Zingy Lemon Gâteau (Wheat Free)

Happy Monday all! This weekend was my mother's birthday, and so I made her a lovely cake, based off her favourite (which is lemon drizzle cake), which turned out to be this delicious lemon gateau!

This is a three layered lemon flavoured sponge, with a lemon curd filling, and a lemon scented white chocolate icing, and it was rich and zingy at the same time. The lemon curd filling is not made in the traditional way, but with cornflour, making it easier and a little bit more like a melted lemon Turkish Delight. Instead of making three separate cakes, as you can see, I made one big cake and cut it into three layers.

I've been getting so much use recently out of this new way of making sponge cake, and to be honest I don't know why I haven't been using it all the time. The cakes rise perfectly and have a lovely flat top with no dome, and the crumb is so delicate and light. They are a bit tricky to work with though when it comes to icing: if the icing is too thick, it will tear chunks off your cake as you're icing it. Make sure everything is at room temperature when icing. 

FREE FROM

☑ Soya (check for soya lecithin)
☑ Yeast
☑ Wheat
☑ Nuts

CONTAINS
☒ Eggs
☒ Gluten
☒ Dairy
☒ Refined sugar products

INGREDIMENTS
Makes one deep 7 inch (18 centimetre)

For the lemon sponge cake:

• 4½ ounces (130 grammes) white spelt flour
• 1½ ounces (40 grammes) cornflour
• 1½ teaspoons (8 millilitres) baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 3 medium eggs
• 4½ ounces (130 grammes) caster sugar
• 3 ounces (85 grammes) sunflower oil
• 3 fluid ounces (90 millilitres) milk
• 2 to 3 teaspoons (10 to 15 millilitres) grated lemon zest
• ½ teaspoon (3 millilitres) vanilla essence

For the lemon curd filling:

• 4 large lemons, juiced
• 6 ounces (170 grammes) caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon (5 millilitres) vanilla essence
• 1 tablespoon (15 millilitres) grated lemon zest
• 2½ tablespoons (30 to 40 millitres) cornflour
• 1 ounces (55 grammes) butter

For the white chocolate icing:

• 3½ ounces (100 grammes) sugar
• 3½ fluid ounces (100 millilitres) milk
• 2 ounces (55 grammes) butter
• 7 ounces (200 grammes) white chocolate, chopped into pieces
• 1 teaspoon (5 millilitres) vanilla essence
• Yellow food colouring

To decorate,

• Block of white chocolate, for shaving

METHOD

To make the cake,

• Preheat the oven to 170ºC (325ºF/Gas Mk. 3) and grease and flour a 7 inch (18 centimetre) deep round cake tin, or you can use a silicone one which doesn't need greasing or flouring. Alternatively, prepare three sandwich tins of the same width.
• Make the sponge cake according to the method in my Fondant Fancies post, adding the lemon zest to the egg yolks.
• Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until risen, golden brown, and springy to the touch. If you're making individual sandwiches, cook for about 15 to 20 minutes.
• Cool in the tin for about 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. 

To make the filling,

• Zest then juice the lemons, and then top up the lemon juice with water to make up 8 fluid ounces (240 millilitres) of liquid.
• In a saucepan, cook the lemon mixture, lemon zest, and sugar together over a low heat until the sugar melts. Once melted, bring to the boil and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes.
• In a small cup, add the cornflour, and then take a few tablespoons of the lemon syrup from the pan and mix into the cornflour to make a slurry. Add this to the saucepan and then mix thoroughly.
• Bring this mixture to the boil, and cook until thickened and translucent, about 2 to 3 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and vanilla essence until smooth and shiny. Pour the curd into a bowl and cover with cling film, making sure the film touches the surface. Chill until completely cold.

To make the icing,

• Heat the sugar, lemon zest, and milk together in a saucepan over low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to the boil and cook for about a minute or two.
• Remove from the heat and stir in the butter, chocolate, and vanilla essence, then return to a low heat. Stir continuously until completely melted, smooth, and consistent.
• Pour the icing through a sieve into a bowl to remove the lemon zest for a smoother icing. Add enough yellow food colouring to get the shade of lemony yellow you want.
• Allow to cool and thicken, stirring occasionally, until a spreadable consistency, which should take about 3 or 4 hours.

To assemble,

• Cut the cake into three even layers, and divide the lemon curd into two, spreading half on the bottom layer and the other half on the middle layer. Allow to set for about 30 minutes.
• Using a few dollops of the icing, ice the cake with a thin crumb coat. If the icing is tearing the cake, you can melt it slightly to make it easier to spread. Allow to sit for 30 minutes.
• Ice with the remaining icing, making a back and forth pattern on top of the cake. If you like, you can shave some white chocolate curls onto the cake using a vegetable peeler.

So there you have it: rich yet light and zesty cake, ideal for the summer months. I ate two slices because I'm naughty, but it was so worth it...

THIS TIME IN 2014: No blog due to family difficulties
THIS TIME IN 2013: Experiment: Homemade Sprinkles