Meyer lemon cake

“I first had Meyer lemons when I was working at Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California. They grow in people’s back gardens there, just like apple trees do in the UK, and are so plentiful you can barely give them away when they are in season, and there are always windfalls all over the street. Meyer lemons have a flavour that is best described as half mandarin, half lemon; just the right amount of sweetness and slightly tart. With lots of juice and little pith, they are the perfect citrus fruit. The skin is very thin, so the zest is easy to use, but this also means that the fruit don’t travel well. If you can’t get hold of them, simply combine both the juice and zest of a mandarin and an unwaxed lemon, which will give you something as close as possible to the flavour. ”