Lemon drizzle cake

Name: 📋 Lemon Drizzle Cake
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 75 min
Ingredients: 150 g (2/3 cup) Softened butter; 150 g (3/4 cup) Caster Sugar; 3 medium Eggs beaten; 200 g (1 3/4 cups) Self raising flour; Lemon zest from 2 unwaxed lemons (10g); 2 lemons juiced; 100 g (1/2 cup) Sugar; 100 g (1 cup) icing sugar; 1 lemon juiced (15ml); Mint leaves and extra lemon zest

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Lemon drizzle made from scratch with fresh lemons and an easy to follow cake recipe. A lovely citrus cake thats crumbly, moist and perfect for an afternoon tea or as a celebration or birthday cake. Topped with lemon syrup, lemon icing, fresh mint and lemon zest, this really is the best lemon drizzle cake you'll ever make.

lemon drizzle cake with one piece sliced off at the front and lemons and fresh mint in the background

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💭 Top tips
🥘 What you will need to make this recipe
🔪 Step by step instructions
❓ Frequently asked questions
🍰 Other baking recipes you might like to try
📖 Recipe

This is a super easy cake recipe that can be in the oven and smelling amazing in next to no time. Much like banana bread, almond carrot cake or even Christmas cake, the secret to a good cake is of course is in the mixing.

💭 Top tips

Before making the cake mixture, make sure the butter has been left at room temperature for a couple of hours and is soft.
Whip together the butter and sugar until creamy. This can take up to 10 minutes in a stand mixer and even longer if you're mixing by hand. Its so worth it though.
Gradually add the the beaten eggs just a bit at a time whilst still mixing the creamed butter and sugar. This usually takes a good 10 minutes. If you add the eggs too quickly the mixture will split.
If you're worried too much egg has gone in at any point and the mixture looks like it might split - mix in a couple of tablespoons of the self raising flour. This will bring the mixture back together and allow you to continue to add the eggs.
Gently hand fold in the remaining flour and zest with a spatula (don't mix in mechanically) so keeping the mixture fluffy and full of air.
Bake the cake in a low oven (160 degrees C / 320 degrees F) and avoid opening the oven door during the first few minutes of baking. Higher temps and opening the door can result in the cake sinking in the middle.
Bake for around 45 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
Use fresh lemon juice and zest for the best lemon flavour. To flavour the cake use the zest from 2 lemons. Then mix together the juice of 2 lemons with 100g of sugar and spoon over whilst the cake is still warm after baking.
For extra decoration and lemon flavour make lemon icing by mixing lemon juice with icing sugar and spoon or pipe over your cooled cake.
I like also like to add extra toppings of freshly chopped mint leaves and lemon zest.

Lemon drizzle cake with lemon icing being sliced into with a knife

🥘 What you will need to make this recipe

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To make a loaf cake (10 slices) you will need the following ingredients:

150g (⅔ cup) Softened butter cut into small cubes
150g (¾ cup) Caster Sugar
3 Eggs beaten
200g (1 ¾ cups) Self raising flour
Lemon zest from 2 unwaxed lemons (10g)
2 lemons juiced and 100g (½ cup) Sugar for the drizzle
100g (1 cup) icing sugar and 1 lemon juiced (15ml) for the lemon icing
Mint leaves and extra lemon zest to decorate

Reference for cup measurements

Lemon drizzle cake with lemon icing and topped with lemon zest and mint

🔪 Step by step instructions

Start by pre heating the oven to 160 degrees C / 320 degrees F. Then prepare the loaf tin by lining with greaseproof paper. Use margarine or butter to help stick the paper to the sides and base of the tin
Add 150g of softened, cubed butter and 150g caster sugar to a mixing bowl or to your stand mixer/food processor. Cream together the sugar and butter using the beater attachment on the stand mixer. Alternatively use a hand held whisk or food processor.
Start the mixer off slowly and as the ingredients start to combine take it up to full speed. Then mix for around 10 minutes or until the sugar and butter are creamy.
Gradually add 3 beaten eggs to the creamed sugar and butter, whilst keeping the mixer on high. (or add a bit of egg and then whisk in by hand before adding the next bit). Adding the egg should be done as slowly as possible and can take at least 10 minutes. TIP: If you add too much egg too quickly the mixture will split and be ruined. To help avoid this you can add 1 or 2 tablespoons of the Self raising flour, ahead of time. So make sure you already have your flour weighed out and if you're worried the mixture might split at any time - add in a bit of the flour and continue to mix.
After all the egg is combined into the mixture, remove the bowl from the stand mixer. Add the self raising flour (or the remaining flour of you have already used some) and the zest of 2 unwaxed lemons. Use a spatula to gently fold the flour and zest into the mixture. Ensuring that the batter stays light and fluffy.
Carefully transfer the cake mix to the lined loaf tin and smooth down the top using the spatula.
Place the loaf tin in the centre of the pre heated oven and bake for 45 minutes or until a inserted skewer comes out clean. Leave the cake in the tin for the moment.
In a small bowl mix together the juice of 2 lemons with 100g of caster sugar to form a syrup. Prick the warm cake all over with a small skewer or cocktail stick. Spoon the lemon syrup all over the warm cake allowing some of the syrup to run into the holes. As the cake cools in the tin the syrup will set and crystallise on the outer edge of the cake.
Once the cake is cooled slightly and the lemon syrup has set (after 20 minutes or so) remove from the tin and place on a wire rack to continue cooling. Next, mix together the icing sugar and juice of 1 lemon (15ml) to make lemon icing. The lemon icing is an optional step.
Drizzle the icing over the cooled lemon drizzle cake. I used a piping bag for this but you can just spoon it over if you prefer. Finally top with freshly chopped mint leaves and extra lemon zest

Slice of lemon cake on a plate with the rest of the cake in the background

❓ Frequently asked questions

How long will this cake keep?

Lemon drizzle cake will keep well in a sealed container for at least 4 days - sometimes longer.

Best way to store

Lemon drizzle is best stored in an air tight container and to keep it extra fresh you can also wrap in cling film and then in foil.

Can you freeze this cake?

You can freeze lemon drizzle but I recommend you freeze the cooled cake as it is without any lemon syrup or lemon icing added. Upon defrosting the syrup and icing can be added. Freeze for up to 3 months and fully defrost at room temperature over night

How do you add lemon flavour to cake?

The best way to add lemon flavour to a cake is to add the zest of a couple of lemons to the raw cake mix. This allows the lemon flavour to be distributed evenly and then baked with the cake. Using a dry ingredient also means that the consistency of the cake won't be altered. After baking a lemon syrup can be poured over the warm cake for a boost of extra citrus flavour.

Why does my cake sink in the middle?

Lemon drizzle cake tends to sink if its bakes at too high a temperature of if the oven door is opened repeatedly during the first 10 minutes of baking. Bake at 160 degrees C or 320 degrees F and avoid opening the oven door until most of the baking time has passed. You may check that the cake isn't catching on the top after 30 minutes.

Lemon Drizzle Cake

💭 Top tips

🥘 What you will need to make this recipe

🔪 Step by step instructions

❓ Frequently asked questions

🍰 Other baking recipes you might like to try

📖 Recipe