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Lemon drop chilli loaf cake

Lemon drop chilli loaf cake served on a cake stand

Lemon drop chilli loaf cake

Name: Lemon drop chilli loaf cake
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: Serves 10-12
Ingredients: 250g butter plus extra for the tin; 400g self-raising flour plus extra for dusting; 200ml buttermilk or natural yogurt; 6 lemons zested and juiced; 400g golden caster sugar; 6 large eggs; jar lemon curd (around 300g), for the centre; 4 dried lemon drop chillies; 100g golden caster sugar; 50g butter very soft; 50g golden icing sugar; 100g full-fat soft cheese any liquid drained

Good Food team

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Serves 10-12

Easy

Prep: 30 mins

Cook: 40 mins

Plus cooling

A star rating of 2 out of 5.2 ratingsRate

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Combine lemons and lemon drop chillies to create a cake with a real citrussy kick. This easy bake makes a stunning centrepiece dessert

Freezable (un-iced)

Vegetarian

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Ingredients

Nutrition

Units:

MetricUS

250g butter

plus extra for the tin
400g self-raising flour

plus extra for dusting
200ml buttermilk

or natural yogurt
6 lemons

zested and juiced
400g golden caster sugar
6 large eggs
jar lemon curd

(around 300g), for the centre

For the chilli caramel

4 dried lemon drop chillies
100g golden caster sugar

For the frosting

50g butter

very soft
50g golden icing sugar
100g full-fat soft cheese

any liquid drained

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Nutrition: Per serving (12)

kcal633
fat27g
saturates16g
carbs87g
sugars61g
fibre1g
protein9g
salt0.9g

Method

step 1

Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Butter and flour two 20cm cake tins. Mix the buttermilk (or yogurt) with 2 tbsp lemon juice.
step 2

Beat the butter and sugar until creamy, then add the lemon zest. Gradually add the eggs a little at a time, beating well after each addition. Fold the flour into the batter, followed by the buttermilk mixture. Spoon the batter into the cake tins and level the surface. Bake for 25-30 mins, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to sit for 10 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool.
step 3

To make the caramel, put 1 chilli in a jug and add 100ml boiling water. Leave to steep for 10 mins (don’t leave it any longer or the chilli flavour will be too strong). Strain into a pan, then scatter over the sugar. Heat gently until the sugar melts, then boil until you have a light caramel. Take off the heat and quickly dip the remaining whole chillies in, then leave them to set on a piece of baking parchment. Put the pan back on the heat and stir the remaining lemon juice (from the cake mixture), reserving 1 tbsp, into the caramel to make a sauce.
step 4

To make the frosting, beat the butter until very soft. Beat in the reserved 1 tbsp lemon juice and the icing sugar, then fold in the soft cheese – don’t beat it or the mixture will soften too much. If it’s too soft, chill for 10 mins.
step 5

Drizzle a tiny bit of caramel over one cake, then add a layer of lemon curd and place the other cake on top. Spread the frosting over the top, drizzle over the remaining caramel and decorate with the chillies.

Recipe from Good Food magazine, October 2018

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