lemon drizzle cake
Yes, sorry folks! Here’s another “naughty” cake for the delight of your taste buds. Not only that: another lemon based one, to continue with Candida’s theme. I confess I have been too busy at work to experiment in the savoury department but today a friend of mine came to visit to pick up her birthday present so I decided to make an effort and treat her to a slice of home made cake and a cup of tea. Well….you can’t beat that, can you, as a welcome gift. Lemon drizzle cake is very popular here in England and one of my favourites. I love anything lemony, in truth. This one has a lovely, crisp topping which you make by mixing lemon juice with sugar and then pour on top of the warm cake. Delicious! I found it on the BBC Good food website, which is a mine of good recipes. One of the readers said she substituted half of the butter for yoghurt to cut down on the amount of fat. Worth experimenting, I’d say.
INGREDIENTS
- 225g unsalted butter, softened
- 225g caster sugar
- 4 eggs
- finely grated zest 1 lemon
- 225g self-raising flour
For the drizzle topping
- juice 1½ lemons
- 85g caster sugar
METHOD
- Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Beat together 225g softened unsalted butter and 225g caster sugar until pale and creamy, then add 4 eggs, one at a time, slowly mixing through. Sift in 225g flour, then add the finely grated zest of 1 lemon and mix until well combined. Line a loaf tin (8 x 21cm) with greaseproof paper, then spoon in the mixture and level the top with a spoon.
- Bake for 45-50 mins until a thin skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. While the cake is cooling in its tin, mix together the juice of 1 1/2 lemons and 85g caster sugar to make the drizzle. Prick the warm cake all over with a skewer or fork, then 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. Will keep in an airtight container for 3-4 days, or freeze for up to 1 month.
- P.S. I sprinkled some icing sugar on the top to make it look prettier but you don’t have to.
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