Our Food Director Sarah is a food obsessive, and spends most of her time scoping out the latest food trends, experimenting in her own kitchen, or making her family wait to eat while she photographs every dinner she makes for the 'gram! A complete Middle Eastern food junkie, she is never far from a good shawarma marinade, a pinch of Aleppo chilli or a sprig of dill
See more of Sarah Akhurst’s recipes
Sarah Akhurst
Our Food Director Sarah is a food obsessive, and spends most of her time scoping out the latest food trends, experimenting in her own kitchen, or making her family wait to eat while she photographs every dinner she makes for the 'gram! A complete Middle Eastern food junkie, she is never far from a good shawarma marinade, a pinch of Aleppo chilli or a sprig of dill
Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4. Grease and line three 18cm diameter sponge tins. Beat the butter and sugar together until very light and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition. Fold through the flour and then stir through the lemon curd yogurt, zest and 3 tablespoons of the elderflower cordial. Divide the mixture between the tins and bake for 30 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted.
Combine the lemon juice and the remaining cordial. Prick the sponges all over and spoon over the syrup while the cakes are still warm. Cool in the tins for 15 minutes, then remove and cool completely on a wire rack (the sponges can be frozen for up to 1 month).
For the icing, beat the butter until very soft and creamy and then beat in the icing sugar, in two batches. Mix through the elderflower cordial.
Place one of the sponges on a cake stand or serving plate and spread with some of the icing. Spread on half the lemon curd then top with another cake layer. Repeat with more icing and the remaining lemon curd, then top with the final sponge. Cover the whole cake with the rest of the icing, skimming the sides with a palette knife so you can see some of the cake through the icing. The cake can be assembled a day ahead.
Decorate the cake with spring flowers, and candied lemon slices if using, just before serving. Leftovers keep for 3-4 days in an airtight container.
Kitchen tip
To make candied lemon, simmer thin lemon slices in a simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water) until translucent, turning once or twice. Lift out and cool on a lined tray.
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Sprinkle in lemon or orange zest to give your box cake batter a hint of zing. You can also replace the water with lemon, orange or lime juice or soda. Use this method with any type of cake mix, but it works best with lemon, yellow and white cake.
If your cake was cooked to the proper temperature, chances are it is still edible even if it sunk in the center. Check that it's baked through the middle, then try a small piece of your cake. It might not taste good if the ingredient measurements were off. Notice the texture to make sure it's not too dense or spongy.
If the cake is still hot or warm, you can return it to the oven to bake it until it's done. Once an underbaked cake has cooled, you cannot salvage it as a proper cake. However, you can bake it and then use it for other purposes, such as cake crumbles to sprinkle over ice cream or smoothies.
Queen of cakes Mary Berry insists that margarine makes for a lighter texture than butter. This is true, especially for the “all-in-one” method, where all the ingredients are beaten to a batter in a food processor.
The problem most likely is improper mixing of the cake. It also could be too low an oven temp or not baking it long enough. It helps to turn the cakes in the oven or re-position them slightly to get an even bake.
If you add the drizzle to your lemon cake when it is just out of the oven, the drizzle will sink to the bottom of the cake, leaving the top dry and the bottom soggy. Wait ten minutes after it has come out of the oven and soak the cake then.
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl; add to lemon sugar. Add butter, eggs, and milk and beat with an electric mixer until batter is smooth and fluffy. Transfer batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth out the top.
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Prep time: 35 mins
