Lemon drizzle cake
Lemon drizzle is a much-loved British loaf cake with a soft, fine crumb fragrant with lemon zest. While the cake is still hot, sweetened lemon juice is poured over the top so the syrup soaks into the crumb, and the sugar sets into a sparkling, crunchy sweet-tart crust.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 50 min
- Rising or chilling
- 1 hr
- Total time
- 2 hr 10 min
- Method
- Oven-baked
Ingredients
Cake
Lemon drizzle syrup
Preparing the pan
Instructions
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 170°C, grease a 23 cm loaf pan with butter (to taste), then line it with a long strip of parchment paper that covers the two long sides. The overhanging paper acts as handles so you can lift the cake out easily without breaking the sugar crust. The pan is ready when the parchment sits snugly against the sides and hangs over on both ends.
Step 2
Beat 175 g softened butter with 175 g superfine sugar and 8 g grated lemon zest on medium speed for about four minutes. The oils in the zest dissolve into the butter as you beat, spreading the lemon flavor throughout the crumb. The mixture is ready when it's light and fluffy, almost white and noticeably increased in volume.
Step 3
Beat 180 g eggs and add them to the butter in about four additions, beating well after each before adding more. Adding the eggs gradually keeps the butter from splitting and gives a fine crumb. The mixture is ready when it's silky and glossy with no curdled bits of butter.
Step 4
Sift 175 g self-rising flour with 2 g baking powder and a pinch of salt into the bowl, fold gently, then add 30 g whole milk to loosen the batter. Folding keeps the air you beat into the butter, so the cake rises light and fluffy. The batter is ready when it drops from the spatula in soft dollops with no dry streaks of flour.
Step 5
Pour the batter into the pan, smooth the top and bake at 170°C for about 45 to 50 minutes. A deep loaf pan needs moderate heat so the inside bakes through before the crust gets too dark. It's done when the top is golden brown with a crack down the middle and a skewer comes out clean.
Step 6
While the cake bakes, stir 100 g granulated sugar with 60 g lemon juice, but don't let the sugar dissolve completely. The undissolved sugar is exactly what creates the crunchy crust on top. The syrup is ready when it's as thick as wet sand and flows slowly when you tilt the bowl.
Step 7
As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, prick deep holes all over the top with a skewer, then spoon the lemon syrup evenly over it and let it soak in slowly. A hot cake absorbs the syrup quickly and evenly, while the sugar left on top crystallizes as it cools. This step is done when the top looks wet and glossy with no pools of syrup.
Step 8
Let the cake cool completely in the pan for about an hour, then lift it out by the parchment handles and slice. A warm, syrup-soaked cake is very soft and can snap in half if lifted out too soon. It's ready when the top has dried into a frosty white sugar crust that crackles lightly to the touch.
Equipment
- Oven
- Loaf pan
- Hand mixer
- Spatula
- Sieve
- Mixing bowl
- Kitchen scale
- Parchment paper
- Wire cooling rack
Tips
- Grate only the yellow outer peel of the lemon and avoid the white pith, which makes the cake bitter.
- You can replace half of the lemon juice with lime juice for a sharper tang and stronger fragrance.
- If you don't have self-rising flour, use all-purpose flour with a total amount of baking powder equal to about five percent of the flour's weight.
Storage
Thanks to the lemon syrup, this cake stays moist very well; wrapped tightly, it keeps at room temperature for three to four days. You can also slice it, wrap each slice and freeze for up to a month.
Common problems and how to fix them
- The top has no crunchy sugar crust and is just soggy.
- The sugar dissolved completely in the lemon juice. Mix the syrup right before pouring and stir only a few times so the sugar stays grainy.
- The cake sinks deeply in the middle after coming out of the oven.
- The oven was opened too early or the center wasn't cooked through. Wait at least thirty-five minutes before opening the oven door, and test with a skewer before taking the cake out.
This recipe is based on the common ratios for this bake and is written entirely in our own words.
