The Best Lemon Drizzle Cake – An Easy & Simple Recipe

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How To Make The Best Lemon Drizzle Cake.. Like Ever!! A Simple, Quick & Easy Recipe

Say hello to this easy and simple lemon drizzle cake, that’s delicious, moist and so lemony. It’s the best lemon drizzle cake ever and the perfect quick afternoon snack and dessert.

When it comes to cake, lemon drizzle cake is such a classic, I mean who doesn’t love it? It’s so easy, moist, tasty and zesty; there’s no surprise why this cake is gone in minutes! For me, what makes a lemon drizzle cake a lemon drizzle cake has got to be the signature icing glaze. It adds a sweet lemon zesty tang and the perfect crystallised crunch to this lemon drizzle cake recipe.

With equal quantities of sugar, egg and butter when I say this recipe is easy, I definitely mean it. I have to admit, I am not a lover of super super overpowering lemony lemon drizzles cakes (but if that’s you, I’ve still got you covered!). I’ve experimented with so many versions to finally come up with this lemon drizzle cake recipe that I think is perfect and the best ever! If you do love a super lemony cake, simply add 2 tbsp of lemon juice in the cake batter.

If you’re wondering what is a lemon drizzle cake, it’s a sponge cake that has a lemon syrup drizzled over the cake when out from the oven, still nice and warm. This helps to keep the lemon drizzle cake nice, moist and utterly delicious. Decorating a lemon drizzle cake is quite easy, the sugar and lemon juice mix is drizzled over the cake, hardening to make a lovely glaze. I like to chuck a few lemon slices on top for extra decorating.

Lemon Drizzle Cake Ingredients

Just like a basic cake mixture you’ll need eggs, butter, sugar and self-raising flour but with the addition of lots of lemon. I love to add vanilla extract in this lemon drizzle cake recipe, you could also use vanilla essence. To make this easy lemon drizzle loaf cake you’ll need the ingredients below:

For the lemon drizzle cake:

• Self-Raising Flour
• Caster Sugar
• Soft Butter (Margarine)
• Eggs
• Lemon Zest
• Vanilla

For the lemon drizzle cake icing glaze:

• Juiced Lemon
• Caster Sugar

If you want to make a lemon drizzle loaf cake, then you need to make sure you’re getting the right loaf tin! I’m sure you have noticed that loaf tins vary a lot, all having slightly different shapes and sizes. Varying in the amount of liquid they can hold. Just to make your life easier, I used a 1lb loaf tin.

I like to use fresh lemons when making this cake. I use the zest in the cake mix and then use the juice for the icing. So all the lemons are used up, but you can use lemon extract.

How To Make The Best Lemon Drizzle Cake

Ready to get baking? Find below a step-by-step recipe of how I make the best lemon drizzle cake recipe:

Step One:

Preheat your oven to 180°c (gas mark 4, 350°F) and line your loaf tin with greaseproof paper. Cream your butter and sugar together until combined. I did not use an electric whisk to make this recipe, I used a good old-fashioned wooden spoon. It doesn’t take as quick to combine as an electric whisk but it still does the job.

Step Two:

Add the eggs and mix until combined. At first it my look like the eggs are not combining but keep mixing, it will!

Step Three:

Sift the self-raising flour into the mixing bowl and fold until you’re left with a smooth mixture.

Step Four:

Grate a lemon into the lemon drizzle cake batter and mix. If you’re going for an extra lemony taste add a 2 tbsp of lemon juice to the cake batter and mix.

Step Five:

Spoon the lemon drizzle cake into a loaf tin lined with parchment paper and bake in the oven. I made my lemon drizzle cake in a 1b loaf tin. It might not look like your cake is filling the loaf tin to the top, but don’t worry it will rise to the top when in the oven after 40-55 minutes or until baked.

How do I know when my cake is ready?

When baking cakes in a loaf tin, the time it takes to cook can vary because there is a lot of cake mix in a smaller sized tin (when comparing to a round tin). That’s why this cake can bake from 40-55 minutes (depending on your tin size), though it can sometimes take longer. Usually at 45 minutes when I open the oven door to take a sneak peak, if I touch the cake tin and it’s wobbly, then I know it’s definitely not done yet.

Make sure you don’t check every 5 minutes or open the oven door to wide, because you’ll lose a lot of heat. This could make your cake sink in the middle. You can check to see if your cake is fully cooked by inserting a skewer into the cake, if it comes out clean then it’s cooked ready for the next step.

