Lemon drizzle layer cake
Prep time: 20 minsTotal time: 
Lemon drizzle layer cake
Prep time: 20 minsTotal time: 
Jo Wheatley
Jo baked her way into our hearts by winning The Great British Bake Off in 2011. Her cookbooks, Home Baking and A Passion for Baking, are full of easy cakes and impressive desserts to share with friends and family.
Jo Wheatley
Jo baked her way into our hearts by winning The Great British Bake Off in 2011. Her cookbooks, Home Baking and A Passion for Baking, are full of easy cakes and impressive desserts to share with friends and family.
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 250g soft unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
- 300g caster sugar
- 4 large eggs, beaten
- 300g self-raising flour, sifted
- 2 tbsp lemon curd
For the topping:
- juice of 1 lemon
- 4 tbsp granulated sugar
For the filling:
- 300g cream cheese
- 2 tbsp lemon curd
Step by step
The sponge cakes can be made up to a day ahead; they can also be frozen.
-
Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4. Lightly grease 2 x 20cm loose-bottomed sandwich tins and line the bases with baking paper.
-
Cream together the butter and caster sugar until pale, light and fluffy. This is easiest with a free-standing mixer or electric hand whisk. Gradually add the beaten eggs, mixing well between each addition. Tip in the flour and mix to combine. Add the lemon curd and mix until smooth.
-
Spoon the mixture into the prepared tins and smooth the surface with
a palette knife. Bake on the middle shelf of the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until well risen and a skewer inserted into the middle of the cakes comes out clean.TipOnce you’ve spooned the cake mixture into the tins, tap them sharply on a work surface to get rid of air bubbles for a nice even rise.
-
Remove the cakes from the oven. Mix the lemon juice with the granulated sugar and slowly spoon over the top of the warm cakes. Leave the cakes to cool in the tins.
-
To make the filling, mix the cream cheese with the lemon curd. Spread on to one of the cakes with a palette knife, then sandwich together with the other cake.
The outside of this cake is deeply golden because of the lemon curd in the sponge, so keep your eye on it when baking and, if it starts to become too dark, cover with foil to finish
