Eunice Power - Lemon and passion fruit sponge cake

This month Eunice shares her recipe for this gorgeous cake to celebrate the arrival of spring:

Lemon and passion fruit sponge cake

225g soft butter * It is really important that the butter is soft (not melted)
225g caster sugar
4 free range eggs
225g self raising flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
Finely grated rind of one lemon

Filling

500g icing sugar sieved
120g butter at room temperature
Pulp of three passion fruit (pass through a sieve to remove seeds)
A tablespoon of lemon juice

To decorate
Primulas or primroses

Icing sugar

Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC.

Grease two 8-inch/20cm round cake tins and line the bases.

Put all the ingredients into a bowl and beat well until blended, use a K beater if using an electric mixer.

Divide the mixture equally between the two tins and smooth using a spatula.

Bake in the pre heated oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and springy to the touch.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack.

For the filling:

Place all the ingredients into the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with a K beater. Begin to mix the ingredients slowly, once they are combined turn up the speed and beat for 10-15 minutes until the mix has doubled in size and is pale in colour.

When the cakes have cooled completely, use a palette knife to spread half of the butter cream onto one cake, then carefully put the other cake on top and spread the remaining icing on the top of the cake. Decorate prettily with spring flowers, such as primroses or primulas.

Photography Harry Weir www.harryweir.com (image first appeared in Food&Wine Magazine)
Food Styling Leona Humphreys www.onefineplate.com

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More recipes from Eunice Power are available on www.eunicepower.com

Room reservations can be made on www.powersfield.com - hope to see you in Dungarvan during the year.

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Eunice Power is a professional chef with over twenty years experience in the hospitality business. She runs Powersfield House in Dungarvan County Waterford, which is our B&B of the Year for 2012 and also the winner of the Best B&B Breakfast. Her philosophy is to use fresh, seasonal, locally produced food, sourced organically where possible. 

Eunice has a successful outside catering company, writes about food (she is the author of an excellent cookery book written for local company Waterford Stanley) and teaches at Paul Flynn’s Tannery Cooking School, where her enthusiasm and zest for a life filled with good food are given free rein."