Lemon Sponge Cake

Ingredients:

175g self -raising flour, sieved
175g sugar
175g butter, softened
3 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
40ml milk
juice of half a lemon
finely grated zest of one lemon
pinch of salt

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C.
2. Add butter and sugar in a mixing bowl, using a hand-held beater or whisk, beat till its light and fluffy.
3. Add the eggs, milk and vanilla essence and beat till well-mixed.
4. Gradually add in the flour and salt and lightly fold or blend.
5. Add lemon juice and zest and stir.
6. Pour batter into a 21-cm round cake pan and bake in the oven at 180 C for 35 to 40mins.
7. Insert a skewer into the cake to test. Cake is done if the skewer comes out clean.
8. Leave cake to cool for 15 mins, then remove it from the pan to cool further.
9. If you like, spread some royal icing over the cake and scatter with more grated zest to decorate, or serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream. Alternatively, use some store-bought icing to decorate.