Lively Lime Sponge Cake Food

EASY ICED LIME CAKE

Steps:

• Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.
• Grease and line a 23cm / 9 inch square tin.
• Place all the cake ingredients into a mixer or use a hand mixer and mix until well combined.
• Tip into the tin and spread out to the edges and level with a palette knife.
• Bake for about 35 minutes until springs back to touch or an inserted skewer comes out clean.
• Allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before turning onto a rack to cool.
• Make the icing by mixing in enough of the lime juice to make a pourable but not too runny icing (or it will run off the cake).
• Pour onto the cake and allow to spread.
• If you have any more limes you could decorate with some zest.

EASY LEMON CAKE (ALL-IN-ONE-LEMON-SPONGE)

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 160ºC/140ºC fan.Line your baking tins (I use 2 x 20cm round sandwich tins) with baking parchment or reusable baking liners.
• Finely grate the zest of two lemons.
• Sift the self-raising flour (225g) and baking powder (2 tsp) into a large bowl.
• Add the remaining ingredients (4 medium eggs, 225g soft margarine or butter, 225g caster sugar, grated lemon zest and 2 tsp milk) and beat (with an electric mixer on a slow speed or by hand) until combined. Make sure that there are no small lumps of butter/margarine in your mixture. If there are, beat for a little longer until the mixture is smooth.
• Split the mixture equally between the pre-prepared tins. Use the back of a spoon to spread the mixture evenly in the tins.
• Bake for 30-35 minutes. To check if the cake is cooked insert a skewer into the centre and if it comes out clean the cake is ready.
• Leave the cake to cool in the tins for about 10 minutes. Remove them from the tins and then move them to a wire rack to cool completely - Make sure the cake has cooled completely before decorating.

COURGETTE & LIME CAKE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/ gas 4. Oil a 900g loaf tin and line with baking parchment. Combine the sugar, oil and eggs in a large bowl and mix well. Fold in the flour, baking powder and ground pistachios. Squeeze out as much moisture as you can from the grated courgette using your hands (don't worry about squeezing out every drop), then add this to the bowl along with the lime zest and half the juice, and mix to combine.
• Bake for 40-50 mins until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Check the cake after 30 mins - if it's looking too brown, cover with foil for the remaining cooking time. Leave to cool in the tin for 20 mins, then transfer to a wire rack, poke a few holes in the top using a skewer and pour over the remaining lime juice. Leave to cool completely. Once cool, will keep frozen for up to a month. Defrost fully before decorating and serving.
• For the frosting, tip the soft cheese into a bowl, sift over the icing sugar, pour in the lime juice and mix to combine. Spread this over the top of the cooled cake, then sprinkle with the chopped pistachios and lime zest. Will keep chilled in an airtight container for up to three days.

COCONUT & LIME CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Butter two 20cm sandwich tins and line with non-stick baking paper. Grate the 200g block of creamed coconut and keep half of it aside. Then in a large bowl, beat all the cake ingredients (including half of the grated block of creamed coconut) together until you have a smooth, soft batter.
• Divide the mixture between the tins, smooth the surface with a spatula or the back of a spoon, then bake for about 20 mins until golden and the cake springs back when pressed. Turn onto a cooling rack and leave to cool completely.
• For the frosting, mix together the remaining creamed coconut, zest and juice of 2 limes. Microwave on High for 30 secs until the coconut melts.
• Make the buttercream by beating the butter until smooth and creamy and gradually beating in icing sugar . Then beat in the cooled coconut mix and 2-3 tbsp Malibu (optional) until it becomes marshmallowy.
• Fill the cooled sponges with a third of the frosting, cover the sides and top with the rest and coat the sides with the toasted desiccated coconut. Keep in an airtight container and eat within 2 days.

CHOCOLATE & LIME CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Butter and line the base of 2 x 20cm cake tins with baking parchment. Beat the butter and light brown sugar together until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs gradually, beating well between each addition. Fold in the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder. If the mixture is very stiff, stir in the milk.
• Spoon into the cake tins and bake for 20-25 mins or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Turn the cakes out onto a wire rack and peel off the parchment. Gently heat the lime juice and caster sugar together, stirring to help the sugar dissolve. While the cakes and the syrup are still warm, pierce the cakes all over using a skewer and spoon over the syrup. Leave to cool completely.
• Next, make the candied lime zest. Pare the zest from the limes, cutting it into broad strips. Cut away the white pith and discard, then slice the zest into matchstick-sized strips. Put them in a pan and cover with water, then bring to the boil. Cook for 1 min, then drain and rinse. Dry and set aside. Juice the limes and add enough water to make 225ml. Heat gently with the sugar until the sugar has melted. Add the strips of zest and simmer until the liquid has almost evaporated and turned syrupy - about 30 mins. Scoop the strips of zest out with a slotted spoon, then place them on parchment to dry.
• To make the buttercream, beat the butter and icing sugar together using an electric mixer or by hand (start off gently or the icing sugar will fly everywhere), until pale and light, but don't beat for so long that it gets too fluffy. Add the lime zest and beat again until smooth. Chill in the fridge until the buttercream is firm, but spreadable.
• To make the icing, heat the cream gently (don't let it boil), then take it off the heat. Add the chocolate and let it melt, stirring to help it along. Put the marmalade in a small pan with the extra 1 tbsp cream and heat slowly to dissolve. Add to the chocolate and cream and stir until everything is blended. Leave to cool a little, but not so long that it becomes firm. Pour over one of the layers of sponge and leave to cool and set - it will run down the sides and drip off.
• Spread the buttercream over the other layer, then put the chocolate coated layer on top. Decorate with the candied lime zest.