Lemon Sponge Cake

A  zesty lemon sponge cake with buttercream icing, what more could you want for a spring time recipe!

Ingredients:

• 400g caster sugar
• 400g softened butter
• 8 eggs, beaten
• 400g self-raising flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 4 tbsp milk
• 6 tbsp lemon juice

Equipment:

Tala 12.5cm Icing Scraper 

Tala Mixing Bowl 

Tala Originals Sugar Shaker 

Tala Performance 25cm Cake Tin 

Tala Non-stick Cake Cooling Rack

Tala Silicone Spoon Spatula 

Tala Icing Sugar Storage Tin 

Tala 30cm Balloon Whisk 

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 190C/fan 170C and grease and line four 20cm round sandwich tins.
2. Using a hand held electric or stand mixer, beat together the butter and caster sugar until pale and creamy. Then add in your eggs, milk and lemon juice and beat until fully combined.
3. Combine the flour and baking powder together in a bowl and add into the wet mixture, mixing until fully combined. 
4. Divide the mixture between the 4 sandwich tins and even out the surfaces with a spatula.
5. Bake for 20 minutes until golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Then turn onto a wire cooling rack and let cool completely.

BUTTERCREAM ICING

Ingredients:

• 300g unsalted butter, softened (not melted)
• 680g icing sugar (sifted)
• 4 tbsp whole milk + 1/2 tsp vanilla mixed together

EXTRAS

• Jar of seedless raspberry jam
• Sprinkles
• Pastel food colouring

Method:

1. Whip the butter for 5 mins until pale and creamy. 
2. Then gradually add the icing sugar with the mixer on low speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl between each addition.
3. Once all the icing sugar has been incorporated, mix in the milk and vanilla mixture. You might find that the buttercream is still too thick, if so, add a few tbsp milk to get the desired consistency.
4. Separate your buttercream into different bowls and add your chosen food colouring (preferably oil based paste) to each bowl, mix until evenly distributed. 

ASSEMBLY

1. Once the cakes are fully cooled, using a cake leveller or knife, level off the cakes. 
2. Place one cake on the base of the turntable and spread a layer of jam on top, do this until you reach the top layer. 
3. Using a spatula, dollop the buttercream around the edge of the cake. Then, using a cake scraper, smooth out the layer of buttercream so you have a thin layer around the outside. Dollop some more icing on the top and smooth, then place in the fridge for 20 minutes. 
4. Now you have your crumb coat, repeat the same steps as above until you have a thick, smooth layer of buttercream covering the whole cake. 
5. Decorate the cake how you wish, to match the photos, use a spatula or palette knife to add sections of coloured icing and then add sprinkles. Then pipe a pattern around the top layer.