Lemon Drizzle Cake

Making Mother’s Day truly special!

Quality baking is a wonderful expression of love and appreciation, making this sweet treat perfect to enjoy as you and your mum share laughter and memories together.

Tip: I bake this cake in a loaf tin, which keeps it beautifully light and moist. You can easily buy loaf tin liners that then hold all the ‘drizzle’ in with the cake – you don’t want to lose a bit of this sweet crunchy finishing touch!

At A Glance:

• Perfect for Beginners!
• Preparation: 15 minutes
• Baking time: 30-40 minutes
• (Suitable for vegetarians)

You’ll Need:

• 1x loaf tin – 20cm x 9cm x 6cm (2lb loaf tin)
• 1x loaf tin liner OR simply line your tin well with greaseproof paper

Ingredients:

• 150g golden caster sugar (ordinary caster sugar will also work fine)
• 100g margarine (Flora Ordinary is ideal – NOT Flora Light)
• 150g self raising flour
• 1 lemon rind
• 2 medium eggs
• 1 level teaspoon of baking powder
• 4 tablespoons of milk

Drizzle Topping:

• Juice of 1 Lemon
• 100g Granulated Sugar

Method:

Mix all the above ingredients together for 3 – 4 minutes with an electric mixer, scraping down once half way through. I’ve made a note below on mixers – take care not to over-mix!

Then, place it in your lined loaf tin and bake at 180ºC/350ºF (Gas Mark 4) for 30 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature a little to finish off. You might find it needs another 10 minutes or so, depending on your oven. I always find it’s a good idea to skewer the centre and check that the skewer comes out clean. If it comes out with wet mixture on, then leave in a little longer. If you take the cake out too soon it will sink slightly in the middle.

Mix together the two drizzle ingredients and gently flow over the cake while it is still slightly warm to touch. You can skewer the top of the loaf 4 or 5 times to let the drizzle flow into the cake, allowing it to go down the sides in-between the cake and the liner. This way, it will soak in nicely while still leaving a crunchy topping.

Allow to cool thoroughly before removing from the tin.

A lemon drizzle cake freezes beautifully, especially wrapped in cling film and in a bag to protect it well. Personally, I always make two and pop one in the freezer.

Enjoy! 🙂

Note on mixers:

The mixing times in this recipe are based on using a countertop stand mixer such as a KitchenAid or Kenwood. If you are using a hand held mixer then increase the mixing time to 6 – 7 minutes. It’s also possible to mix by hand until it’s light and fluffy.