Sufra Dayma: Lemon Cake By Moushira Abdel-Malek Serves 8 Ingredients: 3/4 cup plain flour + 2 tbsp extra 1/2 cup self-raising flour 2/3 cup castor sugar + 2 tbsp extra 1/3 cup milk 2 eggs (at room temperature) 1 tbsp lemon zest (finely grated) 1/4 cup flaked almonds 125 gms butter (at room temperature) + 40 gms extra 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/2 tsp salt Icing sugar to dust Method: Preheat oven to 160 degrees. Grease and line a 19x9 cm base loaf pan with baking paper, extending paper at long sides for handles. With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Add eggs, one by one, with vanilla, beating well after each addition. Stir in the plain flour, salt, the self-raising flour, milk, half the zest and juice until just combined. Spoon into prepared pan. Smooth surface. Place extra sugar, extra flour, remaining zest and almonds in a medium bowl. Using your fingertips, rub in extra butter to make coarse crumbs. Scatter mixture over top of cake mixture. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a skewer inserted at centre comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with icing sugar. Slice and serve.
