Lime Cream Cake

Never one to let anything go to waste, this cake came about from a need to use up a small tub of cream. Although the original cake is a plain vanilla flavour, I had a bag of limes in my fridge and decided the richness of the cream would offset the tart bite of lime zest very well. It’s a simple cake to make, which I wodged together with lemon cream-cheese icing, leftover from the summery cupcakes. Whipped cream and lime marmalade would be equally delicious fillings if you haven’t any cream cheese icing to hand.

Ingredients:
Cake:

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 2/3 cup plain flour, sifted
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• Zest of 1 lime
• 1 cup cream
• 1 tsp vanilla essence

Filling:

• 1 cup cream cheese icing
• OR
• 1/2 cup cream, whipped
• 1/4 cup icing sugar, beaten into the whipped cream
• 1/4 cup lime marmalade

Icing:

• 20g butter, softened
• 1/2 cup icing sugar
• 5 tbs lime juice (approximately)
• Zest 1 lime

Preheat the oven too 180°c and butter and flour 2 x 20cm round cake tins.

Beat the eggs on high speed until thick and lemon coloured, then gradually beat in the sugar and finally add the lime zest and beat briefly to blend.
In a separate bowl, sift together the dry ingredients.
Stir in 1/3 of the dry ingredients, followed by 1/3 of the cream and vanilla. Repeat until all ingredients are incorporated.
Divide the batter between the two tins and pop in the oven. Check after 20 minutes, to see if a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Once cooked, cool in the tins for 5 minutes, until they can be handled. Remove to a cooling rack, which has been covered with a clean tea towel (to prevent lines forming on the soft bottom of the cakes).
Once the cakes are completely cooled, sandwich together, spreading the lime marmalade on the bottom cake, blobbing the whipped cream over the marmalade and gently placing the second cake atop.
To make the icing, beat together the butter and sugar and add the lime juice, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating briskly between each addition until the desired consistency is reached. Then beat in the lime zest. Spread over the top of the cake and leave to set. Serve as soon as possible.

NB: If using cream to fill the cake, it should only be filled immediately before serving for best results.