Lemon sponge cake with strawberries and cream

ingredients

• Speedy sponge cake

  • 1 cup caster sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla essence or extract
  • 4 free-range eggs, at room temperature
  • 3 tablespoon milk
  • 75 gram butter, melted
  • zest of 1-2 lemons
  • 1 1/2 cup plain flour
  • 2 teaspoon baking powder

• Lemon and vanilla cream-cheese cream

  • 200 gram cream cheese, softened
  • 1-2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 lemon, finely grated zest
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla essence or extract
  • 300 millilitre cream
  • 3 tablespoon icing sugar

• To assemble

  • 1/3 cup strawberry, raspberry or similar jam
  • 2 tablespoon boiling water
  • 4-6 tbsp cream (or 3 tbsp amaretto or other liqueur)
  • 2 punnet strawberries

method

• Speedy sponge cake

  • 1

    Preheat oven to 190°C. Lightly grease and line two 20-22cm round cake tins with baking paper.

  • 2

    Use an electric beater to beat sugar, vanilla and eggs in a large mixing bowl for 3 minutes on high speed, until pale, light and fluffy.

  • 3

    Add milk, melted butter, lemon zest and a pinch of salt, then sift in flour and baking powder and fold together using a large metal spoon until just combined – do not over-mix or the sponge will be tough.

  • 4

    Spoon mixture equally into tins. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until sponges spring back when lightly touched. Cool in the tins for 5 minutes before removing.

• Lemon and vanilla cream-cheese cream

  • 1

    In a bowl, use an electric beater to beat cream cheese, lemon juice, zest and vanilla until smooth. Add cream and icing sugar and continue beating for 2-3 minutes until mixture is like thick whipped cream; take care not to over-beat.

  • 2

    To assemble, mix jam with the boiling water to loosen. Place one sponge on a serving plate or cake stand. Drizzle with half the cream or liqueur and spread with one-third of jam. Roughly spread over half the cream-cheese cream and top with 1 punnet of sliced strawberries. Repeat with second sponge, adding cream or liqueur, jam and cream-cheese cream. Place second sponge on top of first. Pile with second punnet of halved or quartered strawberries. Drizzle with remaining jam.

notes

• Serves 8-10. - Measure flour by tipping it into cup. If you scoop it from the packet, you end up with too much flour! - You can make sponges a day ahead and keep in an airtight container in the pantry (not the fridge or they will dry out). NB: If sponges do dry out, they can be revived with a drizzle of cream, liqueur, or jam mixed with a little water. - You can make the cream-cheese cream up to a day in advance; keep well covered in the fridge. Add a little liquid cream to loosen the mixture slightly before spreading.