Lemon Drizzle Cake

How to make Lemon Drizzle Cake

Ingredients:

1 cup 225g unsalted butter, softened

1 cup 225g caster sugar

4 large eggs

2 cups 225g self-raising flour

Zest of 2 lemons

1 tsp lemon extract/oil

Juice of 2 lemons

2/3 cup 150g icing sugar

1/3 cup 75g caster sugar

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 180 C /160 C fan and grease and line a 2 lb loaf tin with greaseproof paper and butter.

Beat together the butter and caster sugar in a stand mixer until pale and creamy, about 5 minutes.

Add the eggs, one at a time, slowly mixing through. If the mixture looks like it’s about to split, add a tablespoon of flour to bring it back together.

Sift in the self-raising flour and add the finely grated lemon zest and the lemon extract/oil, then fold in until well combined. If the mixture is too thick, add 1 tablespoon of milk to loosen slightly.

Spoon the mixture into your prepared tin and level the top with a spoon or offset spatula.

Bake for 30 mins, uncovered, then cover with foil and bake for a further 30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Whilst the cake is cooking, mix together the lemon juice, icing and caster sugars to make the drizzle and set aside until needed.

Once out of the oven, prick the warm cake all over with a thin skewer, then immediately pour over the drizzle – the juice will sink in and the sugar will form a lovely, crisp topping.

Leave in the tin until completely cool, then remove and serve with a little lemon zest grated over the top if you wish.

Notes:

This recipe can also be made as cupcakes or a round cake – adjust the cooking time accordingly.

If you don’t have lemon extract/oil, you can use a little extra lemon zest instead.

Make sure to prick the cake all over with a thin skewer before pouring over the drizzle – this will help the juice to sink in and the sugar to form a lovely, crisp topping.

If you prefer a less sweet cake, you can reduce the amount of icing sugar in the drizzle.