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3. Lemon Drizzle Cake

Lemon Drizzle Cake

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This Lemon Drizzle Cake is moist and spongy and packed with refreshing lemony flavour and nutrition, making it an ideal teatime treat or snack. Lemons alone are very sour in taste, which is why they're most commonly used as flavouring or garnish. The tartness of lemons makes it refreshing, uplifting and invigorating, and it's extremely popular to add it to meals, desserts drinks and more.

I love fruit flavoured cakes, as they satisfy the sweet tooth without weighing you down. This Lemon Drizzle Cake is a lemon lover's dream. It's made with lemon zest, lemon juice, brushed with lemon syrup, then topped with an optional lemon glaze, so you're getting a concentrated dose of lemon with every bite! Don't be fooled by the simple looking nature of this sponge cake, it definitely overdelivers on flavour. 

Here's what you'll need to make this Lemon Drizzle Cake:
(Click here to jump straight to the recipe)

Cake:
350g plain flour, plus extra for the cake tin
225g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
300g caster sugar
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/4 tsp salt
240ml milk
3 large eggs, room temperature
3 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 Tbsp freshly grated lemon zest

Syrup:
40ml water
35g caster sugar
1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Glaze:
60g icing sugar water
1 Tbsp water
1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

And here's what you'll need to do:

• Measure out the butter, and allow it to warm up and soften, cutting it into small chunks to speed up the process. Take the eggs out of the fridge to warm up.
• Butter a 24.5cm (10in) bundt cake pan, making sure to get into all the creases. Then coat with flour, tapping out any excess.

• Preheat the oven to 160C / 140C Fan, and position a rack in the bottom third of the oven.
• Zest the lemons, and juice enough to get about 5 Tbsp of juice, discarding any pips.

• Place the flour, baking soda and salt into a bowl, and stir to combine. Set aside.
• In a jug, mix together the milk, lemon zest and 3 Tbsp of lemon juice, and set aside.

• When the butter is soft, whisk it together with the sugar, in a large mixing bowl, until light and fluffy.

• Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

• Add a quarter of the flour mixture to the bowl, mix well, then add a third of the milk mixture, mixing thoroughly. Repeat until all of the flour and milk mixture has been fully incorporated.

• Pour the cake mix into the prepared bundt cake tin, and smooth the top with a spatula.
• Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 65 minutes, until a toothpick stuck into the centre comes out clean.

• Meanwhile, make the syrup by putting the water and sugar into a small saucepan. Bring to the boil over medium heat, swirling gently until the sugar is dissolved. Turn off the heat and stir in the lemon juice.

• Remove the cake from the oven, cool for about 10 minutes in the pan before tipping it out onto a wire rack to cool further.
• Brush the syrup carefully over the cake a few times so that as much of it is absorbed as possible.

• The lemon drizzle cake is ready to serve when it has cooled completely, for a deliciously moist and spongy treat. Or, dress it up with a glaze for special occasions!
• To make the glaze, stir together the icing sugar, water and lemon juice until it forms a thick but pourable mixture. Add more sugar to make it thicken the glaze or more water and/or lemon juice (depending on how much lemon flavour you want) to thin it a bit.

• Spoon the glaze over the cake, letting it run down the sides and into the centre hole.

• When the glaze has set, transfer the cake to a serving plate, and serve with a hot cuppa.

Lemon Drizzle Cake

By Wendy | Serves 4

This Lemon Drizzle Cake is light, spongy, sweet and refreshing - just the thing to keep you going without weighing you down.

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 65 minutes
Yield: 1 24.5cm (10in) bundt cake
Course: Dessert, Pudding, Cake
Cuisine: Modern European
Tags: Tea Cake, Sweet Treat

Ingredients

Cake:
350g plain flour, plus extra for the cake tin
225g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
300g caster sugar
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/4 tsp salt
240ml milk
3 large eggs, room temperature
3 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 Tbsp freshly grated lemon zest

Syrup:
40ml water
35g caster sugar
1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Glaze:
60g icing sugar
1 Tbsp water
1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Method

1. Measure out the butter, and allow it to warm up and soften, cutting it into small chunks to speed up the process. Take the eggs out of the fridge to warm up.
2. Butter a 24.5cm (10in) bundt cake pan, making sure to get into all the creases. Then coat with flour, tapping out any excess.
3. Preheat the oven to 160C / 140C Fan, and position a rack in the bottom third of the oven.
4. Zest the lemons, and juice enough to get about 5 Tbsp of juice, discarding any pips.
5. Place the flour, baking soda and salt into a bowl, and stir to combine. Set aside.
6. In a jug, mix together the milk, lemon zest and 3 Tbsp of lemon juice, and set aside.
7. When the butter is soft, whisk it together with the sugar, in a large mixing bowl, until light and fluffy.
8. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
9. Add a quarter of the flour mixture to the bowl, mix well, then add a third of the milk mixture, mixing thoroughly. Repeat until all of the flour and milk mixture has been fully incorporated.
10. Pour the cake mix into the prepared bundt cake tin, and smooth the top with a spatula.
11. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 65 minutes, until a toothpick stuck into the centre comes out clean.
12. Meanwhile, make the syrup by putting the water and sugar into a small saucepan. Bring to the boil over medium heat, swirling gently until the sugar is dissolved. Turn off the heat and stir in the lemon juice.
13. Remove the cake from the oven, cool for about 10 minutes in the pan before tipping it out onto a wire rack to cool further.
14. Brush the syrup carefully over the cake a few times so that as much of it is absorbed as possible.
15. The lemon drizzle cake is ready to serve when it has cooled completely, for a deliciously moist and spongy treat. Or, dress it up with a glaze for special occasions!
16. To make the glaze, stir together the icing sugar, water and lemon juice until it forms a thick but pourable mixture. Add more sugar to make it thicken the glaze or more water and/or lemon juice (depending on how much lemon flavour you want) to thin it a bit.
17. Spoon the glaze over the cake, letting it run down the sides and into the centre hole.
18. When the glaze has set, transfer the cake to a serving plate, and serve with a hot cuppa.

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