Makes 1 cake |  Prep Time 20 minutes  |  Cook Time 1 hour

This cake is the prettiest shade of sunshine yellow and will impress guests with its lovely lemon flavour and not-too-sweet sour cream icing. Decorate with soft yellow or white flowers.

Recipes, photos & styling Emma Boyd

INGREDIENTS

Cake

• 200 g butter, softened
• 1¼ cups sugar
• 3 tbsp lemon zest
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 eggs
• ¼ cup milk
• ¹/₃ cup lemon juice
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder

Icing

• 200 g butter, softened
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 tbsp lemon zest
• 2 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 1 cup icing sugar

 

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 180˚C and grease a 20 cm loose-bottomed cake tin. Put the butter, sugar, lemon zest and vanilla into a food processor and process until pale and fluffy. You can also do this with an electric beater. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides a few times as you go. Add in the milk and lemon juice and process again until just combined. Lastly add in the flour and baking powder, and again, process until just combined. Pour the cake batter into the cake tin and bake for an hour or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

When the cake has cooled put the butter, sour cream, lemon zest and vanilla into a food processor and process until smooth. Add in the icing sugar and process again until combined. Slice the cake in two, remove the top and spread the bottom with the icing. Replace the lid and ice the top and sides of the cake.

Decorate with flowers if desired.