Classic Buttermilk Sponge Cake with Lemon and Lime Cream Cheese Icing

Ok, so this has taken me ages…not the baking, the translating! Let me explain. Last week I happened to mention that my kitchen was filled to the brim with lemons (that's an exaggeration, I'll admit, there were only about eleven of said lemons). I successful managed to use four to make lemon curd, and a few more for lemonade and various other snacks. Then my mother suggested her Classic Buttermilk Sponge Cake with Lemon-Cream Cheese Icing. Yum! How could I resist? The fact is, "her" cake was derived from a recipe published in the Afrikaans magazine Sarie on 8 March 2000 (I know this because she has the magazine clipping) and since she hadn't actually re-written the recipe, but only added pen corrections, some of which I didn't understand leaving me to mix my lemon rind into the icing instead of sprinkling it on top as she does, meant I had the task of translating it.

Ps I'm enjoying a slice as I'm writing this and it's delicious.

Before adding the lemon zest...

Classic Buttermilk Sponge Cake with Lemon and Lime Cream Cheese Icing

Serves 8 (or makes 24 cupcakes, bake for only 20 minutes)

Cake

250g plain/pastry flour

7.5ml baking powder

2.5ml bicarbonate of soda

1ml salt

3 eggs, room temperature

230ml buttermilk, room temperature

5ml vanilla paste or the seeds from 1 vanilla bean

150g unsalted butter, room temperature

300g superfine/caster sugar

Icing

rind from 2 lemons

rind from 1 lime

250g cream cheese, room temperature

100g unsalted butter, room temperature

5ml vanilla paste or the seeds from 1 vanilla bean

500g icing sugar

extra lemon and lime rind for decoration

Preheat the coven at 180°C. Prepare two small cake tins (no more than 20cm in diameter) by buttering the inside and then lining the base with baking paper.

Sieve together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, and salt.

Beat the eggs lightly until the whites and yolks have mixed. In a separate container combine the vanilla and buttermilk.

Using an electric mixer, cream the butter in a large bowl. Add the caster sugar and beat until light in colour and creamy. Add the eggs, one tablespoon at a time, mixing thoroughly between each addition.

In turn, fold in a quarter of the dry ingredients and a third of the buttermilk mixture into the creamed butter until all the ingredients have been combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tins.

Bake for 30 minutes (or until the sides have started coming away from the tin and the bounces back when it is lightly pressed).

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing from tin and placing on a cooling rack. Remove the baking paper while still warm to prevent it sticking. Allow to cool completely before icing.

Icing

Using an electric mixer, cream butter, lemon and lime zest, cream cheese and vanilla until light and fluffy. Slowly add the the icing sugar until combined.

Cover the top of one cake with icing, place second cake on top and decorate with remaining icing. Finally sprinkle with extra lemon and lime zest.