Serves:  12-14 slices

Preparation Time:  45 minutes

Cooking Time:  45 minutes

INGREDIENTS

Sponge Cake

• 325g flour
• 1 ¾ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 112g butter, room temperature
• 120ml oil
• 310g sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 4 eggs
• 180ml milk
• 120ml lemon juice
• 2 tbsp lemon zest
• 3 tbsp poppy seeds

Buttercream

• 450g butter, room temperature
• 900g icing sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1 Tbsp lemon zest

Meringue Icing

• 3 cups sugar
• 10 egg white
• 50g flaked almonds

METHOD

Sponge Cake

Preheat the oven to 175C.

Line and grease 3 x 20cm round cake tins.

In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together.

In an electric mixer, beat together the butter, oil, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs one at a time to butter mixture, mixing continuously.

Add half of the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, fold through gently. Add the milk, lemon juice, lemon zest and poppyseeds, and stir through.

Add the remaining dry ingredients and fold through until incorporated.

Divide the mixture between the 3 pans and bake for about 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool on a cooling rack.

Buttercream

Put the butter into an electric mixer. Beat until the butter is pale and fluffy.

Slow start adding the icing sugar, a heaped spoonful at a time. Continue until all the sugar has been added.

Mix through the vanilla and lemon zest.

Meringue Icing

Place the sugar and egg whites into an electric mixer bowls. Place it over a pot of simmering water. Whisk the sugar and egg white together constantly until the sugar has dissolved. Test this by rubbing some between your finger, there should be no granules.

Transfer the bowl to the mixer with a whisk attachment. Start whisking the mixture on a low speed for about 4 minutes, until opaque and starting to thicken.

Raise the speed to medium and beat until you have soft peaks, about 5-6 minutes.

Then raise the speed to high and whisk until the mixture is stiff and the peaks can hold themselves.

To assemble

Place your first layer of cake onto your cake stand. Dollop a big spoonful of the butter cream on top. Spread it out evenly then top with next layer of cake. Repeat with the buttercream and top with the final cake layer. With what is left of the buttercream, spread it evenly around and on top of the cake. It does not matter if there is exposed cake as it will be covered with the meringue.

Place the cake in the fridge to chill for about 20 minutes.

Once the buttercream is set, remove the cake from the fridge.

Spread the meringue mixture over the entire cake. You do not want the meringue to be completely smooth, but rather leave it with some texture – this gives a beautiful effect once toasted!

Using a blowtorch, toast the entirety of the meringue. Finally, finish with toasted almond flakes.