. Pour onto the baking tray, and smooth out into an even layer. Top with freeze dried raspberries, and refrigerate for 5 minutes or so. After 5 minutes, chomp out discs using a small round cookie cutter. Return to the refrigerator until ready to use.

6

Now for the buttercream. In a large bowl, combine the egg whites and sugar.

Set the bowl over a pan filled 1/3 of the way with simmering water. Whilst constantly stirring, gently heat the mixture until the sugar is dissolved. You should feel no sugar granules if you rub the mixture between clean fingers.

Using a hand-held electric whisk, whip this mixture for 10 minutes until you have a stiff meringue that is cool to the touch. Add the butter, a few cubes at a time; once the last few cubes combine with the meringue, add the next few cubes. Continue in this way until all the butter is used up. You know the frosting is ready as it will transform from looking nothing like frosting to the consistency of whipped butter.

Split the frosting in two. To one half, mix in 100g of the lemon curd. To the other half, mix in 100g of the raspberry jam.

7

Divide each sponge into two. The best way to do this is using a cake leveller, if you have one, or if you're like me and don't, you can use a sharp, serrated knife to slice down the middle of the cake. If you have a turntable, I would recommend using it here.

Place one layer on top of a cake board (or surface you wish to decorate on). I like to use a dab of buttercream to help it stick to the board.

Atop this first cake layer, apply a layer of the raspberry buttercream. Using a palette knife or spoon, carve a slight indent in the frosting layer, and add a layer of raspberry jam. Top with the next cake layer, then follow with the lemon buttercream. Carve another indent in this layer, and spread over the remaining lemon curd. Add the third cake layer, and top with raspberry frosting, then raspberry jam. Finish with the final layer of cake, and cover in a thin layer of the lemon buttercream. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, add a final layer of lemon buttercream. I then like to pop the remaining raspberry buttercream in a piping bag fitted with a 2D or star nozzle. Pipe a pattern of rosettes along the top and sides of the cake as you wish, then finish with the white chocolate discs and a sprinkling of freeze dried raspberries. Enjoy!

This cake is best stored in the fridge, as it is made with fresh lemon curd.

Serving Suggestion

This cake is fabulous for celebrations, best served with a nice cup of tea, made to your preference.

icheffedit Tip

For Swiss meringue buttercream, it really is best to use a handheld electric whisk to get the right consistency. Once you've added the butter, it may still be runny; if it is too warm, refrigerate for 30 minutes, then resume whisking. If it is too cool, place back over the simmering water, and whisk until at the desired consistency.