This a lovely cake, intensely lemony and sticky. I first made it back in 1999 for my mum on Mother’s Day. It was a recipe in the Tesco Recipe Magazine in March 1999.
The instructions for this cake advise that you whisk the eggs and sugar in a bowl over simmering water. I have always done this, but it is such a pain. Trying to get the electric wire of the whisk to stretch over to the hob or Aga and then holding the bowl steady over a hot pan is awkward and potentially dangerous. So, this time I ignored that instruction and just whisked the eggs and sugar in a bowl in the normal manner and it worked just as well, with the mixture becoming just as moussey and the cake being so much easier to make. I also thought that if I sifted the flour twice, like I did with the chocolate muffins, this would make the cake even lighter. It worked.
This cake lasts a couple of days in a tin, so is perfect to keep cutting into.
350g caster sugar
5 eggs
finely grated zest of 3 lemons
250g plain flour
50g cornflour
1 tsp baking powder
150ml double cream
juice of 1 lemon
100g melted butter
For the glaze:
juice of 2 lemons
50g icing sugar
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°c, gas mark 4, or use the Baking Oven of the Aga. Grease and line the base of a 20cm springform tin.
Place the eggs and the sugar and the lemon zest in a bowl and beat with an electric whisk until the mixture is thick and moussey. Sift the flour, cornflour and baking powder into a bowl and then sift again, in three separate batches, over the moussey mixture and fold in very carefully with a large metal spoon. Fold in the cream, then the lemon juice and then the melted butter, making sure that each are well mixed in before adding the next.
Pour the mixture carefully into the prepared tin and place on the middle shelf of the oven and cook for 50-60 minutes until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the middle of the cake.
When the cake is nearly cooked place the icing sugar and lemon juice into a small pan and bring to the boil and simmer for five minutes.
As soon as the cake comes out of the oven pierce it all over with the skewer and brush the lemon glaze all over. Leave the cake to cool completely in the tin.
The Ordinary Cook 
I absolutely have to make this! I cannot wait to have the occasion to do so. Sadly if I “just” make it, I will eat majority of it on my own – not a good idea.
🙂 Mandy
Oh go on you know you want to… It lasts for a couple of days so you don’t have to feel too guilty eating it all yourself 🙂
Cake lust rears ugly head again.
Sorry VBB, get the whisk out.
The recipe and ingredients list is unusual and I think just looking at your cake that it was worth every minute of all the whisking involved. I think I should try this cake it looks so tempting.
Thanks Margaret, it is definitely worth it. I hope you do give it a go.
This sounds just lovely. Do you think that I could substitute more all purpose flour for the corn flour?
Hi Michele, I have just googled about this and realise that we have different names here in the UK for cornflour to you in the US. The cornflour I refer to here is called corn starch in the US. The corn starch lightens the cake a little but I shouldn’t think that using all all-purpose flour would affect the cake too much. It may make it a little heavier perhaps, but this wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing. I hope you make it. x
Love the way you make no bones about this cake lasting more than two days – quite right too, sounds far too delicious to be languishing away in a tin. I often find complicated instructions for recipes are unnecessary – might try your twice sifting though when next trying to make a light cake.
Thank you Choc, yes I am now a convert back to my sieve having ignored it for a while.
What a fab cake, I have a socket right by my hob but have toa dmit O don;t really care for whisking a mixture of simmering water, I am far too accident prone for such instructions lol. Good to know it works just as well without heat.
Thanks Chele, I am really pleased it worked as well as it was only a matter of time before disaster struck involving hot water, electric whisks and fluffy eggs!
Bookmarked, I love your blog! 🙂
GORGEOUS!!! Sticky Lemon Cake is the best! 🙂
Thank you Kat
OK Cornstarch. No problem. Thanks, Kath.
🙂
I always resented that whipping-over-hot-water task and quit some time ago, when I discovered it really didn’t make any difference.
Mmmm, Nothing like a lush lemon cake–
Nancy, I am glad I am not the only one that finds it tedious and pointless. 🙂