Lemon Pound Cake with Lemon Buttercream

So I was asking my Dad what cake he would like for the weekend. I had just borrowed a book from the library and suggested that he had a look through. After sometime, Dad comes out of his study with his infamous tiny reading glasses (which he has since lost - tsk tsk tsk) picking two cake that require ... drumroll ...... alcohol - typical Dad ... really

One recipe was an orange cranberry combination that required Contrieau and the other Limoncello ! So I decided to try the lemon ones as I already had lemons at home.

The recipe was really really easy. So components are simple lemon pound cakes, a simple syrup, lemon curd and lemon butter cream. It is suggested that the process be spread over two days to allow for the cake to fully absorb the syrup and completely cool down. 

                           

So day one was cake making, curd making and syrup making day. The cakes turned out beautifully with almost no domed surface - score !!! The lemon curd can be store-bought. I have a recipe that I always turn to - so I made that. The syrup required the alcohol which I just omitted.(The cake still tasted great)

Day two was buttercream making day. Simple beyond simple. Just beat butter and icing sugar till no lumps and mix in the lemon curd to get lemon buttercream. I think the next time I make it, I might double the recipe. The buttercream was just enough to fill and thinly cover the whole cake. Leftover curd became decor for the top !

I had lots of curd left so I filled the cake with the curd as well. If you look close, you can see the layer of curd above the layer of buttercream. Anyone care for a slice ?

Lemon Limoncello Cake with Lemon Buttercream adapted from Peggy Porchen

For the cake layers
200g softened unsalted butter200g golden caster sugar2 lemons - zest finely grated(unwaxed or washed well)4 medium eggs, lightly beaten200g self raising flourpinch of salt

Simple Syrup
150ml lemon juice (about 3 lemons' worth)
150g caster sugar
50ml Limoncello liqueur (I just skipped this)

Buttercream icing
80g softened unsalted butter
80g icing sugar, sifted
pinch of salt
40g lemon curd (I make mine from scratch)

Grease and baseline three  6 " baking pans and preheat the oven to 175'C.  

Cream the butter, lemon zest, salt and sugar together until pale and fluffy. It will take a good few minutes for the sugar to dissolve. 

Add the eggs a little at a time and beat until fully incorporated. Once the eggs are all incorporated, gently fold in the flour until it has just combined. 

Divide the mix evenly between the tins and level the surface. . 

Place the tins in the centre of your oven and bake for 15 - 20 minutes, until fragrant and golden. A skewer inserted into the middle should come out clean.

While the cake is baking make the sugar syrup. In a saucepan stir together the lemon juice and caster sugar. Bring to a boil and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Let cool for a few minutes and then stir in the limoncello (if using).

Once the cakes have been out of the oven for 10 minutes brush liberally with the sugar syrup. Once completely cool wrap in cling film and let rest for 24 hours.

To make the buttercream, cream the butter, icing sugar and salt until light and fluffy. Pour in the lemon curd and beat for 30 seconds.

To assemble, trim the sides and level each layer. Brush the tops with sugar syrup one more time and sandwich each layer with the buttercream. A useful guide would be to divide the icing into quaters. 1/4 of the icing for each layer (there will be two layers of buttercream inside the cake) and the remaining 1/2 of the icing for the outside. If you think there's not enough, then go ahead and quickly make another batch.

Enjoy !