Delightfully indulgent yet surprisingly fat-free, this zesty cake is the perfect teatime treat or an ideal Valentine’s bake if your loved-one is watching what they eat…
Cake ingredients:
2 eggs
75g caster sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
50g sifted plain flour
Filling ingredients:
2 eggs, separated into whites and yolks
75g caster sugar
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
120ml hot water
6 leaves gelatine or 2 tbsp gelatine powder
125ml fat-free Greek yoghurt
Icing ingredients:
1 tbsps lemon juice
115g icing sugar
Method:
- Preheat oven to 180C/gas mark 4
- Grease & line a 20cm/8 inch springform tin
- Whisk eggs, sugar and lemon zest together with a mixer until thick, gently fold in the flour, then turn the mixture into the prepared tin
- Bake for 20-25 min until the cake springs back when lightly pressed in the centre. Turn onto a wire rack to cool
- Once cool, split the cake in half horizontally; return the lower half to the clean cake tin
- To make the filling, put the egg yolks, sugar, lemon zest & juice in a bowl, and whisk until thick, pale & creamy
- If using leaf gelatine, soak it now for 5 minutes in cold water, then squeeze off excess water
- Pour the hot water into a heat-proof bowl.
- If you’re using leaf gelatine, stir this in, then cool it until it starts to form a lip around the side – approximately 3-4 minutes
- If you’re using powdered gelatine, sprinkle it on top of the hot water, and stir until it’s dissolved & begins to thicken. Do not leave it long enough to set – 1-2 minutes approximately
- When the gelatine is cool, whisk it into the yolk mixture, and fold in the yoghurt. When the mixture begins to set (this won’t take long!), whisk the egg whites to soft peaks, and fold them into the mousse mixture
- Pour the lemon mousse over the sponge in the cake tin, spread it to the edges. Set the remaining layer of sponge on top and chill it until it’s set.
- Slide a palette knife or flat metal spatula dipped in hot water between the tin and the cake to loosen it, and carefully transfer the cake to a serving plate
- Make the icing by adding enough lemon juice to the icing sugar to make the mixture thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Pour over the cake and spread evenly to the edges.
- Decorate with lemon zest, or any garnish you’d like.
