Strawberry and Limoncello Sponge

Ready in 1 hour 10 minutes, plus cooling time
(Serves 8)

Ingredients

Lemon sponge

• 150g butter, softened
• 200g caster sugar
• Finely grated zest 2 lemons
• 2 whole medium (size 6) eggs and 1 extra yolk
• 125g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 150g sour cream
• 200ml cream

Lemon Syrup

• 2½ Tbsp caster sugar
• Juice 2 lemons

To finish off

• 2 Tbsp Limoncello
• 2 punnets strawberries, hulled and sliced
• Icing sugar for dusting

Method

Preheat oven to 160°C (regular bake)
 
Put butter in a warmed bowl. Beat until smooth using an electric beater. Beat in sugar, then lemon zest, and continue beating until the mixture turns a pale lemon colour. Break eggs and extra yolk into a small bowl and beat with a fork until combined. Beat eggs into the butter and sugar, a little at a time.
 
Sift flour and baking powder together on to a piece of kitchen paper, then sieve over the beaten egg mixture and fold in, along with sour cream, using a large spoon.
 
Spoon mixture into a 20cm diameter cake tin lined on the bottom with baking paper. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until cake is browned and springs back when touched with the finger.
 
Cool in the tin for 10 minutes then turn cake out on to a cake rack to cool.
 
To make syrup, dissolve sugar in lemon juice. When cake is cool, return it to the tin, poke around 20 small holes through the cake with a fine skewer and pour over syrup.
 
Whip cream until holding its shape and stir in limoncello. Split sponge and fill with limoncello cream and one-third of the sliced strawberries. Arrange the rest of the strawberries on top. Dust generously with icing sugar and serve.