Lemon Sponge Cake

Today I'm bringing you a basic lemon sponge cake recipe, one of those must-haves in your recipe collection. It's a sponge cake efluffy and full of lemon juice flavor. Made with a few simple ingredients, it’s a very easy cake to make, yet one of those recipes that everyone loves.

What is as essential as this recipe is the mold it was prepared in. It is the Le Creuset rectangular baking pan, A nonstick mold you can use endlessly!

This pan is very versatile in any kitchen: cakes, breads, brioches, savory pies (fish pie, meat pie, breaded...), or even for making lasagna!

There are several reasons why this Le Creuset rectangular baking pan is so versatile. First, its size and shape let you adapt a multitude of recipes; second, its high-quality nonstick coating—much appreciated both when unmolding and when withstanding high temperatures over countless bakes; and third, its heat distribution—the quality of its construction delivers fabulous baking results.

Don't forget to take note of the recipe and definitely consider this mold as a must-have in your kitchen.

Le Creuset Rectangular Nonstick Pan

Ingredients

• 280gr of softened butter (plus a little for greasing the pan)
• 180gr* of sugar
• 5 eggs
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
• 280gr of pastry flour
• 1½ teaspoons of baking powder
• Zest of 2 lemons (avoid grating the white pith)
• 50ml of lemon juice
• 4 tablespoons of sour cream ("sour cream")

*The original recipe calls for 280gr of sugar, but I personally find it very sweet and reduce it to 180 or 200gr. But you're free to play with the amount of sugar to your taste.

For the frosting:

• 175g of powdered sugar
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (160ºC if using a convection oven).
2. Grease the Le Creuset rectangular pan with a little butter, using a brush or kitchen paper.
3. Prepare the lemon zest with the Zester grater and squeeze its juice in a moment with the help of the manual juicer.
4. Mix the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy. You can do it in a bowl with a whisk or with a food processor such as Artisan.
5. Add the eggs one by one. Once they are all incorporated, fold in the flour and the yeast, all together sieving.
6. Add and beat in the lemon zest, the lemon juice, the sour cream, and the vanilla extract.
7. Pour the entire mixture into the mold and smooth the top with a spatula.
8. Bake in the center of the oven for 50-55 minutes until the top is golden and the center springs back when gently pressed.
9. Let it cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before removing it from the pan and placing it on a serving tray.
10. For the icing, put the powdered sugar in a bowl, mix in half of the lemon zest and enough juice to reach a consistency liquid enough to spread the mixture over the cake with a spoon (but be careful not to overdo it, or it will be too runny).
11. Put the icing on top of the cake and sprinkle lemon zest over the top to decorate.
12. Let the icing cool before cutting it, and enjoy!

Source: Le Creuset