Lemon poppy seed cake

15 pieces | Preparation time 1 h 30 min + resting 1 h | Oven temperature 200°C

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Tighten the baking paper on the bottom of a springform pan (diameter 26 cm). Grease and coat the edge of the baking dish with breadcrumbs.

2. Make the base. Whip the eggs and sugar into a light foam. Mix the dry ingredients and sift them into the egg-and-sugar foam. Wash the lemon, grate the peel (2 tsp) and squeeze the juice of half a lemon (¼ dl) for moistening. Add the grated zest to the dough and gently fold it, lifting, until smooth. Pour the dough into the pan and bake on the bottom shelf of the oven for 25–30 minutes. Check doneness with a skewer. Tip out the base after cooling.

3. Prepare the lemon cream. Wash the lemons. Grate the peel of one lemon (2 teaspoons) and squeeze out the juice (1 ½ dl). Put the juice, grated lemon zest, egg yolks, water, sugar and flour in a saucepan. Bring to the boil, stirring constantly. When the mixture bubbles, move the saucepan off the hotplate. Cut the butter into smaller pieces, add them to the mixture, and stir until smooth. Cover the mixture and chill in the fridge. Whip the cream and mix it into the cold mixture.

4. Mix the water, previously squeezed lemon juice (¼ dl) and sugar to make the liquid for moistening the base.

5. Slice the base in half in the middle. Place the top half of the cake base on a serving plate with the cutting surface facing upwards and moisten with the syrup. Spread one third of the cream onto the layer of cake. Place the other half on top of the filling with the cutting surface facing down, moisten and spread the remaining cream on top and the edges. Put the cake in the fridge for at least an hour, preferably overnight.

6. Wash a lemon and cut it into small triangular slices. Sprinkle poppy seeds on the surface of the cake. Finish with lemon slices and pansies.

Tip: Use the extra egg whites in an omelette or a meringue.