Lemon Drizzle Cake
This lemon drizzle cake is irresistible for anyone who loves zingy fresh lemon flavours. What makes this simple cake so deliciously tangy and moist, is that once the hot loaf is removed from the oven it is studded with tiny holes, and hot lemon syrup is poured over the top.
Classically this would have been a pound cake recipe, What is a pound cake you ask? – quite simply: where flour, butter, eggs, and sugar are used in equal amounts, traditionally a pound in weight. The batter is typically baked in a loaf pan or a Bundt mould. This type of cake will nice is very heavy and dense, so over time, the ingredients have been modified. Leavening agents such as baking powder or bicarbonate of soda are added to create air and alternative fats such as oil, sour cream, or yogurt have been incorporated to give moisture.
I love making loaf cake recipes, they are one of the easiest and satisfying types of cake to create, take a look at my collection of loaf cake recipes for inspiration, they are some of my households favourites. Super easy one-bowl recipes, sure to become instant family favorites, perfect for any occasion.
What is the one-bowl method?
Saving time and simplifying the process, the one-bowl method requires you to mix all the ingredients in one bowl before pouring them into a loaf pan and baking in the oven.
If you decide to give this recipe a try, let me know! Leave a comment below and rate it – it’s really helpful to me and other readers to know what you think! And don’t forget to take a picture and tag me @thegourmetlarder or hashtag it #thegourmetlarder on Instagram or Facebook. I love seeing what you’ve been baking! 🙂
RECIPE HIGHLIGHTS
- EASE: one bowl recipe making it quick and easy with impressive results.
- TASTE & TEXTURE: buttery, moist sponge flavoured with zingy fresh lemon and a citrus glaze.
- SERVING: I love it with a cup of tea and fresh raspberries for a burst of colour and flavour.
- QUANTITY: 12 slices.
- TIME: 1 hour 5 minutes (includes 50-60 minutes baking).
© THE GOURMET LARDER. All images and content are copyright protected. If you want to share this recipe, please do so using the share buttons provided. Please do not republish the recipe or its content in full instead, include a link to this post for the recipe. Further information can be found in my FAQ’s.
INGREDIENTS
What you’ll need to make this lemon drizzle cake recipe:
- Butter – make sure you bring the butter to room temperature so it will cream easily. Room temperature means it’s soft enough, so when you press into it, your finger leaves a dent, but not too soft that it’s greasy or oily. Also, I always like to add salt to my bakes, so be careful if you decide to use salted butter.
- Caster or granulated white sugar – adds sweetness to the tart lemon flavour and structure of the cake.
- Lemon juice and zest – are the stars of our bake, so try to get organic unwaxed lemons from your local market. The zest flavours the cake, cutting through the sweetness and the fresh zingy juice is drizzled over the freshly baked sponge.
- Medium eggs – build structure and richness to a recipe. Make sure they are at room temperature before use.
- Milk – helps to create a soft crumb by adding more moisture. Make sure it’s at room temperature before use.
- Plain (all-purpose) flour – builds structure.
- Baking powder – is a chemical leavening that increases the volume of the ingredients, creating a nice light texture. Please make sure that both are up to date and not expired.
- Salt – I highly recommend adding a good pinch of salt to your cakes. It might seem a bit weird, but it actually has the incredible ability to enhance sweetness, suppress bitterness, and elevate the flavour of all the ingredients, making your cake taste even better. It’s pretty crazy, the sodium in the salt sends signals to move glucose into your tongue’s sweet taste receptors, making the sweetness really pop. So, don’t be afraid to sprinkle a little salt – it’ll take your cakes to the next level!
WHAT VARIATIONS CAN I MAKE?
Here are a few simple adaptations of this lemon drizzle cake.
- Citrus alternatives: Swap the lemons for fresh limes or grapefruit or try my orange and poppy seed loaf cake version.
- Poppy seeds: Try adding 2 tablespoons with the flour.
- Blueberries: You can fold in 100g of fresh blueberries into the batter. I try to avoid frozen blueberries as they tend to turn the batter greyish, but feel free to use them if that’s all you have.
- Alcohol: Gin or Limoncello makes the lemon syrup glaze extra special, add a shot to the glaze before pouring over the freshly baked cake.
- Lemon curd: This turns this cake into a lemon lover’s dream. You can use store-bought or make your own using my go-to homemade lemon curd recipe. I usually follow the recipe and pour half the cake batter into the tin, level it out, and using a tablespoon dollop the lemon curd down the middle of the cake batter. Top with the remaining batter and continue the recipe.
Decorating
Loaf cakes are so easy when it comes to decorating. Firstly, choose from a simple glaze, icing or buttercream. I always find it depends on my mood, if I need to store or travel with it.
Lemon syrup glaze
- 100g icing sugar
- Juice of 1-2 lemons
This is the option I choose for this recipe. Gradually mix enough lemon juice with the icing sugar until it dissolves to form a thin paste. Depending on the quality of your lemons this could be one or both of the lemons. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, use a toothpick or skewer to prick holes all over the top of the cake and drizzle over the lemon syrup. Leave to set before slicing and serving.
Lemon icing
- 120g icing sugar
- 11/2 tbsp of Juice (approximately 22ml)
- 1 tablespoon of double cream (heavy cream 30%)
Mix the lemon juice and cream with the icing sugar until you get a thick icing but still pourable. Pour the icing on the cooled cake and spread it evenly using a spatula. Leave to set before slicing and serving.
