Gennaro says: This cake is a twist on the classic Delizia al Limone, the individual dome-shaped sponge cakes filled and covered with lemon cream that are so popular in pastry shops along the Amalfi Coast. It’s really quite simple to make yet it looks really effective – perfect for a special occasion. For the lemon concentrate, I use my Lemon Concentrate recipe. Otherwise, use lemon extract.

Serves 8

Ingredients

For the sponge

5 free-range eggs
70g caster sugar
zest of ½ unwaxed lemon
2 tsp Lemon Concentrate or extract
70ml mild olive oil
50g plain flour

For the cream

500ml double cream
250ml natural yogurt
zest of ½ unwaxed lemon
3 tsp lemon concentrate or extract
60g icing sugar, sifted

For the limoncello syrup

2 tsp limoncello
2 tsp water
1 tsp caster sugar
To decorate
1 lemon, sliced thinly into half moons
fresh mint leaves

For the lemon concentrate

juice of 6 large lemons, passed through a fine sieve
440g sugar
100ml water

Method

Preheat the oven to 160°C fan/180°C/gas mark 4 and lightly grease a baking tin, approx. 36 x 36cm (14 x 14in) – or you could use a large Swiss roll tin, a roasting tin or the fat tray from your oven/grill. Line with baking parchment. Separate the eggs into large bowls. Lightly beat the yolks and set aside. Whisk the whites until stiff, then fold in the caster sugar, lemon zest and lemon concentrate.

To make the lemon concentrate, put all the ingredients in a saucepan along with 6 lemon halves and bring to the boil. Allow to boil for 10 minutes, stirring from time to time. Remove from the heat, place the lemon halves in a sieve or ricer and squeeze any juice back into the pan with the rest of the liquid. Discard the lemon halves. Pour the lemon concentrate into sterilized glass bottle/s, leave to cool.

Gradually fold in the egg yolks, followed by the oil and then sift in the flour. Pour into the prepared baking tin and bake in the oven for 10–12 minutes until golden. Meanwhile, make the lemon cream. Whip the cream until stiff and combine with the yogurt, lemon zest, lemon concentrate and sift in the icing sugar. Remove the sponge from the oven, turn out onto a wire rack and allow to cool before carefully removing the baking parchment.

Place on a board or work surface lined with a clean sheet of baking parchment and cut into nine 4-cm (1½-in) strips – keep the strips together for now. Put the ingredients for the syrup in a small saucepan over a medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and brush the hot liquid all over the strips.

Once absorbed, spread some of the cream on the first strip and carefully roll it up. Place the roll upright in the centre of a serving plate. Spread cream on the second strip and roll it around the ready-rolled strip on the plate. Continue doing this until you have used up all the strips. Cover the whole cake with the remaining cream – you could also put some cream in a piping bag and decorate the cake if you wish. Decorate with lemon slices and fresh mint. Place in the fridge for a couple of hours before serving.

Gennaro’s Limoni: 3 recipes inspired by the Amalfi Coast’s famous lemons