For the lemon curd
60ml fresh lemon juice
100g caster sugar
A pinch of salt
3 medium egg yolks
50g unsalted butter
2 Tick Tock Earl Grey rooibos teabags
For lemon sponges
300g plain flour
100g almond flour
3/4 tsp xanthan gum
4 1/2 tsp baking powder
300g caster sugar
A pinch of salt
Zest of 2 lemons
200g unsalted butter, softened
3 medium eggs, room temperature
3 medium egg whites, room temperature
240ml milk, room temperature
6 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp vanilla extract
For mascarpone icing
600ml double cream
180g icing sugar
450g mascarpone cheese
2 tsp vanilla extract
A pinch of salt
You will also need, 15 - 20 medium strawberries, halved (plus 10 - 15 more for decoration on top)
For the lemon curd
In a medium sized saucepan, combine the lemon juice, sugar, salt and egg yolks. Whisk until the eggs are evenly incorporated.
Cook the lemon curd on medium-high heat until it starts to thicken – stir constantly but don’t whisk. Whisking will create a foam that will make your lemon curd frothy which we don’t want. After about 4 minutes add the Earl Grey teabags to the saucepan but remove before the lemon curd starts to thicken.
After about 8-10 minutes, the lemon curd should have thickened a lot. Remove from heat and stir in the butter, 1 tbsp at a time, until all butter has melted and has been completely incorporated.
Allow the Earl Grey infused lemon curd to cool, stirring occasionally to prevent skin formation on top. Once at room temperature, place it in the fridge to chill for about 30 minutes while you make the rest of the cake.
For lemon sponges
Preheat the oven to 180ºC and line three 20 cm round cake tins with baking paper.
In a large bowl, sift together plain flour, almond flour, xanthan gum, and baking powder. Add the sugar, salt, and lemon zest, and mix until combined.
Add the softened butter and, using either a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or a hand mixer with the double beater attachments, work the butter into the dry ingredients until you get a coarse texture.
In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs, egg whites, milk, lemon juice, and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the coarse mixture, and mix well until you get a smooth batter with no flour lumps.
Transfer the cake batter into the prepared cake tins, smooth out the top, and bake in the pre-heated oven at 180ºC for roughly 25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Allow the sponges to cool in the cake tins for about 10 minutes, then remove from the tins, and allow to cool completely on a cooling rack.
For mascarpone icing
Using a stand mixer with a whisk attachment or a hand mixer with the double beater attachments, whip together the double cream and icing sugar until soft peaks form.
Once at the soft peak stage, fold in the mascarpone cheese. You will get a smooth icing that spreads easily but will also hold its shape. Add in the vanilla extract and salt, and mix briefly until it's evenly distributed.
Assembling the cake
Spread a generous layer of mascarpone icing on top of the bottom sponge.
Drizzle a few tablespoons of the cooled and thickened Earl Grey infused lemon curd on top of the icing. Swirl some of the Earl Grey infused lemon curd into the icing, allowing the rest to drip down the sides.
Place halved strawberries on top of the Earl Grey infused lemon curd and icing, making sure some are visible around the edge of the icing.
Repeat with the next two layers, decorating the top of the cake with the strawberries.
Best served a big cup of Earl Grey Tick Tock!
