Easter Lemon Cake with Vanilla Ricotta Cream

Details

8 serves

1 hour 15 minutes

Notes

This is the Lemon Cake you make when you want to impress your guests at Easter. Double layered, with a beautiful lemon curd and vanilla Ricotta cream. Brighten up your Easter celebration, by styling this cake with lots of lemony rays of sunshine and pretty pastel speckled eggs.

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Ingredients

	VANILLA SPONGE
4	large eggs
300g	caster sugar
320g	plain flour
2½ tspn	baking powder
240ml	milk
115g	unsalted butter
3 tspn	vanilla extract
3 tspn	vegetable oil
¼ tspn	salt
	VANILLA RICOTTA CREAM
750g (2 x 375g tubs)	Smooth Ricotta
250g (1 tub)	Double Cream
1 tspn	vanilla extract
80g	caster sugar
	LEMON CURD
2	large lemons
2	large eggs
170g	caster sugar
115g	unsalted butter
1 tspn	corn flour
	DECORATION
2-3	lemons, cut into thin lemon slices
	Speckled chocolate eggs and fresh flowers

Preparation

1	Preheat oven to 180°C. Line two cake tins (20 cm diameter) with baking paper.
2	Whisk eggs with sugar on the highest speed for 7 minutes until thick and pale in colour. Mix plain flour, baking powder and salt and add to the egg mixture in two stages. Add the vanilla extract and mix on the lowest speed setting until flour has just combined (10 seconds).
3	Heat milk and add butter on the stove top or in the microwave. Take a few ladles of batter and mix it into hot milk and butter, add vegetable oil. Gradually pour the hot milk and butter mixture into the batter whilst on lowest speed setting, mixing it for 15 seconds until combined. Divide the batter between two cake tins and bake for 30 minutes until golden. Let it cool.
4	For the curd, whisk 2 eggs with sugar until pale, add corn flour and whisk until dissolved. Grate zest of 2 lemons and extract the juice. Mix both zest and juice into the lemon mixture. Place the mixture on the stove top. Cut butter into small pieces and add to the egg mixture when warm. Keep stirring until curd thickens. Remove from the heat and let it cool.
5	Whip the Double Cream with sugar. Add vanilla extract, Smooth Ricotta and combine.
6	Spread lemon curd evenly across the first sponge. Cover with ricotta cream and place the second sponge on top. Spread the second sponge tier with the remaining ricotta and cream mixture. Decorate with thin lemon slices, fresh flowers and speckled chocolate eggs.