I bake lemon drizzle a lot. Maybe once a week, sometimes more. I don’t refer to a recipe, it’s just one of those things I know how to do, like riding a bike or tying shoe laces. I’m pretty good at it too, even if I do say so myself.
I don’t think it ever occurred to me that this might be a bake worth sharing with you. I mean, lemon drizzle is lemon drizzle, and I’m sure google would throw up plenty of results if you typed in the relevant search term. This is how I do it though. Usually on a Sunday, sometimes in my pyjamas and almost always with the children playing at my feet, waiting impatiently for the obligatory bowl to lick.
I’m unsure of this recipe’s provenance, but if I had to hazard a guess, I’d say it’s a little bit Tana Ramsay with a sprinkling of Joy the Baker and a whole lot of making it up as I go along. Enjoy…
You will need:-
- 225g unsalted butter
- 225g caster sugar {I like to use golden}
- Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
- 4 eggs
- 225g self-raising flour
For the drizzle:-
- Juice of 1/2 a lemon
- 85g caster sugar
1. Preheat the oven to 180c/Gas 4 and prepare a 2lb loaf tin. I use these non-stick liners from Lakeland as they do away with the need to grease your tin beforehand.
2. Gently rub the lemon zest into the caster sugar. This releases the essential oils and gives the cake an entirely different level of flavour, distributed throughout via the butter.
3. Cream the butter and zesty sugar until pale and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, slowly mixing through. Don’t panic if the batter begins to look slightly curdled.
4. Sift in the flour and mix until well combined.
5. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cake’s centre comes out clean.
6. While the cake is cooling in its tin, combine the lemon juice with the caster sugar. Prick the warm cake all over and pour over the drizzle. The juice will sink into the sponge and the sugar will form a satisfyingly crisp topping.
7. If you have more patience than me, leave the cake to cool completely in its tin. If not, carefully remove it and devour a piece while still warm. If you’re feeling particularly decadent, try spreading a slice with clotted cream. Heavenly.
Love Audrey xxx
I will be trying this along with you lemon curd recipe.
I do love a lemon drizzle cake. I am quite fond of it warmed for a few seconds in the microwave with a scoop of lemon ice-cream on the side. You can never have too much lemon!!
Franky-being on maternity leave, and having some time of my hands, I decided to bake this today. I’d seen it on your Instagram feed a couple weeks back and have had it at the back of my mind since. Well, talk about simple pleasures! So easy to make and so deliciously satisfying (although only a small taster for me as I’ve Gestational Diabetes, boo). I made one for my fellow pregnant friend, who is expecting triplets and is on bed rest. She has an influx of visitors so I thought this would be a perfect thing to take round. Needless to say, the few who were there whilst I was devoured a slice, much to my delight. I love cooking, but never really bake. With the other, I’m going to freeze most of it so that I can indulge hopefully next week, and offer to any visitors who call by to meet our little newborn!!! Plus, I already know the recipe without looking at it again- making it a new staple! Thanks for sharing xxx