Lemon Drizzle Loaf Cake (Printer-friendly)

Moist loaf bursting with fresh lemon flavor and finished with a tangy citrus glaze.

# What You'll Need:

→ Cake

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

→ Lemon Drizzle

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

# How to Make It:

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 3-4 minutes.
03 - Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in lemon zest until fully combined.
04 - Sift in self-raising flour, baking powder, and salt. Fold gently until just combined, avoiding overmixing.
05 - Mix in milk and lemon juice until batter reaches smooth consistency.
06 - Pour batter into prepared loaf tin and smooth the top with a spatula.
07 - Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
08 - While cake bakes, mix icing sugar and lemon juice to achieve pourable consistency.
09 - Remove baked loaf from oven and cool in tin for 10 minutes. While still warm, pierce top all over with skewer and slowly drizzle lemon glaze over cake.
10 - Allow loaf to cool completely in tin before turning out and slicing.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It's foolproof enough for a weeknight but impressive enough to bring to someone's house without apology.
  • The warm lemon glaze soaks into the cake while it's still in the tin, making every bite bright and intensely flavorful without being harsh.
  • You'll have this cake baked, cooled, and on a plate within two hours, which means you can actually follow through on your baking ideas.
02 -
  • The glaze must go on while the cake is still warm, not hot; if you wait until it's cooled completely, the glaze sits on top like icing instead of soaking in and becoming part of the cake.
  • Fresh lemon juice makes an enormous difference—I once tried bottled juice thinking it would save time, and the cake tasted flat and vaguely chemical, nothing like the sunshine-bright version this recipe deserves.
03 -
  • Room temperature ingredients make all the difference; take your eggs and butter out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before you start, and you'll notice the batter comes together more smoothly and the final cake is more tender.
  • Don't overbake—the moment that skewer comes out mostly clean is when you pull it out, because the cake continues to cook slightly as it cools, and you want it moist, not dry.
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