Description
This spectacular six-layer celebration cake features vibrant, zesty lemon sponges stacked in a beautiful rainbow gradient. Filled with tart lemon curd and draped in velvety vanilla buttercream, it is the perfect showstopper for birthdays and special occasions.
Ingredients
- 550g unsalted butter or baking spread, softened
- 550g caster sugar
- 10 large free-range eggs
- 2 tablespoons milk (for the sponge)
- Zest of 2 large lemons
- 550g self-raising flour, sifted
- Concentrated gel food coloring (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, and Purple)
- 600g unsalted butter, softened (for the buttercream)
- 1.2kg icing sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4-5 tablespoons milk (for the buttercream)
- 1 jar (approx. 320g) high-quality lemon curd
- Rainbow sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 320°F (160°C Fan / 180°C / Gas Mark 4) and grease and line six 8-inch cake tins with parchment paper, working in batches if necessary.
- In a large bowl, cream together 275g of butter and 275g of caster sugar until pale and fluffy, then whisk in 5 eggs, 1 tablespoon of milk, and half of the lemon zest.
- Sift in 275g of the self-raising flour and gently whisk until just combined, taking care not to overwork the batter.
- Divide this batter equally into three bowls and tint one red, one orange, and one yellow using the gel food coloring.
- Pour each colored batter into its own prepared tin and bake for 20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Repeat the mixing and coloring process with the remaining sponge ingredients to create green, blue, and purple layers, then let all sponges cool completely on wire racks.
- Prepare the buttercream by beating 600g of softened butter with the icing sugar, vanilla extract, and 4-5 tablespoons of milk until the frosting is smooth, pale, and spreadable.
- Assemble the cake by stacking the sponges in rainbow order, spreading a thin layer of buttercream and a generous drizzle of lemon curd between each layer.
- Apply a thin crumb coat of buttercream over the entire cake, chill for 30 minutes, then finish with a thick final layer of frosting, piped rosettes, and rainbow sprinkles.
Notes
To ensure your cake is perfectly level, you can use a serrated knife to gently trim the tops of the sponges once they are completely cool. If you find the buttercream too stiff to spread easily, add extra milk one teaspoon at a time until it reaches a silky, spreadable consistency.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: British