Nigella Lawson's Damp Lemon and Almond Cake
Cream together 225g soft, unsalted butter and 225g caster sugar until white and creamy. Beat in 4 eggs, one at a time, adding a quarter portion of 50g of plain flour after each egg addition.




Gently stir in 225g ground almonds, 1/2 teaspoon almond essence, lemon zest and juice of 2 lemons.

Don't do what i did, which is use my handy strip zester rather than a microplanner, otherwise you risk the criticism that the cake is 'not lemony enough'.


Use either a 21cm springform cake, or a loaf tin, lined, and bake at 180ºC. After half an hour cover the cake with foil to stop the top darkening too much. Check with a cake skewer after an hour - it should not be clean, but without buttery batter clinging to the wire. Leave in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire tray to cool completely.

Wrap well in foil and leave for 2 days, during which it will become more fragrant .. dust with icing sugar before serving.