Classic Lemon Drizzle Cake | Video Tutorial

This Lemon Drizzle Cake may well be the most delicious bake EVER! A fluffy, moist and buttery sponge soaked with tangy lemon syrup and a crunchy sugar crust. This lemon cake is sure to become a favourite – easy and foolproof even for novice bakers!

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A little while ago I posted a recipe for Slimming World Lemon Cake. Soon after I started getting messages on Facebook and Instagram asking “will you be posting a classic lemon drizzle cake recipe?” Thanks for the prod dear readers… and here’s the recipe at long last!

So what’s a lemon drizzle cake?

This is essentially a buttery sponge cake that’s flavoured with lemon zest. The name comes from the lemon syrup which is drizzled onto the still warm cake making it irresistibly zingy and moist.

This humble cake currently tops the charts as Britain’s favourite tea time treat overtaking the even the Victoria Sponge!

Lemon drizzle is often baked as a loaf cake but then can be made into round cakes, bundt cakes or cupcakes – the choice is yours but read my tips below. 

The syrup is made with lemon juice and granulated sugar which sinks into the sponge creating a wonderfully sugary crust once it dries.

Lemon drizzle cakes don’t require much in the way of decoration but if you are feeling fancy you can add a little glaze, fresh flowers or some fresh berries. If you are using flowers make sure they are unsprayed and preferable edible!

Once people take a bite they won’t care a bit about looks – all they will care about is whether they can have a second slice!

Ingredients

• Plain (all purpose) flour
• Baking powder and bicarbonate of soda – make sure they are fresh!
• Zest of three unwaxed lemons (or up to five if you like it really lemony!) and juice of one lemon
• Caster sugar – if you don’t have caster sugar then blitz granulated sugar for a few seconds in a food processor
• Large eggs at room temperature
• Unsalted butter at room temperature
• Whole milk at room temperature
• Granulated sugar and juice of  two lemons for the drizzle

Lucy’s tips for the BEST lemon cake

This cake is so easy that even novice bakers will find it a doddle to make. Even so there’s a few things you need to know to achieve lemony perfection!

Start with room temperature ingredients

Unless specified otherwise all your ingredients including butter, eggs and milk should be at room temperature in order to achieve a smooth batter. If one or more of the ingredients are cold they will cause your batter to split or look curdled.

If your milk is cold from the fridge then heat briefly in the microwave or saucepan until just tepid. Make sure the milk is body temperature – not too hot! Place cold eggs into warm water for five minutes to bring them back to room temperature.

Cut cold butter into cubes and leave for an hour on your counter to warm up. Alternatively you can use one of these tips to achieve room temperature butter PDQ! 

You can also use margarine or Stork to make this cake or half butter half margarine. I prefer the the taste of real butter but go with what works for you. Never substitute with light / reduced fat products unless the recipe explicitly says you can!

Measure ingredients accurately

I always rely on a digital scale to measure my ingredients. Accurate measurements are especially important when it comes to measuring baking powder or soda.

Prepare your cake pans

To prevent your cakes sticking to the pans, properly grease the cake tin with a little softened butter and then sprinkle with flour shaking out any excess. I prefer to use a cake release spray for most of my baking.

For this lemon cake you can use a 23cm (9in) springform cake tin, a loose bottomed tin or a regular cake tin. If you use the latter make sure to be very careful when turning out the cake as the top will be moist from the syrup.

Run a knife around the edge of the tin and invert the cake carefully onto a plate. Peel off the baking paper which was lining the tin. Immediately turn it over the right way around onto a stand or cake plate.

Avoid using smaller or larger cake tins if you can. If you want to bake in a bundt tin or make a lemon traybake then make sure the tins allow for the same volume of batter. A 23cm (9in) tin allows for 10 cups of batter so you could use a 10 cup bundt tin if preferred.

How do I know if my cake is done?

Temperatures can vary from oven to oven so set a timer for 5 minutes before the specified time. The cake is done when the top is springy to the touch, the cake has just started to pull away from the edge of the tin and a skewer or toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.

Avoid opening the oven too often – or too early! – to check if the cake is done or your oven will start losing heat.  

All in one method

Provided the butter, eggs and milk are all at room temperature then you can certainly make this cake using this method. It is SO EASY and it literally takes about 5 minutes from start to finish, including measuring the ingredients!

Put all the ingredients in the stand mixer or food processor and beat until the batter is completely smooth, starting on a low speed setting and gradually increasing to maximum.

You must stop and scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl at least once to ensure everything is mixed well. If there’s pockets of undermixed batter in your cake it can cause it to sink.

How to make a lemon drizzle cake

You can make this cake using a hand mixer, a stand mixer or a food processor. All methods work equally well – you will see I have used a hand mixer in the recipe video as it is easier to demonstrate. Look at the recipe notes for alternative methods.

Take a look at this step by step tutorial – please note you will find the full recipe, including ingredients in the recipe card at the end of this post.

STEP 1. Preheat the oven to 170C (340F). Spray a 23cm (9 in) springform cake tin with cake release or grease with softened butter and dust with flour shaking out any excess. Line the bottom of the tin with baking paper.

STEP 2. Put the flour and sugar in large bowl. Add the baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt and mix together using a balloon whisk.

STEP 3. Add the lemon zest and mix to combine. 

STEP 4. Add the softened butter. Use a hand mixer and start beating on the lowest speed setting until you have a crumbly texture.

STEP 5. Add the eggs and beat until combined.

STEP 6. Gradually add the milk and lemon juice, beating on low speed.

STEP 7. Increase the speed to maximum once the liquids have been incorporated. Beat for a minute then stop and scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a spatula. Beat again until the batter is completely smooth.

STEP 8. Transfer the batter into the prepared cake tin and level. Bake for 45-50 minutes. If the cake is colouring too rapidly then tent with foil after 25 minutes (but avoid keeping the oven door open for long). Do not place the foil directly onto the cake tin, make sure it is has a gap at the top to allow the cake space to rise properly.

STEP 9. Check the cake is done by inserting a skewer in the centre – it should come out clean, the cake should be well risen golden and springy to the touch. 

STEP 10. While the cake is cooling for a few minutes (in the tin), mix the sugar and lemon juice until the sugar is partially dissolved.

STEP 11. Use a skewer to poke holes over the whole cake then pour the syrup over the top. It should soon soak into the cake.

STEP 12. Run a knife along the edge of the tin and transfer onto a cake plate. Leave to cool before slicing and serving.

Cake Variations

You can’t beat the classic but you can get inventive with the syrup and flavourings!

• Lime – use limes instead of lemons but beware that lime juice can be a lot sharper in taste.
• Orange – replace some of the lemon juice with orange or clementine juice.
• Lemon Poppyseed Cake: Add 25g (1oz) poppyseeds with the flour in step 1.
• Lemon cupcakes – Divide the batter between 12 large cupcake cases filling 2/3 of the way. Bake for 20-23 minutes at 180C /350F .
• Lemon Drizzle Bundt Cake – bake in a 10 cup Bundt tin (make sure you grease the tin really well) for 50 minutes to an hour at 180c/350F. 
• Hot toddy drizzle cake – add a generous splash of whisky to your drizzle! A grown up lemon cake for adults only 😉

Storing and freezing

This cake keeps extremely well for 3-4 days! Wrap it in cling film or place in a cake tin and keep at room temperature away from direct sunlight. Do not place in the fridge as it will cause the cake to become dry.

Lemon Drizzle is one of those cakes that also freezes brilliantly. Cut the cake into slices once it is completely cool and wrap well. Place in the freezer for up to a month. Defrost overnight in the fridge before serving.

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