Benjamina Ebuehi's Lemon and Berry Summer Cake
A vibrant and refreshing summer cake layered with lemon-infused sponge, berry compote, and mascarpone filling, perfect for warm-weather gatherings.
Ingredients
Cake Batter
- 200 g unsalted butter, melted (plus extra for greasing)
- 360 g plain all-purpose flour
- 360 g caster superfine sugar
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 5 eggs eggs
- 200 ml milk (scant 1 cup)
- 100 g neutral oil such as sunflower or vegetable (scant ½ cup)
- 2 lemons grated lemon zest
- 1.5 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 100 ml lemon juice (scant ½ cup)
- 120 g caster superfine sugar (scant 2/3 cup)
Berry Compote
- 300 g blackberries
- 200 g blueberries
- 150 g caster superfine sugar (¾ cup)
- 0.5 lemon juice of half lemon
Mascarpone Filling
- 350 g mascarpone (generous 1½ cups)
- 200 g icing confectioners sugar
- 270 g cream cheese
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 200 ml double heavy cream (scant 1 cup)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan, 350°F, gas mark 4). Grease three 20-cm (8-inch) cake pans and line with baking paper.
- Mix dry ingredients, then combine wet ingredients and pour into dry. Mix until smooth, stir in melted butter, then divide batter into pans and bake for 20-25 minutes.
- Make lemon syrup by boiling lemon juice and sugar, then prick baked cakes and spoon syrup over. Cool completely.
- Prepare berry compote by simmering berries with sugar and lemon juice until soft, then stir in raspberries and cool.
- Beat mascarpone and icing sugar, then mix in cream cheese and vanilla. Gently fold in whipped cream to make filling.
- Assemble the cake by layering with mascarpone, berry compote, and finishing with raspberries on top.
Notes
Make the cake layers up to 2 days in advance and store well wrapped. Prepare berries the day before for best freshness.