This lovely lemon cake only gets better with a fresh lemon curd filling, rich mascarpone frosting and sweet strawberry sauce to top it off.

Preparation

Lemon Olive Oil Cake:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 9-inch springform pan with the extra virgin olive oil, then line bottom with a round of parchment paper. In an electric mixer, beat together egg yolks and ½ cup sugar until pale and thick, about 5 minutes on high. Reduce speed to medium and add olive oil and lemon juice, beating until combined. On low, add flour and mix until just combined—do not overmix.

Using a clean mixing bowl and whisk, beat 4 egg whites with ½ teaspoon salt on medium until foamy, then add ¼ cup sugar a little at a time, beating continuously on high until stiff, shiny peaks form. Gently fold ⅓ of the whites into the yolk mixture to lighten, then fold in the remaining whites gently but thoroughly incorporating. Transfer batter to pan and gently tap against work surface to release air bubbles.

Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30-40 minutes. Cool for about 10 minutes then run a thin knife around edge of pan and remove cake from pan.

Cool cake on cooling rack to room temperature, about 1¼ hours. Remove bottom of pan and parchment and place cake on serving plate.

Lemon Curd:

Prepare a double boiler with 2 inches of water in the bottom pan, and bring to a gentle simmer. Add egg yolks, sugar, lemon zest and juice to a bowl and set atop the double boiler. Whisk ingredients until curd thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Remove bowl from simmering water and add butter, stirring until melted and smooth. Strain curd into bowl, cover with plastic pressed down to the surface to prevent a skin from forming and refrigerate until ready to use.

Strawberry Sauce:

Add strawberries, lemon juice, vanilla and honey to a sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Cook for a few minutes, until strawberries are just softened, then use an immersion blender or food processor to puree until smooth. Adjust sweetness to taste with honey. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Mascarpone Frosting:

Add egg yolks and granulated sugar to a mixing bowl and whisk until fluffy and pale in color. Add lemon zest and mascarpone cheese spoonfuls at a time until incorporated. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the whipped cream. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Assembling the Cake:

Once sauce, curd and frosting are very cold and cake has cooled, remove springform pan bottom and parchment from cake sponge. Very carefully, slice the thin layer of crust off the top of the cake to expose the inside crumb. Slice cake in half, placing the bottom part on a plate or cake stand. Pour ⅓ of the strawberry sauce over top and let it soak in.

Using a pastry bag filled with the mascarpone frosting, carefully pipe a ring around the outside edge that is 1/2 inch in diameter. Next, fill center with approximately 1/2-3/4 cup lemon curd and sliced strawberries—be careful not to add too much curd or it will overflow when the top layer is added. Carefully place second sponge cake directly on top of the first and pour ⅓ of syrup over the top, letting it soak in.

Carefully pipe remaining mascarpone frosting over the top of the cake, smoothing it out with a spatula. Spread remaining ⅓ of strawberry sauce over the top of the mascarpone frosting. Finish with sliced strawberries shingled around the top. Chill for 1½-2 hours before serving.