Lemon Moon Cake
This tangy, beautiful version of the supermarket classic is several degrees more delicious than the plastic- wrapped variety
- 200g butter
- 200g caster sugar
- 100g store-bought marzipan
- Seeds from 1 vanilla pod
- 5 eggs plus 1 yolk
- 200g plain flour or cake flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- A pinch of salt
- Grated zest and freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon
- For the icing:
- 150g icing sugar, sifted
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice (to taste)
- 1 tbsp hot water
- Grated zest of 1/2 lemon
- 1 tsp vanilla sugar OR extract OR use the seeds from
- 1 vanilla pod
- Chopped almonds, to decorate
- A round 22cm diameter spring-form pan, greased and lined with baking parchment
Preheat the oven to 160C (300F/Gas 2).
1. In a stand mixer or using a hand-held electric whisk, cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Grate the marzipan into the mixture, add the seeds from the vanilla pod/bean and mix again. Next add the eggs, one at a time, ensuring you incorporate fully between each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl if necessary.
2. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Sift into the cake mixture and fold with a spatula until combined. Add the lemon zest and half the juice and fold again. If the mixture seems too thick, you can add a bit more lemon juice.
3. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake in the preheated oven for around an hour or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Turn out the cake onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely before decorating.
4. To make the icing, place the icing sugar in a bowl and add two tablespoons lemon juice and a tablespoon hot water, mixing in well. Add more lemon juice until you get to the consistency of runny honey: spreadable, but not so liquid that it runs off the cake. Add the lemon zest and vanilla and stir until smooth. If the icing becomes too runny, add a bit more icing sugar.
5. Decorate with chopped almonds if you wish, or make a pattern with a darker coloured icing for a more traditional look.
ScandiKitchen: Fika & Hygge by Bronte Aurell with photography by Peter Cassidy is published by Ryland Peters and Small.
