Recipe: Lemon and Yoghurt Cake from My Swedish Kitchen
This beautiful lemon and yoghurt cake featured in episode 1 of My Swedish Kitchen and was... my wedding cake! I couldn't imagine someone else baking my cake for the big day but me (I'm known for my sweet treats!). In the run-up to my wedding, I worked on creating a recipe that would keep well when baked in advance. A simple yoghurt cake stays moist and keeps its shape – and I wanted everyone to be able to get up and dance all night, not fall into a food coma after the meal!
This cake is a combination of zesty fresh lemon curd (my husband's favourite) and whipped cream cheese frosting (rather than fondant - too sweet; or buttercream - too rich) finished the cake off.
Serves 8 or morePreparation time: 30 minutesResting time: 20 minutesBaking time: 50-60 minutesEquipment: 2 x 19cm cake tins
IngredientsFor the lemon and yoghurt cake: baking spray or oil, for greasing the tins240g soft butter250g caster sugar4 medium eggs, beaten175g full-fat natural yoghurta pinch of fine sea saltzest of 1 lemon320g plain flour1 tbsp baking powder
For the lemon curd (makes roughly 450g):125ml lemon juice, plus the zest (equivalent of 3 - 4 lemons)200g caster sugar3 medium eggsa pinch of fine sea salt1 tsp cornflour100g butter
For the cream cheese icing: 300g soft butter250g icing sugar, sifted500g cream cheese
Fresh unsprayed flowers to decorate.
Method:Place all the ingredients for the lemon curd, apart from the butter, in a saucepan. Whisk on a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Continue to whisk until one or two bubbles are released, but don't let it boil. Take off the heat and whisk in the butter. Pour through a sieve if desired (I leave the lemon zest in). Pour into a sterilized sealable jar and chill until needed. This makes more than you will need, but it keeps well for a few days.
Heat the oven to 180C fan/ 160C gas 4. Grease your cake tin lightly with baking spray or oil, and line the bottom with baking paper. Whisk the butter for the cake with the sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking between each addition. Beat the yoghurt with the salt to remove any lumps, then pour into the egg mixture along with the lemon zest. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour and baking powder then fold this into the egg mixture.
Divide the batter between the cake tins and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Transfer the cake tins to a cooling rack and leave to cool for 5 minutes before removing the cakes. Leave to cool before cutting both cakes in half horizontally with a serrated knife to make 4 layers.
Whit the butter for the icing until white and fluffy before beating in the sugar and cream cheese. To assemble, place one layer of the cake on a serving plate. Add a generous dollop of the icing and spread out evenly. Add 2 heaped tablespoons of lemon curd and spread all the way to the sides. Add the next layer of the cake. Repeat once more. Repeat again, then add the remaining icing to the top and smooth around the sides. Decorate with the fresh unsprayed flowers.
Top tips: The lemon and yoghurt cake is delicious on its own, warm out of the oven or served at room temperature.When icing the cake, to get a neater finish I begin with a crumb layer – a coating of cream cheese icing spread over the top – and then place the cake in the fridge to firm up for 30 minutes. I then remove it from the fridge and do the final layer of icing over the top of the cold crumb layer.
Get ahead: The un-iced cake keeps very well for 2-3 days if well wrapped. You can also freeze it for a couple of months. Lemon curd keeps for several days in the fridge.
