Ingredients
Scale
For the Cake
- 200g self-raising flour, sifted
- 150g all-purpose plain flour, sifted
- A pinch of salt
- 200g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 300g caster sugar
- 4 medium eggs, room temperature
- 10ml vanilla extract or vanilla paste
- 200ml fresh lemon juice, room temperature
For the Lemon Buttercream Filling
- 250g salted butter, softened
- 500g icing sugar, sifted
- 20ml fresh lemon juice
- Zest of one lemon
For the Decoration Buttercream
- 250g salted butter, softened
- 500g icing sugar, sifted
- 20ml whole milk
- Pink food colouring paste (I used a rose-pink shade, but any works)
- Sugar pearls, to decorate
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 170°C (fan) / 190°C (conventional). Grease and line three 6-inch or two 8-inch round cake tins with parchment paper.
- Beat the softened butter and caster sugar together in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer on medium-high speed for 4 to 5 minutes, until the mixture is pale, fluffy, and noticeably increased in volume.
- Add the 4 eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl between additions to keep everything evenly mixed.
- Mix in the vanilla extract or paste until just combined.
- Whisk together the self-raising flour, plain flour, and pinch of salt in a separate bowl. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in three additions, alternating with the lemon juice. Begin and end with the flour. Fold gently after each addition rather than beating, so the sponge stays light.
- Divide the batter evenly between your prepared tins. If you want an ombre effect inside the cake layers too, add a drop of pink food colouring paste to each portion and vary the intensity (light to deep). Otherwise, bake as is for a plain lemon sponge with coloured buttercream.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean and the tops are golden. The sponges should spring back when lightly pressed.
- Allow the cakes to cool in their tins for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely before frosting.
- Make the lemon filling buttercream. Beat the salted butter on its own for 3 minutes until pale and fluffy. Add the sifted icing sugar in two additions, mixing on low first to avoid a sugar cloud, then beat on high for 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice and lemon zest and beat for another minute until smooth and spreadable.
- Make the decoration buttercream. Beat the salted butter until pale. Add the sifted icing sugar as above, then mix in the milk. Divide the buttercream into 3 or 4 small bowls and tint each portion a different depth of pink using food colouring paste, from barely blush to a deeper rose.
- Assemble the cake. Place your first layer on a cake board or stand, spread a generous layer of lemon buttercream filling, and repeat with remaining layers. Apply a thin crumb coat of the plain decoration buttercream all over and refrigerate for 20 minutes to set.
- Apply the ombre effect. Starting from the bottom with your darkest pink, use an offset spatula or piping bag to apply bands of each buttercream shade working up toward the top. Use a bench scraper or straight-sided spatula to blend the colors into each other with one smooth swipe around the cake.
- Decorate the top with sugar pearls and any remaining buttercream piped as swirls or rosettes. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
Notes
- If your eggs and butter are cold, the batter may look curdled when you add the eggs. Add a spoonful of your flour mixture and it’ll come back together.
- For deeper, more saturated pink tones in the buttercream, always use a gel or paste food colouring rather than liquid. Liquid thins the buttercream and the colors stay muted.
- The lemon zest in the filling buttercream is optional but adds a nice pop of fragrance. Use a fine zester so you don’t get any bitter white pith.
- If baking in two 8-inch tins instead of three 6-inch, check at 30 minutes and add up to 10 more minutes if needed.
- Sugar pearls can be swapped for sprinkles, edible glitter, or freeze-dried raspberry pieces for a different look.
- The decoration buttercream is made with milk rather than lemon juice so it stays neutral and white-ish as your base for tinting.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 420 kcal
- Sugar: 38 g
- Sodium: 280 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 60 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 75 mg