... make a Lemon and Poppy Seed Victoria Sponge Cake. While admittedly not the original proverb, I reckon my version keeps that sense of optimism. Tonight's recipe is for a lovely, light, lemony sponge. I've been ordering lemon and poppy seed muffins at Starbucks for yonks, and wanted to see if I could get that flavour in my own baking. Mine is definitely more lemony - I always add a little more than recommended to get the full zing, probably because my sister is obsessed with citrus flavours and I'm subconsciously seeking her approval of all my bakes...
For this cake, I used the following recipe, although the amounts were a little estimated due to a lack of scales!
185g butter/ marge
185g caster sugar
185g self-raising flour
4 eggs
1 lemon (zest and juice)
2 tbsp poppy seeds
As with any standard sponge, cream the butter and sugar, mix in the eggs and sift in the flour. Then add the extras.
My mother's go-to sponge recipe is a useful way to remember proportions if you're an ounces kinda person. It's either 8,8,8,4; 6,6,6,3; or 4,4,4,2 (with the first three numbers referring to ounces of butter, sugar and flour and the fourth to eggs). You can add cocoa powder to the flour for a chocolate flavour, and the whole thing makes for a great tray bake, sponge cake or cupcake.
I used a lemony butter cream in between the two layers of cake, and a lemon water icing on top (although a lemon drizzle might work well). A sprinkling of poppy seeds finished the whole thing off. I made the cake to congratulate a friend on her first job offer and wanted to add a banner (à la Joy the Baker!) but was short on supplies. I figured it will taste just as good without it ;).
Enjoy! Have a wonderful weekend.
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