Nana Ngaire’s cake

Indulge in the perfect cake for spring, and definitely serve it with lashings of whipped cream and citrus curd.

Out of the blue recently, my son asked to make a sponge cake. I had been having a similar craving, so we dug out Nana Ngaire’s recipe book and made (a variation of) the recipe she had prepared since the 1950s. I hope you enjoy this version of the classic sponge. It does feel like the perfect cake for spring, especially with lashings of whipped cream and citrus curd.

I have halved the sugar from the original recipe, and used a combination of baking powder and baking soda (dissolved in hot milk), since cream of tartar is no longer a common pantry item. Included in the directions is my nana’s excellent tip to use a butter knife to gently fold the flour into the meringue. I think this is a game changer to keep all that air in the sponge.

The citrus keeps on coming, and with another bag of lemons, limes and oranges dropped on my doorstep I knew I had to make citrus curd. This recipe reminds me of the ‘‘lemon honey’’ nana used to make, so it was an obvious filling for the sponge cake. Or, as I used to do at my nana’s breakfast table, spread thickly on toast. Use any combination of the suggested citrus, although I do find some tartness from either lemon or lime is essential.

Preparation time: 5 minutes Cooking time: 10 minutes Makes about 350g

100g butter

100ml fresh squeezed citrus juice – lemon, lime and/or orange

1⁄4 cup (50g) sugar

1 tablespoon honey

2 teaspoons cornflour, or tapioca flour

1 egg

2 egg yolks

1. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over a low heat. Remove from the heat. Add the remaining ingredients and whisk well to combine. Return to the heat, and, using a wooden spoon, stir constantly over the heat for about 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Once the curd thickly coats the back of the spoon it is ready. Pour into a 400ml jar. Cool and store in the fridge, use within one month.