Lemon Drizzle Cake

For the sponge

1. Preheat the oven to 320°F (160°C).

2. Line the base of three 8-inch cake tins with baking paper and butter the sides well.

3. Beat the softened butter and golden caster sugar together using an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

4. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well and scraping down the sides of the bowl between each addition.

   Crack eggs onto a flat surface rather than the rim of the bowl to avoid getting shell in the batter.

5. Fold in the self-raising flour, baking powder, and pinch of salt gently, taking care not to knock out the air.

6. Add a splash of milk to loosen the batter texture if it feels a little stiff.

7. Zest the 3 lemons.

   Hold the zester stable on a cutting board and run the lemon down its length, turning as you go.

8. Fold the lemon zest and vanilla paste into the sponge batter until evenly distributed.

9. Divide the cake mixture evenly among the three prepared cake tins.

10. Spread the batter level in each tin using a palette knife or spatula.

11. Bake in the oven for 30–35 minutes, until golden and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.

    Then 35 min of waiting

For the drizzle

12. Juice all 3 zested lemons through a sieve into a bowl to collect the juice.

    Turn lemon halves inside out after squeezing by hand to extract up to 2 extra tablespoons of juice.

13. Stir the granulated sugar into the lemon juice until mixed, leaving it un-dissolved so it creates a crunchy texture.

For the filling

14. Pour the double cream into a bowl.

15. Sift in the icing sugar and add the vanilla extract.

16. Whisk gently, then add a squeeze of lemon juice to speed up thickening, whisking to a soft-peak, spreadable texture.

Assembly

17. Turn two sponges out upside down onto a wire cooling rack and leave one top-side up.

18. Spoon the lemon drizzle evenly over all three warm sponge cakes, allowing them to soak up the liquid while cooling.

19. Place one flat sponge onto a cake stand or serving plate.

20. Spread half of the whipped vanilla cream evenly over the top, stopping just short of the edges.

21. Spoon half the lemon curd onto the cream and swirl gently to the edges using a palette knife.

22. Top with the second flat sponge layer, press down lightly, and layer with the remaining whipped cream and lemon curd.

23. Place the final sponge, top-side up, on top of the cake.

24. Decorate the top with fine strips of lemon zest and a sprinkling of extra granulated sugar for crunch.

25. Weighing eggs in their shells gives the exact weight needed for equal parts butter, sugar, and flour.

26. Using all room-temperature ingredients prevents the sponge mixture from splitting. If it begins to split, fold in 1 tbsp of the measured flour.