- Place the lemon in a small pan and cover with water. Bring to the boil, lower the heat, cover and cook for 40 minutes. Carefully lift out of the water and cut into 4. Remove any pips, then place in a food processor with 2 tbsp boiling water. Blitz until you have a thick purée.
- Preheat the oven to 170°C/325°F/Gas 3. Lightly oil and base-line a deep 20cm cake tin with non-stick baking parchment.
- Mix together the flour, baking powder and 50g of the sugar. Set aside.
- Place the eggs and remaining sugar in a large bowl and beat together using electric beaters until pale and fluffy. When the mixture is ready, it should leave a trail that holds its shape once the whisk has been lifted.
- Fold in the flour mixture and lemon purée.
- Spoon into the prepared tin, level the surface with the back of a spoon and bake for 50 minutes, until the sponge is firm and springy to the touch. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. When cold, slice horizontally into 3 layers.
- To make the filling, beat together the soft cheese, lemon curd and fromage frais.Chill while the cake is cooling.
- To assemble, sandwich the 3 cake layers together with the lemon mixture, making sure you have enough to spread on the top.
- Decorate the top with mini eggs.
The filling of this cake contains soft cheese, giving it a gorgeous cheesecake-like taste. If your filling is a bit runny, add a little more soft cheese. Make sure you keep the cake in the fridge if it doesn’t all get devoured straight away!
