Luscious Limoncello Cake

Sunday Afternoon Tease

Darlings, it has been totally gorgeous here and Mr Sun has had all his hats on at once!  We have been trying to eat al fresco every evening as it somehow makes food taste better when it's basted with a little early evening sunshine.

Of course, everyone is barbecuing, and it's nice to take along something boozy and something sweet to help social events go with a swing.  So, what better way to do this than by adding a little alcohol to a light and zingy lemon cake.  

The booze in question is Limoncello, that refreshing Italian lemon liqueur that tastes like it's probably good for you, (surely, it's full of vitamin C, right?!).  A light sponge cake is drizzled with a lemon syrup and then filled with a mascarpone, whipped cream and Limoncello concoction.  Summer in a cake!

Here's the recipe.....

Ingredients

200 grams self-raising flour

200 grams caster sugar

200 grams Stork margarine

1 tsp baking powder

4 large eggs

Zest of 1 large unwaxed lemon

Lemon Syrup

Juice of 1 large lemon

3 tbsp caster sugar

Filling 

150 ml Double cream

100 g mascarpone

2 tbspn icing sugar

3 tbsp lemon curd

2 teaspoons ish Limoncello

Extra lemon curd for spreading

Method

1.  Add all ingredients to a bowl and beat together into thoroughly combined.  It's your basic all-in-one type of sponge cake until the magic happens.  
2. Divide the cake batter between two 20 cm cake tins that have been lined with baking parchment.
3. Bake in pre-heated oven at 180 C/Gas mark 4 for 25 minutes ish.  
4. Turn out onto a wire baking rack and peel off the parchment.
5. Make the syrup by adding juice and sugar to a saucepan and bring to a simmer.  Remove from heat after a couple of minutes of simmering.
6. Prick the cake bases all over the top surface with a fork and spoon the lemony syrup over the sponge until the cake has soaked it all in.
7. Make the filling by beating the double cream until thick, folding through the mascarpone and lemon curd.  Add the icing sugar and Limoncello to taste - you will have to test the filling to see if the balance is right (wink, wink).
8. Spread the filling on one half of the cake, and spread lemon curd on the other half of the cake.
9. Sandwich the cakes together and dust the surface with icing sugar.

Serve with a little pouring cream and a chilled glass of Limoncello that has been in the freezer.  Keep your glasses in the fridge too for an icy shot of liquid sun. 

Easy Peasy Limoncello Squeezy!

GAlx