Orange & Lemon Cake

I totally go ga-ga for fruity desserts~

 This cake is lovely .... light & fluffy and bursting with citrus-y goodness , moist and very home-y tasting! 

When the cake is fresh out of the oven , pour the lemon - orange syrup over the cake ....the syrup soaks into the cake and infuses it with the heady citrus-y flavour and aroma of lemon and orange...

Ingredients
180 g sugar ...ground
180g softened butter

4 tablespoons milk
2 eggs
180 g self-raising flour

Grated zest and juice of 1 large lemon
Grated zest and juice of 1 large orange
3 tablespoons granulated sugar

Beat caster sugar , butter and zest of lemon and orange till pale and creamy. 

Next add the milk and eggs ...keep beating . 

Add in the flour in batches using a spatula .

 Pour batter into greased cake tins and place in a pre-heated oven for about 30-45 minutes at 180 deg C or till a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

While the cake is in the oven put the juice of the Orange  and the lemon in a saucepan boil and allow it to reduce to about 4 tablespoons add in the sugar and leave this syrup to cool . 

As soon as you bring out the cake from the oven prick it all over with a tooth pick / skewer . 

Pour the syrup all over the cake . Let the cake soak all the syrup .

 Leave to cool completely before you serve or remove from cake tin .

Of Birthdays and Cakes!

Insanely great lemon cake filled with velvety lemon curd ....this is totally addictive ...bursting with flavor .



Lemon Cake 

• 1/2 TBLS white vinegar
• Nearly half cup milk
• 8 TBLS melted butter 
• 1 cups white sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temp
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1.5 cups flour
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 TBLS Lemon Zest
• 1 TBLS Poppy Seeds ( Optional)

• Cream butter , sugar and eggs and mix really well.
• Pour the milk , lemon juice, lemon zest and vinegar into the mixing bowl and blend really well.
• In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients-flour, baking powder, baking soda and poppy seeds.
• Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, make sure to mix together completely until smooth.
• Pour the batter into a greased cake tin .
• Bake for 30ish or so  minutes or until a cake tester/toothpick comes out clean.
• Allow the cake to cool for 7-10 minutes, then gently tap  to loosen the cake. 

Lemon Curd 

2 small Eggs

Little more than 1/4th cup of sugar 

40 ml Lemon Juice

Zest of 1 lemon

1 TBLSP butter cut into small chunks at room temperature

Get a water bath ready. In a steel vessel using a wire whisk , whisk together eggs , sugar , lemon juice and zest.

Put this vessel on the water bath and whisk for 7-10 minutes or until the mixture is thick and creamy . Be patient as if you undercook your lemon curd will taste of raw egg .

So let it cook through till nice and thick taste a little to check for no raw egg taste :). Take off the water bath .

Add butter . Whisk some more the addition of butter makes the lemon curd smooth and velvety .

This will thicken further as it cools .

To assemble : 

Lemonade

Sweetened Whipped Cream

Lemon Curd ( From step 2 )

Lemon Cake ( From Step 1)

Lemon curls - To granish 

Make sure your cake is cool . Slice through the middle using a string / knife.

Drizzle both slices with lemonade . Dont drench them just drizzle to moisten cake.

Put a layer of lemon curd in the middle of the cake.

Put the 2 slices together . Cover cake with Whipped cream. Decorate with lemon curls .

** Assemble cake just at the time of serving so that you dont need to put the cake in the fridge for too long ...it tends to go hard. So assemble very close to serving time :))