Lemon Sponge Traybake

  • 10MINS
  • 25MINS
  • Serves 16
  • 77KCAL

It’s time to get the kettle on! Who fancies a light, zesty sponge with a tangy lemon curd topping? There’s no way you can say no to a slice (or two!) of this slimming-friendly traybake…

  • Bakes and Roasts pinchofnom.com
  • Everyday Light pinchofnom.com
  • Freezable pinchofnom.com
Easy Peasy Lemon Sponge Traybake pinchofnom.com

NutritionPer Serving

  • Calories77
  • Carbs13g
  • Protein1.5g
  • Fat3.3g
  • Saturates0.8g
  • Sugars5.2g

Lemon Sponge Traybake - Pinch of Nom Slimming Recipes

For the full list of ingredients and comprehensive instructions, please see the recipe card below. Before you scroll, there’s important stuff in the blurb!

You can’t beat light, lemony flavours with an afternoon brew! There’s nothing overly fancy about this simple Lemon Sponge Traybake recipe because the tangy ingredients speak for themselves. We’ve topped our light, sweet sponge with tart lemon curd so that every bite packs a satisfying punch.

By using half sugar, half granulated sweetener with the same weight and texture as sugar, we’ve kept our sponge sweet, simple and lighter than light – only 77 calories per lemony sponge square!

This Lemon Sponge Traybake works really well as part of an afternoon tea spread alongside a selection of slimming-friendly sweet treats (Biscoff Blondies on the side, anyone?). Or you can enjoy it as a homely, warming dessert by adding a dollop of creamy Custard. We can’t say no to pudding with this on the menu!

What diets is this Lemon Sponge Traybake suitable for?

This Lemon Sponge Traybake recipe is suitable for vegetarian and dairy-free diets.

It can be made gluten free as long as you swap out the following ingredients for gluten-free versions; 

  • Self-raising flour
  • Baking powder

Please make sure to double or triple check all of your ingredients if you’re cooking for people with allergies.

Do you need any special ingredients to make Lemon Sponge Traybake?

Make sure to use white granulated sweetener that has the same texture and weight as sugar.

You’ll need to use gluten-free flour and baking powder if you’re preparing this recipe for gluten-free diets.

Hints & Tips

Below we added some of our communities most common hints and tips. We hope you find them useful.

NEW TIP
Make use of the lemon juice
When the cake was cooked I poked some holes in the sponge with a skewer and added the juice from the lemon for extra flavour!
Super soft when eaten almost immediately out of oven!
I used an 18cm square silicon “tin”. The sponge is not that deep, but cooked perfectly in 20 minutes. I warmed the lemon curd and added a bit more lemon juice as I like it quite sharp, before spreading it on the cake

We love hearing from you, submit any tips or tricks you have for this dish and we’ll review them and add some of them here. Just click here.

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‘This was really easy and quick to make. Lovely, sweet and citrusy. Lovely with a nice cuppa’

Janet Beauchamp

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An electric whisk like this one would be useful, but not essential!

Make sure to use a white granulated sweetener with the same texture and weight as sugar, like Sukrin.

How many calories are in this Lemon Sponge Traybake?

There are 77 calories per portion in this Lemon Sponge Traybake, which means it falls into our Everyday Light category. 

To cut down the amount of calories even more, you can simply halve the portion size and serve with a healthy accompaniment!

This Lemon Sponge Traybake is perfect if you’re following a calorie controlled diet, and fits well with any one of the major diet plans such as Weight Watchers. 

As a guide, an average man needs around 2,500kcal (10,500kJ) a day to maintain a healthy body weight. For an average woman, that figure is around 2,000kcal (8,400kJ) a day. Obviously, if your goal is to lose weight then you might want to adjust these slightly! You can read more about these recommendations on the NHS website.

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 160°C and grease the ovenproof dish well with a little extra reduced fat spread.

Step 2

Put the flour, reduced fat spread, granulated sweetener, caster sugar, baking powder, eggs and lemon zest in a medium mixing bowl and beat together for 1-2 minutes with an electric whisk (you can use a wooden spoon, but it will take more effort!).

