Zesty Lime and Blueberry Cake

This cake is a basic sponge (baked in two 8” tins) but with the zest of two limes added. A syrup is then made with the juice of one of the limes and two tablespoons of sugar to drizzle over the cake as soon as it comes out of the oven. (To make the syrup just stir together the juice and sugar in a pan over a medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to the boil, stirring, until the mixture starts to thicken.)

I made two fillings for the cake which really gave it all the flavour, a lime curd and a blueberry and lime conserve. They were both slathered in between the two sponge cake layers to make this a really heavenly, zesty cake. The flavours are very fresh and would be perfect for Easter. A few crystallised violets would be pretty on top or pile on some cream and fresh blueberries.

Lime Curd

50g Butter

200g Sugar

Juice of 1 Lime

2 Eggs, well beaten

Place the butter, sugar and lime juice in a bowl over a pan of boiling water and continue to heat, stirring continuously to melt the butter and dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat for a minute and then add the beaten eggs, stirring well. Put back on the heat, continuing to stir well until the mixture thickens. Leave to cool then it’s ready for use or can be stored in the fridge for a few days.

Blueberry and Lime Conserve

100g Blueberries

Juice of 1 Lime

4 tablespoons sugar

Place all the ingredients in a pan over a medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar and soften the fruit – about ten minutes. Mash the fruit down (I just used a potato masher) and bring to the boil. Leave the mixture to boil rapidly, stirring occasionally, until it thickens. It can be tested on a very cold saucer to see if it is set. I like mine fairly soft so that it spreads easily on the cake.

For the sponge

300g Softened Butter

300g Caster Sugar

5 Medium Eggs (beaten)

300g Self-Raising Flour

Zest of two Limes

Pre-heat the oven to 160c

Beat all the ingredients together well for about a minute. Don’t overbeat.

Bake for about 25 – 30 minutes in two greased and lined 8″ round tins.

The cakes will be ready when golden brown and shrinking away from the sides of the tin. You can test with a skewer to ensure they are baked in the middle.

See my tips for how to make a perfect sponge cake