Our Family Favourite Lemon Spring / Easter Cake

"This is a delicious cake which is perfect for celebrating spring or Easter!.The base is an Algerian sponge cake known as 'Meskucho'. For an easter feel decorate with chocolate mini eggs, easter chicks etc. The cake is very easy to make & decorate so don't be put off by the long list of instructions & ingredients! This is my husbands favoruite kind of cake as it is light, fluffy & moist. You can eat it with just the icing on for a less heavy cake but the addition of the filling makes it a perfect dessert!"
 
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photo by CanadianFarmgal photo by CanadianFarmgal
photo by CanadianFarmgal
photo by Um Safia photo by Um Safia
photo by Um Safia photo by Um Safia
photo by Um Safia photo by Um Safia
Ready In:
1hr
Ingredients:
17
Yields:
1 cake
Serves:
16-18
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ingredients

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directions

  • Cream the margarine & sugar until it's light & creamy. Beat in the eggs & lemon zest. Slowly add the sifted flour & baking powder & mix well but gently. Add the water & mix.
  • Pour into a lined & greased baking tin. I use either a tall 5" round tin or a shallow 12" round tin (if having a plain- unfilled but iced cake) - both work very well & I've also seen others using square pans & bundt tins -- Bake in a preheated oven at 180C for 40-45 minutes; test to see if it is done - it may need a few extra minutes. If cooked, turn off oven & allow cake to rest in it for around 3 minutes.
  • Filling:

  • Beat the margarine / butter until creamy. Slowly add enough icing sugar to reach a consistency you like. Tint yellow if desired. When the cake has cooled completely, use a bread knife to cut the cake into 3 layers. Divide the filling in half & spread onto bottom & middle layers using a pallet knife or similar.
  • Icing.
  • After filling the cake, put the top layer back in place. Trim off any edges or bumps etc. Mix the sifted icing sugar with the lemon juice & enough water to get a very thick but spoonable consistency. Tint with colouring if desired & carefully spoon over the top of the cake. The icing will slowly begin to drip down the sides of the cake - take a pallet knife & carefully run it around the sides of the cake to ensure & even covering.
  • When the icing is almost set, run a clean damp finger or knife handle around the rim of the plate (if serving on it) & top with chocolate mini eggs or other decorations of your choice.

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Reviews

  1. Everyone really liked this cake! I took it to our family's Easter dinner and there was only one piece left. It was a big hit! I don't have a deep cake pan, so I just cut it in half. The filling is nice and I made the icing yellow and decorated it with colorful chocolate eggs. It looked very spring like. Thanks for sharing.
     
  2. This cake was excellent! I only had a regular cake pan, but I cut the cake very thinly and managed to get 3 layers out of it. The filling was a great consistency with softened butter (not too soft!), and the icing was runny but tasty. I used orange extract in the filling, and yellow paste food colouring throughout. I also used spray food colour on the top to attempt something, but wouldn't do it again. =) The final product was delicious and adorable, and went over really well at our Easter celebration.
     
  3. Um Safia,After my request on the thread re pan size.I made it with the two 8 inch pans and was able to cut one of the cakes to yield three pieces. I made the filling a little too runny,this would have needed an extra cup of sugar to work.So it was a bit sloppy. With the icing on it finished up fairly nice. Would I make again,yes ,having learned from the fist attempt.Thanks Don Steele
     
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

ABOVE: My eldest, Talha with his 'Zaar Star! I'm 29 years old and have been cooking since I was old enough to wield a wooden spoon! My Mum is a fantastic cook and both my Grandmas were great cooks too. I've also had the pleasure of working in two commercial kitchens - one which I ran and the other I was second chef of. You can find me lurking in the NA*ME (North Africa / Middle East) Forum where I am a host: http://www.recipezaar.com/bb/viewforum.zsp?f=59 and also in the Cooking for Kids Forum where I am co-host: http://www.recipezaar.com/bb/viewforum.zsp?f=34 <style>body { background: url(http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/ww141/Um_Safia/seamless%20tiles/seamlesstile1.jpg);background-repeat: repeat; }</style> I am fortunate enough to have 2 children of my own now and enjoy cooking with my eldest who is almost 8 years old. My daughter is almost 3 & has now started joining me in the kitchen & 'helping'. She likes to stand on a chair next to me, give instructions & stir. We eat food from all over the world but my husband prefers it like 'mama used to make' or in his case ''like yemma makes it'' as he is Algerian! We are currently living in the UK after living in Algeria for a while. You will notice that I have posted quite a few Algerian classics. If I had the time and the money, I would spend all day every day trying new recipes! My husband has a 'recipe score' which is this: 1: "Add it to your recipe book - I loved it and wanna eat this again soon!" 2: "Interesting....I will enjoy eating this again." 3: "I cleared my plate but don't expect me to eat this again...ever." However, I rate 'Zaar recipes the by the 'Zaar standard, so don't worry. Oh and fyi, I have a problem being negative so will probably NEVER give a rating less that 4*!!! Other than cooking, I love anything arty-crafty and enjoy painting when I get the chance, which is rarely these days. I used to sell a lot of my creations and do things to order but just don't have the time at the moment. I have a passion for gardening almost as strong as that for cooking. I tend to have 90% of it in pots though as I can't bear to leave it behind when we move - therefore we don't have a lot of stuff that we'd like to have as it wouldn't like being confined to a pot! I take great pride in my garden and love the summer months (the few that we get in the UK) when we can eat outside... and being a typical man, my husband likes any excuse to get the BBQ going - enough said! By the way; I'm on a mission to re-educate people about soaking cous cous for use in North African recipes.,,just so you all know....it is traditionally STEAMED & not soaked! Most of the North African recipes I have have been taught to me by my mother in law, sisters in law etc. A few have come from very old cookbooks. It has taken me a long time to get the dishes into some kind of recipe form as basically we "eyeball" the majority of the ingredients. Bear with me whilst I try to get the rest of the recipes in order!... On a personal note, I abhor the mistreatment of animals and have taken care of many abandoned or injured animals over the years. Similarily, I love to help children and that is why my husband and I are in the process of becoming foster carers. I have a thing about being polite and having good manners - they don't cost anything after all. Something that bugs me is when you hold a door open for someone and they don't even acknowledge you or if you need to go through a door and they won't hold it for you but let it slap you in the face! 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