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Lemon drizzle is always a winner. I always think of lemon as a summery flavour but this cake is brilliant all year round. It packs well for a walking snack but is also great for plain old afternoon tea. Whole lemon drizzles sell super fast at school cake sales and fetes. They also freeze brilliantly. Now, my husband (I am rather ashamed to report), had a slice of this cake for breakfast this morning! Actually, it was a second course after his usual more orthodox breakfast of a bowl of cereal. He just saw it on the side and couldn’t resist. He is out running as I type this, trying to atone (or tone………bad pun, sorry).
This version has a lovely crunchy top where the lemon soaks in the hot cake and crunchy sugar is left on the top. It is unbelievably quick and easy to make with an “all in one” method. I hate washing up (my recurring theme- I do create quite a lot on a daily basis!) so I tend to use flat scales and weigh straight into one mixing bowl.
This recipe is adapted from the wonderful book ” Mary Berry’s Ultimate Cake Book” by Mary Berry. It is simple, it works, it’s delicious.
Ingredients
175 g golden caster sugar
175 g self- raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
100 g soft margarine (I use Stork in the tub)
2 large eggs
4 tbsp milk
1 tsp lemon essence/ extract (optional but I like maximum lemony flavour)
The zest of one large unwaxed lemon, finely grated
4 tbsp milk
The topping:
The juice of one large lemon
100 g golden caster sugar
Tin
An 18 cm (7 inch) deep cake tin, lined.
Oven
Pre- heat the oven to 180C (160- 170C Fan)/ Gas Mark 4.
Method
1. Measure and weigh all the cake (not topping!) ingredients into one bowl. Mix well with an electric mixer for 2- 3 minutes until the mixture is smooth and well- combined.
2. Spoon and scrape the mixture into the lined tin and bake in the centre of the oven for 23- 40 minutes. The top should be golden and feel springy in the middle.
3. To prepare the topping just mix the sugar and lemon juice together in a small bowl.
4. Pour the topping over the hot cake. Use a dessert spoon to scoop up the topping that pools at the edges, bringing it back over the centre until it is all absorbed (a little will still collect at the edges).
5. Leave the cake in the tin to cool completely before turning out and removing the lining paper.
ScrummyWalks 