Step 1

Grease and line your nonstick cake tin. If you don't have any greaseproof paper, greasing and then dusting with flour can help prevent sticking.

Step 2

Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan, 350F). Put the sugar and butter in a large bowl and whisk together until fluffy.

Step 3

Add both eggs and whisk in.

Step 4

Sift in the flour and fold until smooth.

Step 5

Add the zest of two lemons and the juice of one to the mixture and gently mix through.

Step 6

Spoon the batter into a greased and lightly floured cake tin. I recommend using a nonstick loose-bottomed or springform tin as it makes it super easy to get your cake out of the tin cleanly.

Step 7

Bake for 25-30 minutes. (The wider the cake tin, the quicker it will cook). The cake should be golden on the outside and the skewer should come out clean - keep an eye on it as you don't want it to over-bake.

Step 8

In a small pan, mix the juice of two of the lemons with the icing sugar.

Step 9

Place over a medium low heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved, then bring to a boil for 1-2 minutes until you have a light syrupy texture.

Step 10

Poke holes all over the warm sponge with a skewer, almost down to the bottom.

Step 11

Take the syrup off the heat (careful, it's hot!) and pour all over the cooling sponge.

Step 12

Allow to cool, then cut into generous slices and enjoy with a hot cup of tea or coffee.