Mini Lemon Curd Sponge Cake

Again a recipe with a twist: cake with real vanilla and a cream which is not butter cream.

Not that the butter cream isn’t nice..but all that butter and sugar....now you have a healthier option!

Mini Lemon Curd Sponge Cake

for the Sponge
175 gr unsalted butter, at room temperature
175 gr caster sugar
175 gr eggs (roughly 3 large eggs), beaten
1 vanilla pod*more on this topic in the Tricks and Recommendations
175 gr self-raising flour

For the cream
 200 ml double cream
 300 gr quark or “curd cheese” (I buy them in polish shops, write it down and ask  for: Twarog Tlusty)*more on this topic in the Tricks and Recommendations 
    1 vanilla pod

  For the filling
  12 tsp lemon curd (recipe from www.kabiskitchen.com)
4 eggs
4 egg yolk
160gr caster sugar
5 big lemons
140gr unsalted butter
2tsp honey

 optional
 some icing sugar for dusting


Cakes


1.    Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4
2.    Cream the butter and caster sugar together until the mixture is pale and light. 
3.    Gradually add the beaten eggs, mixing well between each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl from time to time. Add the vanilla and mix again.
4.    Sift the flour into the bowl and fold in using a rubber spatula until the mixture is glossy and smooth
5.    Divide the mixture between the 12 holes of the Lakeland Mini Sandwich Pan and level with a teaspoon.
6.    Bake on the middle shelf of your preheated oven for about 15 minutes until golden, well risen and a wooden skewer inserted into the middle of the cakes comes out clean.
7.    Leave the cakes to rest in the tin for 2 minutes and then carefully ease out onto a wire cooling rack until cold.


Cream


Whip the double cream to stiff peaks, then add the vanilla and the quark and mix it together until it is well incorporated


Lemon Curd


“Whisk the eggs and yolks in a heatproof bowl with sugar, lemon zest and juice. Set the bowl over simmering water, and add the butter and honey. Stir it continuously. It takes roughly 12-15 minute to thicken. It should reach the consistency of custard. Turn off the heat, and pour the custard into sterilised jars. It will thicken further in the jar. Do not close it until it’s cooled down.
Keep it in the fridge. It will last for weeks.”
This amount will make 2-3 jars, but believe me the excess won’t last long.
Assemble


Cut each of the cakes in half and spread the bottom layer with the cream. Top with a teaspoon of lemon curd and sandwich with the top cake layer. Lightly dust with icing sugar to serve.


Hints and Tips
-I don't add any sugar to the cream as the cake itself quite sweet and the lemon curd as well. I would suggest to try half spoon of cream and half spoon of lemon curd together and if it is sweet enough, than no need to sweeten it. If you still need a little bit of sweetness, add some icing sugar.
-Although I used the Lakeland's tin to make mini individual cakes(which has straight sides, unlike muffin tins), you can use two separate sandwich tin to make one big cake. I would suggest to bake it in two separate tin, as baking as one big one tend to be a problem with this batter mix