Makes one 23cm/9″ cake.

For the cake:

• 4 free-range eggs
• 125g/4½oz caster sugar
• zest of 2 lemons, microplaned or very finely grated
• 125g/4½oz self-raising flour
• 50g/1¾oz unsalted butter, melted and cooled

For the crème pâtissière:

• 4 free-range eggs
• 2 free-range egg yolks
• 500ml/20fl oz full-fat milk
• vanilla pod
• 180g/6¼oz caster sugar
• 1 tablespoon kirsch
• 100g/3½oz cornflour
• 150g/5½oz butter, cut into cubes

For the lemon syrup:

• 75g/2¾oz caster sugar
• juice of 2 lemons
• 70ml/4½ tablespoons cold water

For the marzipan (makes 500g/1lb 2oz):

• 125g/4½oz icing sugar
• 125g/4½oz caster sugar
• 250g/ ground almonds
• 1 dessertspoon of sherry (or rum)
• 1 dessertspoon of orange flower water (brands vary – check the strength)
• 1 dessertspoon of lemon juice
• a couple of drops of vanilla extract
• 1 free-range egg

To assemble:

• 200g/7oz of marzipan, bought or home-made
• 600g/1lb 5oz strawberries

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas Mark 4.

Grease and line the base of a 23cm/9″ loose-bottom cake tin. It really does make life easier if you use a spring-form tin.

Place the eggs, sugar and lemon zest in the bowl of a powerful stand mixer or in a bowl placed over simmering water. In a stand mixer, whisk on full speed until you reach ‘ribbon’ stage’. With an electric hand whisk, whisk over simmering water on medium speed until you reach the same stage. Remove from the heat, if applicable. The egg mixture will be pale, have doubled in volume and leave a trail when you draw a figure of eight over the top.

Sift over half the flour and gently fold in. Add the remaining flour and fold again. Finally, the melted, but cooled, butter. Fold in.

Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the edges are pulling away from the sides. Aga: grid on the floor of the Baking Oven for 20-25 minutes.

Leave to cool for 5 minutes, before removing to a cooling rack until cold.

To make the crème pâtissière, place the eggs, sugar, kirsch and cornflour in a bowl and blend everything together.

Remove the seeds from a vanilla pod and place them and the pod into a saucepan. Add the milk. Bring to a boil, remove from the heat.

Place a sieve over the bowl holding the eggs, sugar and cornflour and pour the hot milk on top. Whisk together. Pour everything back into a clean saucepan and stir over a medium heat. It will thicken suddenly. Stir until thick enough to pipe easily. Remove from the heat. Stir in the cubed butter.

Pour into a shallow dish, cover with cling wrap and chill for an hour until firm and cold.

Make the lemon sugar syrup by placing the water, lemon juice and sugar in a small saucepan. Heat over a gentle heat until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to a boil and boil rapidly for 2 minutes. Transfer to a jug or jam jar and cool.

Make the marzipan by mixing the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add the sherry, orange flower water, lemon juice and vanilla extract. Gradually add enough beaten egg to form a stiff paste. Lightly dust the work surface with icing sugar and knead until smooth.

Roll 200g/7oz of there marzipan into a circle and cut a circle which will fit the cake tin. Place on a flat surface to chill.

Place a strip of acetate around the inside of your clean cake tin. There is no need to grease it.

Slice the sponge in half horizontally.

Place one layer of sponge in the bottom of the tin with the cut surface facing upwards. Brush with half the cold lemon sugar syrup. Press the edges against the acetate with the back of a spoon.

Select 12-14 strawberries of a similar height. Hull and cut in half. Press the strawberries, cut surface against the acetate, around the edge.

Place the two-thirds of the chilled crème pâtissière in a large piping bag fitted with a 1cm/½” piping nozzle. Pipe over the sponge and between the strawberries. Make sure you pipe the full height of the strawberries and fill in all the gaps.

Reserve a few strawberries for decoration. Hull and chop up the remaining strawberries and place them on top of the crème pâtissière.

Pipe the remaining crème pâtissière over the chopped strawberries. Smooth out with an offset spatula.

Lay over the second sponge half. Brush over the remaining lemon sugar syrup and press down firmly against the acetate.

Place the marzipan disc on the top and put the tin back into the fridge to set.

When you want to serve, remove the cake from the tin. Peel back the acetate and transfer to a serving plate. Dust with icing sugar and cut strawberries. Serve chilled.

Eat.