Step Five:

Whilst your cake is still warm, make holes across the entire surface of the cake. Mix together the lemon juice and sugar to make the lemon drizzle cake icing. Pour the drizzle glaze on top, letting it sink through the holes and leave to cool for 10-15 minutes.

And you just made the best lemon drizzle cake recipe ever! It’s quite an easy and simple recipe right? Let me know in the comments below and if you’ve made this recipe tag me on Instagram @MyMorningMocha, I would love to see them!

Lemon Drizzle Cake Recipe Variations

Can I Make This Lemon Drizzle Cake With Plain Flour?

Yes you can! The reason why self-raising flour is mostly used is because it contains baking powder which helps the cake to raise. If you don’t have self-raising flour or want to use plain flour, then you can make your own.

Mix 2 tsp of baking powder for each 150g of plain flour you use. Make sure the baking powder and plain flour are mixed together thoroughly.

Can I calculate it for this recipe? No sorry, maths is not my forte!

Can I Make This Lemon Drizzle Cake Without Butter?

Yes, I love to use a brand called Stork when making cake. Margarines are made with vegetable oil that’s been hydrogenated to solidify the oil. You can use the same quantities to make this recipe.

Can I Make This Lemon Drizzle Cake Recipe Vegan?

To make this lemon drizzle recipe vegan you’ll have to replace the eggs and butter. You can use margarine instead of butter, most are made with a combination of water and vegetables oils so are suitable for vegans. Instead of eggs you can use egg substitutes. Here is a vegan version lemon drizzle cake recipe that you can try out.

Can I Make This Lemon Drizzle Cake Recipe Gluten-Free?

To make this recipe gluten-free you’ll have to replace the self-raising flour with gluten-free self-raising flour. If you’re using plain flour and baking powder instead of self-raising flour, make sure to check if the baking powder is gluten-free too. Different manufactures use different starches to make baking powder.

FAQs About This Lemon Drizzle Cake Recipe

Can I Freeze Lemon Drizzle Cake?

Yes, you can freeze lemon drizzle cake! It can be frozen and it does actually freeze well!

Put your cake in an air-tight container or tightly wrap it in cling-film. A great tip is to cut the cake into slices before freezing, you’ll then be able to take portion sized amounts to eat when ready.

Where Does Lemon Drizzle Cake Come From?

Lemon drizzle cake is one of Britain’s favourite cakes to eat. Though the exact origin of the lemon drizzle cake is unknown, it is thought to have originated from the ‘pound cake’ baked in Britain. Which is a cake made with pound of flour, butter, sugar and eggs. Of course, the lemon drizzle cake that we all love today is filled with lots and lots of lemon.

Why Does My Lemon Drizzle Cake Sink?

There are so many different factors that can contribute to your cake sinking, below are 3 common reasons:

• Opening the oven door too wide and on too many occasions, this can cause the cake to sink in the middle. If you want to check if your cake is cooked try and wait till it passes the 40 minute mark then have a quick look. If it wobbles as soon as you touch it, don’t even take it out it’s definitely not cooked! The cake is cooked when you poke a skewer in it and it comes out clean.

• Your oven temperature is way to high! When you place cake batter in an oven that is too high, your cake will rise rapidly but then can sink. If you forget to preheat your oven, don’t be tempted to set the oven at a super high temperature for 1 minute then turn it down, putting your cake inside.

• Under baking the cake, this happens when you take the cake out of the oven too early. As the cake is not fully cooked it will start to sink when cooling.

Do I need special equipment to make this lemon drizzle cake?

NOPE! I did not use a fancy food processor or any special equipment to make this cake. I used a good old-fashioned wooden spoon and mixing bowl! If you really want to, you can use a food processor or a standard mixer but it really isn’t necessary.

Can I bake this lemon drizzle cake in a Round Baking Tin?

Yes, even though lemon drizzle cake is usually baked in a loaf tin, you can also make it round too! However, as the surface area has increased (in comparison to baking in a loaf tin) the cake may take a lot quicker to cook. Make sure to keep an eye out, average cooking time will be around 25-30 minutes (depending on your oven).

How can I tell when my lemon drizzle cake is ready?

Checking to see if your lemon drizzle cake is ready is quite simple. Get yourself a skewer and poke the skewer into the thickest part of the cake, usually the middle. If you take the skewer out and see cake mix, it is not ready and needs to bake further in the oven. But if the skewer comes out clean then your cake is ready for pouring the drizzle over it.

Wondering What To Bake Next?

Try these delicious Nutella puff pastry twists or easy American pancakes!

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