Lemon Drizzle Loaf Cake (Print)

Moist loaf infused with fresh lemon zest and finished with a tangy lemon glaze.

# Components:

→ Cake

01 - 7 oz unsalted butter, softened
02 - 7 oz caster sugar
03 - 3 large eggs, room temperature
04 - 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest from 2 lemons
05 - 7 oz self-raising flour
06 - 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
07 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
08 - 3 tablespoons whole milk
09 - 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

→ Lemon Drizzle

10 - 2.8 oz icing sugar
11 - 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line a 2 lb loaf tin with baking parchment.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, cream together softened butter and caster sugar until pale and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes.
03 - Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in lemon zest until fully combined.
04 - Sift self-raising flour, baking powder, and salt into the mixture. Fold gently until just combined, avoiding overmixing.
05 - Mix in milk and lemon juice until batter is smooth and homogeneous.
06 - Pour batter into prepared loaf tin and smooth the top with a spatula for even baking.
07 - Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
08 - While cake bakes, whisk icing sugar and lemon juice together until reaching a pourable consistency.
09 - Remove loaf from oven and cool in tin for 10 minutes. While still warm, pierce the top with a skewer and slowly drizzle lemon glaze over the surface.
10 - Allow loaf to cool completely in tin before turning out and slicing.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The cake stays tender and moist for days, which means you actually get to enjoy it instead of watching it dry out.
  • It's bright and zesty without being overwhelmingly sour—the glaze adds just enough sweetness to balance the lemon.
  • You can have it baked and cooling within an hour, perfect for when you need something homemade but don't have all day.
02 -
  • The glaze must go on while the cake is still warm—if you wait until it's cool, the glaze just sits on top and never soaks in, leaving you with a cake that's moist inside but dry on the crust.
  • Room temperature ingredients matter more here than in most cakes; cold eggs and cold butter take twice as long to emulsify and often result in a split, curdled batter that bakes into something dense and unpleasant.
03 -
  • If your kitchen is cold, set the butter and eggs out the night before or run the bowl under warm water to speed up the creaming process—impatience leads to a curdled mixture that never fully recovers.
  • The difference between a cake that's moist and one that's slightly dry comes down to not overbaking; check it at 45 minutes and trust the skewer test rather than the clock.
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