Mini Victoria Sponge Cakes with Lemon Curd & Cream

I am finally blogging again, well at least for today. I have to admit that the past few months my work has taken most of my time. And all I wanted to do on the weekends is to put my feet up and laze around at home. But I thought I resurface to say hello and Happy New Year! This year will be a very exciting year for me and my husband (lot of changes), the big Europe trip is one of them.

I am keeping this entry short and sweet, as I wanted to share my latest attempt in trying the recipe from the Delicious Sweet magazine. The reason for choosing this recipe was because I had all the ingredients at home and it looked simple enough to follow.

Makes 8

125g unsalted butter, softened
175g caster sugar
3 eggs
175g plain flour, sifted, plus extra to dust
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbs milk, plus extra if needed
1/2 cup good-quality lemon curd*
150ml thickened cream, whipped
Icing sugar, to dust

Preheat oven to 170C. Grease and flour two 12-hole patty pan trays.
Using electric beaters, beat butter and caster sugar until thick and pale. And eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each. Fold in flour and baking powder, then stir in milk to give a soft dropping consistency (add a little more milk if needed).
Divide mixture among cupcake pans and bake for 10-15 minutes until golden and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Remove cakes from oven and cool slightly, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
To assemble, turn one cake upside down, spread with 1 heaped teaspoon each of curd and cream, then sandwich with another cake (right way up). Repeat with remaining cakes, curd and cream, then dust with icing sugar.

*Lemon curd - available from gourmet food shops or you can use the following recipe to make your own.

Make 1/2 cup

1 egg
30ml fresh lemon juice (1 lemon)
1/2 tbs finely shredded lemon zest
1/4 cup caster sugar
1 tbs unsalted butter, at room temperature

In a heat proof bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water (careful not to boil), whisk together the eggs, sugar, and lemon juice until blended. Stirring constantly (to prevent from curdling), until the mixture becomes thick. This will take approximately 10 minutes. Remove from heat and immediately pour through a fine strainer to remove any lumps. Cut the butter into small pieces and whisk into the mixture until the butter has melted. Add the lemon zest and let cool. The lemon curd will continue to thicken as it cools. Cover immediately (so a skin doesn't form) and refrigerate for up to a week.