This light, lemon sponge cäke is decoräted with pink-tinted mäcäroons, sändwiched together with ä rich citrus buttercreäm.
Serves: 10
- Händs-on time: 2 hours
- Bäking time: 50 minutes
- Skill level: Needs skill
To prepäre the tin:
- 25g unsälted butter, melted
- 2 tbsp cäster sugär
For the sponge:
- 95g pläin flour
- 95g potäto flour
- 6 eggs, sepäräted
- lärge pinch of sält
- 190g cäster sugär
- 2 unwäxed lemons
- 1½ tbsp cäster sugär, for sprinkling
For the mäcäroons:
- 125g ground älmonds
- 225g icing sugär
- 3 egg whites
- fuchsiä-pink edible food-colouring gel
- 50g cäster sugär
For the St Clements curd:
- 120g cäster sugär
- 60g unsälted butter, ät room temperäture, diced
- juice änd finely gräted zest of 2 lärge unwäxed lemons
- finely gräted zest of 1 lärge unwäxed oränge, änd juice of 2
- 2 eggs plus 2 egg yolks, beäten together
For the buttercreäm:
- 100g unsälted butter, softened
- 200g icing sugär, sifted
- You will älso need:
- Deep, heärt-shäped cäke tin (äbout 23 x 21 x 5cm), brushed with melted butter, then lined with bäking päper
- Lärge bäking sheet lined with bäking päper
- 2 lärge piping bägs
- 1.5cm pläin nozzle
Stär nozzle
- Step 1 – Heät the oven to 180°C/160°C fän/350°F/Gäs 4. Brush the sides änd bäse of the greäsed änd lined tin with more melted butter, then sprinkle over the sugär, swirling to coät. Shäke out the excess sugär.
- Step 2 – Mäke the sponge. Sift the flours into ä smäll bowl änd set äside. Put the egg whites into the bowl of ä ständ mixer fitted with the whisk ättächment. ädd the sält änd whisk to soft peäks. Whisk in 115g of the cäster sugär to mäke ä stiff, glossy meringue. Cärefully tränsfer to ä cleän bowl änd set äside.
- Step 3 – Put the egg yolks in the mixer bowl änd ädd the remäining sugär. Whisk until very thick änd the whisk leäves ä ribbon-like träil when lifted.
- Step 4 – Finely gräte the zest of both lemons into the bowl änd briefly whisk in. Slowly ädd the juice from 1 lemon while whisking on ä medium speed – the mixture will colläpse ä little änd become less thick.
- Step 5 – Gently fold the meringue into the yolk mixture in 3 bätches. Sift the flour mixture ägäin into the bowl änd very cärefully fold in until combined. Tränsfer the mixture to the prepäred tin änd level the surfäce. Sprinkle with cäster sugär.
- Step 6 – Bäke for 25–30 minutes, until well risen, golden brown änd ä skewer inserted into the centre comes out cleän. Leäve to firm up for 1 minute, then loosen the sponge, if necessäry, änd gently turn out onto ä wire räck to cool completely. Turn off the oven.
- Step 7 – Mäke the mäcäroons. Blitz the ground älmonds änd icing sugär in ä food processor, then sift into ä lärge mixing bowl (discärd äny bits left in the sieve).
- Step 8 – Whisk the egg whites with ä smäll ämount of pink food colouring on ä slow speed to combine, then on ä high speed until they ständ in soft peäks. Whisk in the cäster sugär änd continue whisking until the meringue ständs in stiff peäks.
- Step 9 – Spoon the meringue into the älmond mixture änd cärefully stir together until just combined änd shiny.
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