The lip-puckering tartness of lemon curd never fails to excite me. Be it in a tart, dolloped over pavlova, or in a parfait like this one I made a while ago, if there’s a dessert with it on the menu, that’s invariably what I’d end up ordering. Some like their curd more sweet than tart, but I like it ziiiingy. So if I were giving you the recipe for the curd alone here, I would definitely have specified that you should balance the sugar levels to match your palate.
Using it in this cake is just brilliant. The lemon curd when slathered on top of the cake and marbled, caramelizes the sugars to form a dark, almost slightly burnt crust. That’s where it’s at for me. The lemon curd mixed into the batter also ensures that there’s a spring in every bite along the way.
Although I’ve used lemon curd out of a jar, I would definitely recommend making some of your own – this is a good one. So that old adage about what to do when life gives you lemons, well now you know!
- 320 grams lemon curd
- ½ cup + 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1½ cup self-raising flour
- 150 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3 eggs
- ⅛ tsp salt
- Icing sugar, for dusting over the top
- Preheat oven to 180 C (360 F) and butter an 8” round cake tin, preferably a spring-form one. [Quick tip - flip the base topside down; I find it easier to get the cake out when un-moulding].
- Beat the butter and sugar together using an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes (you could do this with a hand whisk, but it’ll take a lot longer).
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, then add half the lemon curd and salt. Continue whisking for another 1 minute.
- Add the flour to the bowl and fold in using a metal spoon. Do not over-mix at this stage. Tip the batter into the greased tin, then dollop the remaining lemon curd randomly all over the top. I like to marble it in with a knife without combining it into the batter evenly.
- Bake for 40 - 50 minutes in the center of the oven until the top is golden and caramelized, and a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
- Leave the cake to cool in the pan before un-moulding. Dust the cake slices with icing sugar before serving.
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