Buttercreams & Frostings
Both buttercream and frosting are great alternatives for decorating this delicious lemon loaf cake. Just add some lemon zest or extract to the recipe. Fill a pipping bag and use your favourite piping tip to swirl the buttercream in a rope like format across the cake in lines. You can of course pipe it in a different way.
Here are a few other options to consider, simply click on the name for the recipe.
- Classic vanilla buttercream – the classic and easiest of all butter based frostings. Which can be coloured and flavoured.
- Cream cheese frosting – one of my favourites and super easy to make. It can be made into a chocolate version or flavoured and coloured as you wish. It needs to be kept refrigerated when stored and does not hold its shape as well as other frostings.
If you experiment, please leave a comment at the bottom of the post – it’s really helpful to me and other readers to know how you got on. I regularly update these posts and the feedback I receive helps to make the recipes even more useful and interesting.
NUTRITION
Serving: one lemon drizzle cake slice
Nutrition information can vary for a recipe based on factors such as precision of measurements, brands, ingredient freshness, or the source of nutrition data.
I strive to keep the information as accurate as possible but make no warranties regarding its accuracy.
I encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 365 kcal (18%) |
| Total Fat | 18.6 g (27%) |
| Carbs | 46.4 g (18%) |
| Sugars | 29.8 g (33%) |
| Protein | 4.2 g (8%) |
STORAGE AND FREEZING
This cake will keep well in an airtight container for 2-3 days in a cool place. Avoid placing it in the fridge, unless you’ve topped it with a frosting.
Freezing: As the cold temperature makes the glaze in the sponge go hard, it is better to make this cake fresh on the day. Alternatively, you can freeze it and the cake will have a much firmer texture than normal. A second option is to make the cake without the glaze. Unglazed cakes keep well wrapped in greaseproof paper and a layer of clingfilm or placed in a ziplock bag. Defrost at room temperature and then use a warm glaze to finish the cake.
© THE GOURMET LARDER. All images and content are copyright protected. If you want to share this recipe, please do so using the share buttons provided. Please do not republish the recipe or its content in full instead, include a link to this post for the recipe. Further information can be found in my FAQ’s.
TOOLS YOU’LL NEED
Here is some kitchen equipment that I use and recommend for this recipe.
Easy to use – simply slice the lemon in half and then place it inside the dome with the cut-side facing down- Bring the two handles together to start juicing- The juicer will turn the lemon inside-out to get every last drop.
These spatulas are so useful for baking. I use them every day and not just for baking. They have good rigid handles, excellent for scraping out bowls, dishes and frying pans. The large spatula is not flat, it has a raised centre, which makes it very strong.
Perfect for banana bread, lemon drizzle, pound cake and traditional loaves.
Digital kitchen scales: I highly recommend using metric measurements rather than cup measurements. If you have ever ended up with dry, dense, or crumbly baked goods, it might be because of inaccurate volume measurements, not all measuring cups are made equally. All my recipes are carefully developed so that you can easily recreate them in your own kitchen with success, using metric measurements. It is also a lot easier, and less messy and you will get far better, consistent results. 🙂
If you are interested in understanding conversions, here you will find the best conversion chart.
Please check out my Shop for a curated collection of some of my favourite baking equipment. The Gourmet Larder is an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
RECIPE TIPS
Lining your pan – I highly recommend lining your pan with baking paper or parchment paper, NOT greaseproof paper. It makes it so much easier to remove the cakes.
Overmixing – Once you add the flour don’t over-mix the cake batter as it will lead to a tough and rubbery cake.
Glazing – Leave the warm cake inside the loaf pan, use a toothpick or skewer to prick holes all over the top of the cake then pour over the glaze. It may seem a lot of liquid at first but it will absorb it. Leave to cool completely in the pan before removing or it may fall apart.
Organic fruit – Try to use organic, wax-free lemons where possible, as they are free from growth hormones, chemical herbicides, and fungicides.
Sudden temperature changes – can cause cakes to sink in the middle. To prevent this avoid opening the oven door before 3/4 of the baking time, even if you need to rotate your cake.
Lemon Drizzle Cake
INGREDIENTS LIST
- 250 g butter (softened)
- 250 g caster sugar
- 3 medium eggs
- 2 organic unwaxed lemons (finely grated zest and juice )
- 150 ml milk
- 250 g plain flour (all-purpose) (all-purpose)
- ½ tsp of fine sea salt
- 1½ tsp baking powder
Lemon syrup
- 100 g icing sugar
Preparation
- Preheat your oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / 350°F / Gas 4. Grease and line a 2-pound loaf tin/pan (900g) with baking or parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, using a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until the mixture is very light and fluffy. Approx. 1-2 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Mix in the milk and the zest of the two lemons.
- Gently fold in the flour, baking powder, salt, and mix until combined.
- Spoon the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and smooth the surface of the cake batter to level it.
- Baking: Place in the pre-heated oven and bake for 55-60 minutes until golden and a toothpick or skewer comes out with a sticky crumb or two attached. Watch it carefully as it has a tendency to easily over bake. If it is getting to brown, place a folded piece of foil over the top of the cake like a tent. This will help prevent it from bronwing further.
- Lemon syrup glaze: Meanwhile, gradually mix enough lemon juice with the icing sugar until it dissolves to form a thin paste. Depending on the quality of your lemons this could be one or both of the lemons.
- As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, use a toothpick or skewer to prick holes all over the top of the cake and pour over the lemon syrup.Leave to cool completely in the tin, you can place the tin on top of a wire rack to help it cool faster.
Notes & Tips
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