Step 2 pinchofnom.com

Step 3

Use a rubber spatula to scrape the mixture from the mixing bowl, into the greased ovenproof dish and level the surface with a knife. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until risen and golden all over. To test if it’s ready, insert a small sharp knife into the centre of the sponge: when the sponge is cooked the knife will come out clean. Leave the sponge in the dish to cool.

Step 3 pinchofnom.com Step 3 pinchofnom.com

For the top:

Step 4

Spread the lemon curd evenly over the top of the sponge and cut into 16 squares. Place a small lemon segment on top of each square. Serve alone or with a dollop of custard.

Step 4 pinchofnom.com Step 4 pinchofnom.com

Lemon Sponge Traybake - Pinch of Nom Slimming Recipes

What could I serve with this Lemon Sponge Traybake?

This Lemon Sponge Traybake can be a warming dessert with a glug of custard, or served up as part of a slimming-friendly afternoon tea spread…

How do you know when Lemon Sponge Traybake is cooked?

You should cook this Lemon Sponge Traybake until it’s risen and golden all over. This will take around 20-25 minutes.

To test if it’s ready, insert a small, sharp knife into the centre of the sponge. When the sponge is cooked, the knife will come out clean. 

Standard advice here in the UK is to cook food until it has reached 70°C and stayed at that temperature for 2 minutes. This is to keep your family safe.

How long can you keep Lemon Sponge Traybake in the fridge?

Once you’ve served this recipe, you’ll ideally need to eat it within 4 hours. 

You can store any leftovers of this Lemon Sponge Traybake in the fridge for around 3 days. Make sure that you store them in a container with a lid in the refrigerator.

Can I freeze Lemon Sponge Traybake?

These can be frozen. Place your Lemon Sponge Traybake in a single layer in a suitable freezer proof container and label with contents and date. 

Defrost at room temperature and eat cold or reheat.

How do I reheat Lemon Sponge Traybake?

From chilled: Cover loosely with foil and reheat in a warm oven for about 10 minutes. Alternatively, reheat in the microwave. Cover loosely with a suitable covering and microwave on low for 1-2 minutes. Make sure the covering isn’t touching the lemon curd topping when reheating. Timings are a guide only and will depend on the quantity being reheated and the power of your microwave.
From frozen: Allow to defrost, and reheat in a warm oven until heated through.

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Lemon Sponge Traybake

This light, zesty traybake is the perfect sweet nibble to accompany your afternoon brew. If you love tangy flavours, you're in for a treat!
  • Prep Time
    10 MINS
  • Cook Time
    25 MINS
  • KCals 77
  • Carbs 13G

Ingredients

  • 100 g self-raising flour
  • 100 g reduced fat spread
  • 50 g white granulated sweetener
  • 50 g caster sugar
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • 2 medium eggs
  • 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
  • a little extra reduced fat spread

For the top:

  • 4 tbsp lemon curd
  • 2 lemon slices cut into 16 small segments

20 x 22cm ovenproof dish

Medium mixing bowl

electric whisk

We use a fan assisted oven for all of our recipes. Check out our oven temperature conversion guide.

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Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 160°C and grease the ovenproof dish well with a little extra reduced fat spread.
  2. Put the flour, reduced fat spread, granulated sweetener, caster sugar, baking powder, eggs and lemon zest in a medium mixing bowl and beat together for 1-2 minutes with an electric whisk (you can use a wooden spoon, but it will take more effort!).
  3. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the mixture from the mixing bowl, into the greased ovenproof dish and level the surface with a knife. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until risen and golden all over. To test if it's ready, insert a small sharp knife into the centre of the sponge: when the sponge is cooked the knife will come out clean. Leave the sponge in the dish to cool.
For the top:
  1. Spread the lemon curd evenly over the top of the sponge and cut into 16 squares. Place a small lemon segment on top of each square. Serve alone or with a dollop of custard.

Looking for Slimming World Syns or Weight Watchers (WW) Points?

With ever-changing plans and point calculations, we have made the decision to remove WW Points from the website - referring to your individual plan or advice from your consultant is always going to give the most accurate results.



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Recipe notes

Tip: Make sure to use white granulated sweetener that has the same texture and weight as sugar.

We love seeing your photos of Lemon Sponge Traybake, don’t forget to tag us in your creations!

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