A limoncello syrup soaked cake decorated with frosted Spring flowers, chocolate and mini macarons.
Serves 8
Cake:
175g butter, softened
175g caster sugar
3 eggs, beaten
175g self raising flour
25g ground almonds
Grated zest of 1 lemon
Limoncello syrup:
25g sugar (granulated or caster)
50ml limoncello liqueur
Juice of 1 lemon
Limoncello buttercream:
200g butter, softened
200g icing sugar, sieved
3 tbsp limoncello liqueur
Decoration:
2 packets of chocolate finger biscuits
5 squares of dark chocolate, melted (optional)
Mini macarons
Frosted edible flowers
Method
Lightly butter the AGA Spring Form Tin and line the base.
Place the butter and sugar into a large bowl and beat together until light and creamy, then gradually add the beaten eggs – if the mixture looks as though it is going to curdle add a tablespoon of flour. Fold in the flour, ground almonds and lemon zest until well combined. Turn the mixture into the prepared tin and lightly smooth the top.
3, 4 and 5 oven AGA: Place the AGA Spring Form Tin on the oven grid shelf set on the floor of the Baking Oven and cook for about 35 minutes (if the cake is browned to your liking but not completely cooked, just slide the cold plain shelf above on the second runners down) until golden and set in the middle – use a skewer to check.
2 oven AGA: Place the AGA Spring Form Tin into the large AGA roasting tin and slide this onto the lowest set of runners in the Roasting Oven, with the cold plain shelf slid above, on the second set of runners down. Cook for about 30-35 minutes until golden and set in the middle – use a skewer to check.
Meanwhile make up the limoncello syrup by placing the sugar, limoncello and lemon juice into an AGA non-stick cast aluminium pan, with lip, heat together until the sugar has dissolved.
Remove the cake from the AGA, when it is cooked and pierce its top with a skewer. Pour the hot syrup over the hot cake and leave to cool for 10 minutes then release the spring clip. Remove the side of the tin and place the cake, still on its base, onto a cooling rack until it is completely cold. Then remove the base and lining and place the cake onto the AGA Delamere Rural Cake Stand.
Make the buttercream by beating the butter, icing sugar and limoncello well together until light and easy to spread and pipe. Take the chocolate fingers and if necessary cut them all the same length to just come above the rim of the cake – cutting is made easier if they are put into the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Spread a little of the buttercream around the side of the cake and arrange the chocolate fingers around the cake. Put the remaining buttercream into a piping bag with a plain nozzle and pipe over the top of the cake. If you are using the melted chocolate then drizzle this over the top of the buttercream. Decorate with mini macarons and frosted edible flowers such as violets and primroses.
Conventional cooking: Bake at 180°C, fan oven 160°C, Gas Mark 4 for about 35-40 minutes.
Frosted edible flowers – Paint the petals of the edible spring flowers (not sprayed in herbicide) such as violets or primroses, in egg white both on top and underneath then dip them in caster sugar. Shake off the surplus sugar and put to dry on the AGA Warming Plate or next to the AGA. Handle with care as they are quite brittle!
Dawn Roads
AGA Specialist
