Lemon Drizzle Cake

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Light, fluffy, moist and buttery sponge loaf bursting with lemon, drizzled with a sweet and tangy lemon syrup and topped with a crispy, zesty lemon icing. Fresh and delicious, it is no surprise that Lemon Drizzle is such a popular and classic cake. It is the first cake that comes to mind when the weather warms at the end of winter, the sun comes out and we move into spring. As soon as I see the first daffodils, I want to make this cake and I continue to make it during the warmer months ahead. With the end of the daffodil season looming, I thought it was about time to post this cake!

There were still some daffodils left at Cannizaro House this weekend!

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You’ve got to have enough lemon

I like my lemon cakes to properly taste of lemon – it is a lemon cake, not a ‘hint of’ lemon cake, after all! As such, I use more zest and juice than a lot of similar recipes. If you prefer a more gentle flavour, simply reduce the lemons to 1 or 1½.

How to make Lemon Drizzle Cake

Collect all the ingredients together:

For the basic cake –

• unsalted butter, at room temperature
• caster sugar
• large eggs
• plain/all-purpose flour
• corn flour
• baking powder
• bicarbonate of soda
• vanilla extract
• fine salt
• sour cream
• grated lemon zest

For the soaking syrup –

• lemon juice
• water
• caster sugar

For the icing –

• lemon juice
• icing sugar

First make the sponge cake:

1. It is important that the butter is at room temperature and soft enough to beat. If it is a little hard, beat it with a whisk before adding the other ingredients. If it is already quite soft, you do not need to do this.
2. Measure all the remaining ingredients, apart from the lemon zest, into the mixing bowl with the butter. I place my mixing bowl on top my scales and weigh everything in directly.
3. Use an electric whisk to beat until combined. This should take less than a minute.
4. Grate the lemon zest directly into the bowl and fold into the cake batter. Be careful not to over-mix at this stage.
5. Tip into your lined baking tin and level the surface, ensuring the cake goes into all the corners.
6. Bake in the centre of a preheated oven for 45 – 50 minutes until cooked.

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While the cake is baking, make the soaking syrup:

1. Whilst the cake is cooking, make the syrup.
2. Heat the water and caster sugar in a saucepan over a moderately low heat until the sugar has dissolved.
3. Take off the heat and add the lemon juice. The syrup is now ready.

Drizzle the hot, cooked cake with the syrup:

1. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, puncture it all over with a cake tester or skewer.
2. Spoon the syrup over the cake, trying to let the middle absorb it as well as the sides.
3. Leave it to cool in the tin.

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Cover with icing:

1. When the cake is cool, mix the lemon juice with the icing sugar.
2. Use a balloon whisk to mix well, until there are no lumps. It should be a pouring consistency. If it is too thick, add a little more lemon juice or water. If too runny, add a little extra sugar.
3. Remove the baking parchment from the cooled cake and place it on a baking tray – this is just to help with easy clean up incase the icing trickles off the cake.
4. Pour the icing over the cake, ensuring it covers the top of the cake and let it trickle down the sides.

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Made this recipe?

If you make this recipe, do please tag me on instagram @daffodil_kitchen. You could also leave a comment in the box directly below the recipe.