Celebration Lemon Cake with PURE New Zealand Lemon Curd Ice Cream

A stunning dessert cake that relies on tart lemons to really show it off. A good scoop of PURE New Zealand Lemon Curd Ice Cream on each plate heightens the flavours and textures.

Serves 8-10

225g butter

1 cup caster sugar

3 free-range eggs

250g crème fraiche

2 tablespoons thin-shred marmalade (preferably lemon or lime marmalade)

finely grated zest of 1 lemon

1 ¾ cups plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

Lemon syrup:

¼ cup caster sugar

¼ cup water

finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

Lemon filling:

300ml Double Cream

1 cup store-bought lemon curd, such as Taste of the Alps Lemon Curd

200g ricotta

To decorate and serve:

• Nasturtium flowers and small leaves or use other edible flowers or shredded and blanched lemon rind

• Pure New Zealand Lemon Curd or Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Method:

Heat the oven to 170°C. Line the base of a 22cm round springform cake tin with baking paper. Lightly grease the sides and dust with flour, tapping to remove excess.

Put the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce electric mixer to low speed, add the crème fraiche and marmalade and beat until just combined. Remove bowl from the beater.

Add the lemon zest then sift in the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Carefully fold in until combined as you try to keep as much air in the mixture as possible.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin, smoothing the top. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.

After removing from the oven leave for 10 minutes before removing from the tin to a wire rack, to cool.

Meanwhile, make lemon syrup. Put the sugar and water in a small pot. Add the lemon zest and juice and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to a boil and simmer for a minute to make a light syrup. Leave to cool.

Make the filling, whip the cream until thick. Mix half of the lemon curd and the ricotta in a separate bowl. Add half of the whipped cream and gently fold in.

To assemble the cake, cut the cake in half horizontally and put the bottom half on a cake plate. Spoon over half of the lemon syrup. Spoon the remaining syrup over the top of the cake.

Spread the lemon ricotta mixture over the bottom half of the cake and carefully put on the top half. Swirl the remaining lemon curd through the remaining whipped cream and spread evenly over the top of the cake. Decorate with nasturtium flowers and a few leaves or pick their petals and scatter over.