In a country where lemon tarts are available at almost every bakery, it is surprising that there is very little fondness for lemon desserts in general. In the last five years, in my experience of baking and working in bakeries in this country, I have found that most Pakistanis prefer the idea and nostalgia of the lemon tart rather than the actual flavour of lemons and would like their tart to be more sweet than tangy. But I have found kindred spirits, who like me, love a lemon dessert that makes you pucker up in delight. My favourite is lemon bars with a crisp shortbread base covered in lemon cream and a heavy dusting of icing sugar on the top for that perfect balance of sweet and sour. However, that is just an aside, and not today’s recipe.

A friend of mine who loves lemon desserts, celebrated a milestone birthday recently and, thanks to Covid-19, the gathering was quite small: five socially-distanced people in a large room and a few others on Zoom. I was racking my brains trying to figure out what to make. Eventually, I decided that a special birthday calls for a cake, and so I settled on this lemon cake and decorated it with sugar paste daisies for a pretty finish. You can make it with or without the decoration, but be prepared for a deliciously moist sponge imbibed with lemony sweet syrup, a decadent lemon curd filling and a light lemon buttercream finish that will give even your favourite chocolate cake a run for its money.

This lemon cake has four elements: sponge, syrup, lemon curd and lemon buttercream. I recommend making the sponge, syrup and lemon curd the day before, and then doing the buttercream and assembly on the day of serving.

Lemon sponge

Ingredients

300g butter
300g caster sugar
Pinch of salt
Zest of 3 lemons
1 teaspoon lemon essence
6 eggs
300g flour
2 teaspoons baking powder

Method

Prepare the cake tins (I use three shallow eight-inch tins, you can make the whole sponge in one deep eight-inch tin) by greasing them and lining the base with butter paper. Preheat the oven to 175 degrees C. In a small bowl, mix the flour and baking powder and set aside. In another small bowl, lightly whisk the eggs with a fork and set aside. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer set on medium high, mix the butter, caster sugar, lemon zest and salt for three to five minutes until pale and fluffy. Add the lemon essence and the eggs in a steady slow stream while constantly beating the mixture. Once it is well-mixed, use a spatula to fold in the dry ingredients. Put the batter in the cake tin(s). Your baking time will depend on the type of tin you are using. My shallow tins take about 15-20 minutes; if you are using a deep baking tin, it may take up to 30 minutes or more. Be sure to test with a skewer to check for doneness; the skewer should come out clean.