Recipes>Berry Recipes

Benjamina Ebuehi’s Lemon and Berry Summer Cake

by Benjamina Ebuehi from I’ll Bring Dessert: Simple, Sweet Recipes for Every Occasion

Serves 12

This lemon and berry cake boasts layers of soft lemon sponge sandwiched together with a raspberry and blueberry compote and whipped mascarpone. At once celebratory but unfussy, it’s the ideal bake for any gathering.

Discover more delicious Cake recipes

From layer cakes to loaves

From the book

I’ll Bring Dessert

Benjamina Ebuehi

I’ll Bring Dessert: Simple, Sweet Recipes for Every Occasion

Buy From

Introduction

This is a proper big, fat summer cake with all the best things. A soft, lemony sponge that’s super-easy to make (no mixer required), layered up with creamy mascarpone and lots of fresh berries. This is for the summer parties and the family BBQs where you want to go big.

Tags

Ingredients

Essential kit

You will need: three 20-cm (8-in) round cake pans,

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan/ 350°F/gas mark 4). Grease three 20-cm (8-in) round cake pans and line with baking paper.

Add the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt to a large bowl and mix to combine.

In a jug (pitcher), mix together the eggs, milk, oil, lemon zest and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until you have a smooth batter. Stir in the melted butter.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans and bake for 20–25 minutes until nicely browned and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

While they bake, make the lemon syrup. Add the lemon juice and sugar to a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Let it simmer for 1–2 minutes and set aside to cool.

Prick holes across the surface of the cooked cakes and spoon the syrup evenly over each one. Let them cool completely and, if you’re making them in advance, wrap well in plastic wrap.

For the compote, add the blackberries and blueberries to a small pan with the sugar and lemon juice. Bring to a low boil and cook for 2–3 minutes until the berries are softened and syrupy. Stir through the raspberries and set aside to cool.

For the mascarpone filling, add the mascarpone and icing sugar to a bowl and use a whisk to beat until just smooth. Mix in the cream cheese and vanilla until you have no lumps, then use a spatula to gently fold in the cream. This filling is easy to overwhip so be careful!

To assemble, use a serrated knife to level the cakes if they are uneven. Place one cake on a cake stand or serving plate and spoon on just under a third of the mascarpone filling, spreading it out evenly with a palette knife. Top with some of the berry compote and place the next cake layer on top. Repeat the process with more mascarpone and berries and place the last cake layer topside down. Finish with the remaining mascarpone and some fresh raspberries.

Reviews

5 out of 5 stars

4 Ratings

Have you tried this recipe? Let us know how it went by leaving a comment below.

Cancel reply

Your review

Name *

Our team will respond to any queries as soon as we can - this may take longer over weekends. You do not need to resubmit your comment.

Please note: Moderation is enabled and may delay your comment being posted. There is no need to resubmit your comment. By posting a comment you are agreeing to the website Terms of Use .

Ingredients

Method

More Cake Recipes

View all

Boozy Mint Tiramisu

by Remi Idowu from Sugar & Spice

Nigella Lawson’s Banana Bread

by Nigella Lawson from How To Be A Domestic Goddess

More Summer Recipes

View all

Mary Berry’s New York Cheesecake with Strawberries

by Mary Berry from Mary 90: My Very Best Recipes

Mary Berry’s Ginger Ice Cream

by Mary Berry from Mary 90: My Very Best Recipes

More Recipes from I’ll Bring Dessert

View all

Benjamina Ebuehi’s Date Night Cake

by Benjamina Ebuehi from I’ll Bring Dessert

Benjamina Ebuehi’s Cherry Slab Pie

by Benjamina Ebuehi from I’ll Bring Dessert

Get our latest recipes, features, book news and ebook deals straight to your inbox every week