Lemon Drizzle Cake

Everyone needs a good recipe for the classic lemon drizzle cake, right? 

Of all the cakes available, I find myself craving this one the most. It's the perfect mix of buttery indulgence and zesty lightness, plus the crispy glaze keeps the middle from suffering from the sogginess of most other lemon drizzle attempts.

To make my (well, my granny's) version of this classic you will need:

You will need:

For the cake:
250g Butter
250g Caster Sugar
300g Plain Flour
5.5tsp   Baking Powder
4 eggs
80ml Milk
Rind of 2 medium unwaxed lemons

For the icing:
Juice of 2 lemons
125g Granulated sugar
50g Icing sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a traybake tin with parchment paper.

2. Add butter and caster sugar to a large mixing bowl and cream together. The sugar should dissolve in to the butter leaving a smooth texture.

3. Add the remainder of the dry ingredients to a bowl and mix together thoroughly with a fork to ensure the baking powder is evenly distributed. If you have self-raising flour on hand, feel free to use it instead but use only 2.5tsp baking powder.

4. Mix the creamed butter and sugar mixture whilst adding the eggs one at a time followed by the milk. Once fully incorporated, continue to mix for another 1-2 minutes.

5. Fold in dry ingredients and whisk lightly until they are fully incorporated into the batter then mix in the lemon rind. Try not to overwork at this stage, as developing gluten within the flour could make the cake stodgy. Simply mix until ingredients are incorporated.

6. Place in oven for 35 minutes or until the stake comes out clean.

7. Once fully baked, remove from oven and allow to cool for ten minutes. Then tip out onto a wire rack and remove parchment paper to cool.

8. Whip up the glaze while the cake is cooling - mix the icing and granulated sugar together with a fork and gradually add the lemon juice. Be sure not to add it all at once, because the amount varies.  You want the icing to be thin enough to soak into the cake, but thick enough to create a glaze. It should be just before the point of holding a line on the back of a wooden spoon.

9. Pour the glaze over the cake while it is warm, but not hot! This will allow it to sink into the cake without making the middle too soggy.

10.  The hard part  - allow it to cool fully! This means the structure of the cake is a lot sturdier once the glaze has had time to set. Once fully cooled, cut into squares and enjoy!

This one is perfect for an  everday treat with a cup of tea, or even as a choice in an afternoon tea break with friends. It definitely doesn't last long in our house anyway!

If you have some sweet cake recipes, or you make this one - get in contact, we'd love to see!