You’ll want to devour these sponges straight away, but unfilled ones can be stored in an airtight container for up to three days, or frozen for up to two months.

Serves: 6
Prep time: 30 mins
Cook time: 30 mins

Ingredients
6 eggs, at room temperature
1 cup caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 cup plain flour
1 cup self-raising flour
2 tblsps boiling water
300ml tub thickened cream
2 tblsps icing sugar mixture
1/3 cup lemon butter, softened
1/2 x 250g punnet strawberries, thinly sliced
Sugar flowers, to decorate

LEMON ICING:
2 cups icing sugar mixture
1 tsp finely grated lemon rind
2 tblsps lemon juice

1 Grease two 20cm round cake pans. Line base and sides with baking paper.

2 To make sponge, beat eggs in small bowl of electric mixer for 1 minute, or until mixture reaches top of bowl. Transfer to large bowl of electric mixer. Beat for 7 minutes. Add 1 tblsp of sugar at a time, beating between each addition. Beat in essence.

3 Sift flours twice onto a sheet of baking paper. Sift again over egg mixture. Add water. Using a large balloon whisk, gently fold to combine. Don’t stir.

4 Divide mixture between pans.

5 Cook in a moderate oven (180C) for 30 minutes, or until sponges slightly shrink away from sides of pans. Immediately turn out onto wire racks covered with baking paper. Turn sponges, top side up, to cool.

6 Beat cream and icing sugar in small bowl with electric mixer until firm peaks form.

7 Place one sponge on serving plate. Spread with lemon butter. Top with strawberries, whipped cream and remaining sponge.

8 To make lemon icing, combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir until smooth.

9 Spread lemon icing over top of sponge. Decorate with sugar flowers. 

SUPER SPONGE SECRETS    

• Use the eggs at room temperature and they’ll beat to the greatest volume. 

• Sponges cook best when the tops of the pans are in the centre of the oven.