Lemon magic cake recipe

Prepare to be wowed by this super-simple magic cake recipe, where one basic batter turns into three seperate layers when baked! There's dense cake, buried under a creamy layer, topped with lighter, fluffier sponge, all from the same easy mixture. Okay, so technically it's science, rather than magic, but once you've tasted it you won't be quite so sure... For a classic cake, see Mary Berry's lemon drizzle cake (opens in new tab).

Ingredients

• 4 eggs, separated
• 150g caster sugar
• 125g butter, melted
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• zest and juice 1 large lemon (around 55ml juice)
• 115g self-raising flour
• 400ml milk
• icing sugar, to serve

You will need: 20x20cm square cake tin, sides and base buttered

Method

1. Heat the oven to 150°C/300F/Gas Mark 2.
2. With an electric hand whisk or mixer, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until pale. Add the butter, vanilla and lemon zest and whisk for a minute or two until combined. Now sift in the flour and fold it in.
3. Gently heat the milk until just warm. Add the lemon juice and lemon zest then slowly start whisking in the milk.
4. Whisk the egg whites until stiff. Add a spoonful to the cake batter to loosen it, then gently whisk in the remainder a little at a time. You will still have bits of egg whites in the batter but this is fine.
5. Pour the batter into the cake tin and bake for 40 minutes or until the top has lightly browned. Allow it cool in the tin, then remove and cut into squares and dust with icing sugar.

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Classic lemon cake

Mary Berry's lemon and lime cheesecake (opens in new tab)

Lemon curd cake (opens in new tab)