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1
Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas mark 4.
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2
Lightly grease the outside of the syrup tin with cake-release spray, then wrap it in baking parchment.
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3
Place it in the centre of the lined round tin.
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4
Using a hand-held electric whisk, or in a free-standing mixer, beat the butter and sugar together for 510 minutes or until very light, pale and creamy.
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5
Grate the zest from the lemons into the mix and beat it in.
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6
Lightly beat the eggs in a mug or jug.
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7
Gradually add the egg to the butter and sugar mixture, beating well after each addition.
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8
If the mixture looks like its curdling, add a spoonful of the flour.
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9
Sift the flour and almonds into the mixture, in batches, folding in each batch until just combined.
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10
Squeeze all the juice from the lemons.
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11
Gently stir 2 tablespoons of the juice into the cake mixture.
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12
Set the rest of the juice aside.
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13
Spoon the cake mixture into your tin, taking care to keep the syrup tin central as you spread the mixture around it.
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14
Bake for 2025 minutes or until the cake is risen and lightly golden brown, and a skewer inserted into it comes out clean.
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15
While the cake is baking, make the lemon syrup.
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16
Measure the reserved lemon juice and add water, if necessary, to make it up to 100ml.
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17
Pour into a saucepan.
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18
Add the caster sugar and set the saucepan over a medium-high heat.
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19
Warm for several minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved, then remove from the heat and allow to cool.
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20
Once the cake is baked, and while it is still warm, prick the surface all over with the cocktail stick.
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21
Brush over some of the lemon syrup using the paintbrush or a pastry brush, allowing the syrup to soak into the sponge.
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22
Set aside the remaining syrup to glaze the fruit later.
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23
Leave the cake to cool slightly before carefully lifting out the syrup tin.
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24
Set the cake, still in its round tin, on a wire rack to cool completely.
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25
Remove the cooled cake from the tin.
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26
Using a ruler as a guide, cut the cake across in half to make two rainbow shapes.
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27
Whip the cream with a hand-held electric whisk until it forms soft-to-medium peaks.
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28
Using a small palette knife, spread half the cream over each rainbow-shaped cake, creating a slightly textured finish.
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29
Place one cream-covered rainbow cake on top of the other.
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30
Cut the top and bottom off the kiwi fruit, then slice the skin away in strips.
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31
Use a small, sharp knife to peel the mango, then slice the flesh off the central stone in large pieces; youll only need about half of this, depending on the mangos size.
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32
Cut the kiwi, mango and strawberries into neat 12cm pieces.
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33
Arrange all the pieces of fruit on top of the cake in neat rows, to create the appearance of a rainbow.
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34
Brush the remaining lemon syrup over the fruit as a glaze.
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35
(Any leftover syrup can be kept in the fridge for up to a week and used to flavour other cakes.)
