Title: Ruby Tandoh's Lemon, Buttermilk, And Black Pepper Cake
Categories: Cakes
Yield: 8 Servings
150 g Unsalted butter; softened
100 g Caster sugar
50 g Light brown soft sugar
2 Lemons; zest of
2 ts Coarsely ground black pepper
2 lg Eggs
150 g Plain flour
1 ts Baking powder
1/2 ts Bicarbonate of soda
1 pn Salt; generous
50 ml Buttermilk or soured cream
MMMMM-------------------------FINISHING------------------------------
2 Lemons; juice of
50 g Caster sugar
150 g Lemon curd; up to 200 g
Black pepper; coarsely
-ground
1 ts Lemon zest; up to 2 ts
It might not have the national treasure status of the Victoria sponge
or engender the same gleeful lust as a chocolate fudge gateau, but a
great lemon drizzle cake is, I think, as close as Great British
teatimes come to culinary perfection. It's a finely tuned thing: the
lemon should be bold enough to make you pause between forkfuls,
without sharpening to an eye-watering sourness. My version isn't a
traditional lemon drizzle, but it's my favourite. Buttermilk dulls
the hit of lemon, while leaving the flavour fresh and bright; black
pepper lends a gentle heat which lingers on the tongue after first
the citrus, then the sweetness, have come and gone.
Heat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Grease and line a 20 cm
spring-form or loose-bottomed tin.
Cream the butter with the sugars until light and fluffy, then stir in
the lemon zest, pepper and eggs. In a separate bowl, combine the
flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, and salt. Add half of this
to the butter and sugar, along with the buttermilk. Mix, then add the
rest of the flour.
Spoon the batter into the tin and bake for 30-35 minutes, until
well-risen, golden brown and springy. A small knife inserted into the
centre of the cake should emerge with no more than a crumb or two
sticking to it.
Demould the cake and cool on a wire rack. Cut it in half horizontally
to give two thinner cake layers. Prepare the syrup by heating the
lemon juice and sugar in a small pan and simmering for a minute or
two. Pour over the cake layers while the syrup is still hot.
To assemble, spread one half with the lemon curd and sandwich with the
second half. You could pour on some zesty water icing to finish it
off if you like, but I prefer to keep it simple with just an extra
grind of pepper and a sprinkling of finely grated zest.
