A Spicy Lemon Cake

When my dear friend Pam handed me this recipe I was a little skeptical, not sure if the spices and lemon would mix together into a delicious cake! I should have trusted my old friend! The smell when you take it out of the oven is just wonderful!

You will need a 7 inch spring form cake tin, greased and lined and your fan oven pre heated to 150C

6 oz softened butter

6 oz caster sugar

2 large eggs

½ teaspoonful ground cinnamon

1 teaspoonful ground ginger

8 oz self raising flour

the grated zest and juice of a large lemon

1 tablespoonful buttermilk or whole milk

Lemon butter icing for filling:

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, add the eggs, one at a time, with a little of the flour if needed. Add the spices, then fold in the flour and mix well. Finally add the zest, juice and milk. Tip into your prepared tin and bake for about an 1¼ hrs until lightly golden and firm to the touch. Cool in the tin for a short while then lift out. When cold, carefully split in half.

Make a lemon butter icing [or you could use lemon curd]

Softened butter and icing sugar in equal amounts, with lemon zest and a small amount of lemon extract. I love the Sicilian in Asda! 

Fill the cake and sandwich with the fab lemon butter icing. Then just enjoy! Dust the top with a little icing sugar.