Super Moist Lemon Drizzle Cake

After that monstrous chocolate fix, I felt something lighter was in order, and my sparkly new loaf tin that I used for the banana bread was being severely underused, so I settled on this lemon drizzle cake (or lemon trickle cake as Hugh calls it.) it looks beautiful baked in a loaf tin (and somehow seems less bad for me than if it was a round cake shape!!), and it made me pine after some mini loaf tins so that I can make individual little lemon loaves, or carrot cake loaves, fruit loaves...the possibilities are endless! I just love the idea of individual little portions, it seems so much more special than a boring old slice...maybe it’s just me being odd though!!

Anyway, back to the loaf at hand. Another one of Hugh’s lovely recipes from his Everyday cookbook, this was easy to make (Mr. Colehill barely noticed it was being made, THAT is how quick and easy it is: a man who loves food, particularly cake, didn’t notice a cake being made!) and it’s one of those beauties of a recipe where you are almost certainly going to have everything you need already in the house. I swear I’m going to make my way through that book at warp speed; whatever I’m looking for, I seem to find it in there, and the recipes always turn out wonderfully. Buy it buy it buy it!!

Anyway, here is the recipe

Lemon Trickle Cake
175g softened butter

175g caster sugar

zest 3 lemons

3 medium eggs

175g self raising flour

pinch salt

splash of milk (optional)

Lemon Icing
75ml lemon juice

200g icing sugar

Beat the butter, sugar and zest until pale and fluffy, the add the eggs one at a time, alternating with a spoonful of flour per egg to stop curdling, then add the rest of the flour.

The mix should drop off a spoon easily with a little tap, if it’s a little stiff, add a splash of milk to loosen it.

Pour into a lined loaf tin and bake at 180 degrees for 30-40 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.

Meanwhile to make the syrup, squeeze the zested lemons until you have 75ml of juice, then gradually whisk in the icing sugar.

When the cake is done, remove from the oven and pierce it deeply several times with a skewer (although not right down to the bottom) before pouring over the icing.

Leave to cool completely before removing from the tin.

The trick for this recipe is to beat the sugar and butter until either your arms just can’t take any more (if you are doing it by hand) or you are bored to tears (if you are using an electric whisk). The longer you beat and the paler and fluffier the butter and sugar become, the lighter your cake will end up being. This is something you definitely want: the combination of light sponge with the softness and moist texture from the icing is utterly divine.

This is a great afternoon tea cake, a lovely alternative to heavier flavours like chocolate or carrot. The lack of a heavy frosting is also refreshing, although I love a good helping of buttercream this cake really didn’t need anything like that to overpower it; the subtle lemony flavour and light sponge were elegant and delicate and deserve to be sitting on a dainty little plate next to a bone china teacup!!


I hope you enjoy this recipe, it really is a lovely one and I thoroughly recommend it; it may not look like much, but its testimony is in the tasting!!