Double Lemon Drizzle With Mascarpone and Lemon Curd Filling

Indulgent celebration cake for close friends and family

Big weekends come along once in a  while, last weekend was one of these. I headed to Nottingham to celebrate two of my best friends’ birthdays and promised a cake. So on the Saturday morning, after the Friday night dancing to the jazz-swing sounds of Alligator Gumbo at The Malt Cross drinking Harvest Pale, I made this cake. This was a hung-over cake. A cake that wasn't very pretty and still had its dressing gown on. But it was a moist and decadent cake.

Even though I enjoy baking and do it a lot, I've never really been one for perfectionism, especially when it comes to presentation, so a delicious, if slightly demolished looking cake is just as good as a manicured and spray-tanned cake. I think part of the problem was that I used two silicone tins, didn't line or grease them and had them on the same shelf of a smallish oven. Like I said, I was hung-over.

This cake is actually the beginnings of a cake that will have to be perfect when it comes to taste, construction and presentation m- my friend Vinca and I are afforded the great honour of making three very special cakes for our friends’ nuptials – and this lemon drizzle monster is just a jumping off point. I blended the Mascarpone and the lemon curd (which was shop bought) but think for effect it might be nicer to have the curd on top of the rich cream cheese, dribbling down the side of a 3 or 4 tiered cake.

NB. Line and grease your spring form tins.

Double Lemon Drizzle With Mascarpone and Lemon Curd Filling

250g unsalted butter

350g caster sugar

4 large eggs

zest of 3 lemons

350g self raising flour
pinch of salt

80 ml milk

Cream the butter, sugar and lemon zest together until pale and fluffy.

Add the eggs one by one till combined thoroughly. 

Sift in self raising flour and salt.

Stir in milk and add an extra tbsp at a time if too stiff (the batter should be firm and not sloppy)

Pour batter into 2 greased and lined spring-form tins.

Bake for 35 - 45 minutes, insert a skewer to test if it is cooked in the middle.

Drizzle

Juice of 3 lemons

200g caster sugar

While the cakes are baking put juice and sugar in a heavy bottomed pan and dissolve the sugar on a low heat and reduce if you want a thicker syrup/drizzle.

Prick the cakes while still in the warm tins and pour half the drizzle over each and wait till they cool before removing.

Mascarpone and Lemon Curd Filling

200g Mascarpone

100g lemon curd

Whizz together and spread on whichever cake you designate the bottom,

Top with the other cake.

Eat greedily.