Lemon Fondant Cake Recipes

EASY LEMON CAKE (ALL-IN-ONE-LEMON-SPONGE)

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 160ºC/140ºC fan.Line your baking tins (I use 2 x 20cm round sandwich tins) with baking parchment or reusable baking liners.
• Finely grate the zest of two lemons.
• Sift the self-raising flour (225g) and baking powder (2 tsp) into a large bowl.
• Add the remaining ingredients (4 medium eggs, 225g soft margarine or butter, 225g caster sugar, grated lemon zest and 2 tsp milk) and beat (with an electric mixer on a slow speed or by hand) until combined. Make sure that there are no small lumps of butter/margarine in your mixture. If there are, beat for a little longer until the mixture is smooth.
• Split the mixture equally between the pre-prepared tins. Use the back of a spoon to spread the mixture evenly in the tins.
• Bake for 30-35 minutes. To check if the cake is cooked insert a skewer into the centre and if it comes out clean the cake is ready.
• Leave the cake to cool in the tins for about 10 minutes. Remove them from the tins and then move them to a wire rack to cool completely - Make sure the cake has cooled completely before decorating.

LEMON CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 2 (8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch) loaf pans. You may also line the bottom with parchment paper, if desired.
• Cream the butter and 2 cups granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, and the lemon zest.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, combine 1/4 cup lemon juice, the buttermilk, and vanilla. Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately to the batter, beginning and ending with the flour. Divide the batter evenly between the pans, smooth the tops, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a cake tester comes out clean.
• Combine 1/2 cup granulated sugar with 1/2 cup lemon juice in a small saucepan and cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves. When the cakes are done, allow to cool for 10 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans and set them on a rack set over a tray or sheet pan; spoon the lemon syrup over them. Allow the cakes to cool completely.
• For the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar and the lemon juice in a bowl, mixing with a wire whisk until smooth. Pour over the tops of the cakes and allow the glaze to drizzle down the sides.

LEMON FONDANT CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease and line bases of 3 x 20cm sandwich tins. Beat the butter, sugar, flour, eggs, almonds, yogurt, all the zest and half the lemon juice. Divide between the tins and bake for 20-25 mins until a skewer poked in comes out clean (you may want to change the shelves around after 20 mins to ensure the cakes cook evenly). Mix the juice of the second lemon with 1 tbsp sugar, poke the cakes a few times with a skewer and drizzle over. Cool in the tins on wire racks.
• Sandwich the 3 sponges together with 8 tbsp of the lemon curd. Brush the rest over the top and sides of the cake. Break off 50g marzipan, then roll out the rest on an icing sugar-dusted surface until large enough to cover the cake. Cover the cake with the marzipan and transfer it to an upturned bowl or saucer on a tray, so the edges of the cake overhang the bowl, but it is stable.
• Mix enough water into the fondant icing sugar to make a thick icing. Set aside a few tbsp, then mix some yellow food colouring into the rest. Spoon bit by bit over the cake, letting it dribble down the sides until the entire cake is covered (and excess has dripped off).
• Knead pink colouring into half the marzipan and green into the other half. Roll out the green and cut out leaves. Use a cocktail stick to draw veins on. Press bits of the pink into long, flat sausages and roll up to look like roses. Put the reserved white icing into a food or piping bag. Snip the end and pipe fine squiggles over the cake. Add roses and leaves once the icing is almost set.