serves
8
prep
30 minutes
cook
40 minutes
difficulty
Mid
serves
8
people
preparation
30
minutes
cooking
40
minutes
difficulty
Mid
level
Ingredients
For the dough
- 200 g butter, softened
- 3 eggs
- 300 g caster sugar
- 500 g self-raising flour
For the curd
- 200 g caster sugar
- 3 eggs
- zest of 2 lemons
- 100 ml lemon juice (from about 3 lemons)
- 190 g butter, cut into small cubes
Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 180°C. Line a 24 cm cake tin with non-stick baking paper.
For the dough: place butter, eggs, caster sugar and flour in the bowl of an electric mixer with a paddle. Start on slow, and continue to mix until you get a soft shortbread-like consistency.
For the curd: mix sugar and eggs together with a whisk. Add lemon zest and juice and place in a saucepan over a low heat. Add cubed butter and continue stirring until butter has melted and curd has thickened (at about 82°C) – do not boil. Strain curd through a sieve and set aside.
Place two-thirds of the dough in the tin and push it into the bottom with your hands to even it out. Place curd on top and scatter the remaining third of the dough on top – this does not have to be even. Bake for 40 minutes, until golden and cooked through. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack. Serve warm with double cream.
Note: You can store the cake in a sealed container in the fridge for up to five days.
Recipe from - edited by Helen Greenwood, Tim Harper and Ruth Hobday. Photography by Lottie Hedley (Echo Publishing, pb, $39.99)
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
