• Home
  • About me
  • WORK WITH ME
  • Recipes
  • PRIVACY POLICY

Supergolden Bakes

Sweet, savoury and everything in between

menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • About me
  • WORK WITH ME
  • Recipes
  • PRIVACY POLICY
×

Lemon Drizzle Loaf Cake – Only 5 Ingredients!

January 25, 2021 by Lucy Parissi 1 Comment

5126 shares
Jump to Recipe Jump to Video

This is not only the world’s BEST Lemon Drizzle Loaf Cake it is also the easiest! Just five ingredients whisked together in one bowl and you can create a beautifully moist, buttery, tangy lemon cake with the softest crumb.

Post may contain affiliate links. For more information, check my disclosure

Lemon Drizzle Loaf cake decorated with lemon slices on a white ceramic board

Lemon drizzle is one of my personal – and the nation’s – favourite cakes. It’s hard to explain how such a simple, humble and unassuming bake regularly tops the most popular cakes lists… until you take a bite. 

The crunchy sugary topping giving way to a light soft crumb with zingy lemon flavour coming through… I am literally sighing as I type this. SO GOOD!

I already have a wonderful round lemon drizzle cake recipe on this site but it makes an impressively large cake that can feed a crowd. 

This lemon drizzle recipe is perfect if you prefer to make a more manageable lemon loaf which knocks the socks off the popular Starbucks lemon cake!

Lemon drizzle cake slices stacked on a ceramic board

SUPER EASY LEMON DRIZZLE CAKE

You only need FIVE ingredients! Five easy to find, in everyone’s pantry, purse friendly ingredients. Isn’t that amazing? You just need to make sure they are all at room temperature before making this lemon loaf.

  1. Soft unsalted butter or Stork
  2. Caster Sugar – this is finer than granulated sugar, also known as superfine sugar in the US. You can use granulated sugar if you can’t get hold of caster or blitz the sugar in a processor, very briefly, to make the grains smaller.
  3. Self raising flour (self rising in the US). Make sure this is fresh or the cake will not rise properly!
  4. Eggs – medium
  5. Lemon zest and juice (please use unwaxed lemons).

HOW TO MAKE A LEMON DRIZZLE LOAF CAKE

Full measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page. Please take a look at the steps and video before attempting this recipe!

This is so easy to make you don’t really need instructions… But I will tell you anyway. Reminder to have all ingredients at room temperature otherwise your batter won’t mix properly!

STEP 1 Preheat the oven to 180C (350F) or 160F (220F) Fan Setting. Line a 2 pound / 900g loaf tin with parchment paper letting the ends of the paper hang over the edge of the tin. Alternatively use a loaf tin liner.

STEP 2 Put all the cake ingredients in a large mixing bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment).

Adding ingredients for lemon cake in a mixing bowl collage

STEP 3 Beat together on low speed to start with then increase the speed once the ingredients have combined. Add 1-2 tablespoons of the lemon juice and keep mixing, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl, until you have a smooth batter.

Beating batter for lemon drizzle loaf cake in a mixing bowl using a hand mixer

STEP 4 Spoon the cake batter  into the prepared cake tin and level. Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until the cake is golden, well risen and springy to the touch. A toothpick inserted in the centre should come out clean.

Levelling cake batter in a loaf tin with a spatula

STEP 5 Prick holes over the entire cake. Mix together the remaining lemon juice and sugar and drizzle over the warm cake (still in the tin) until it soaks in. Sprinkle with some extra sugar before the syrup dries (unless you want to add a glaze).

Soaking a lemon loaf with lemon syrup collage

STEP 6 Use the paper to lift the cake out of the tin and leave it to cool on a wire rack (this is the hardest part of the recipe) before slicing. The cake will keep for several days in a covered container.

FINISHING TOUCHES

You can leave your lemon loaf as is or decorate with lemon slices, lemon zest or edible flowers. If you want to add a simple glaze, mix icing sugar and lemon juice until you have a thick but pourable glaze. Drizzle the glaze over the cool cake, letting it drip down the sides. 

TIPS FOR THE BEST LEMON DRIZZLE CAKE

  • Use softened butter or Stork (margarine). The butter should be soft enough for your finger to leave an imprint if prodded.
  • Remaining ingredients, namely the eggs, also need to be room temperature.
  • Use a microplane zester to zest the lemons – I have specified the zest of two but you can add even more zest if you like! 
  • Make sure the self raising flour is fresh.
  • Check the cake five minutes before the baking time indicated in the recipe. Some ovens run hot, others are not hot enough.

TROUBLESHOOTING

WHY DID MY LEMON DRIZZLE LOAF SINK? You have followed the recipe to the letter, yet your cake has sunk in the middle, but why?

  • The batter was not mixed well enough. 
  • The oven was turned up too high, causing the cake to rise too rapidly then deflate.
  • You have been opening the oven door causing the temperature to fluctuate.
  • The cake needed a few more minutes in the oven – this is the most common culprit.

MY CAKE IS FLAT! If your cake didn’t rise then your self raising flour wasn’t active. Check the flour is fresh, especially if you don’t bake often. If you have used pain flour (all purpose flour) then check the baking powder and soda bicarbonate are within date.

MY CAKE EXPLODED Did you use self raising flour and added raising agents? That would definitely cause the cake batter to expand too much and overflow. 

Another possible reason? The cake tin was too small and overfilled. I have noticed that loaf pans marked as 2lb (900g) can vary slightly. If you find you have too much batter it’s best to use it to bake some cupcakes “on the side”. Only fill your cake tins ¾ of the way to allow for the cake to rise.

MY CAKE BURNED ON TOP Oven temperature was too high or the oven has hot spots. You can tend your loaf with some foil halfway through to avoid the cake browning too much. Make sure the foil doesn’t touch the tin.

YOU WILL ALSO LOVE THESE LEMON RECIPES!

Lemon Drizzle Cupcakes

Lemon Drizzle Cupcakes are super easy to make and packed with zingy lemon flavour! Top with cream cheese frosting or enjoy plain… either way they are irresistible.
Read More

Slimming World Lemon Drizzle Cake

This Low Syn Slimming World Lemon Drizzle Cake will satisfy your cake cravings without piling on the calories. An airy sponge cake soaked with lemon syrup drizzled with a light glaze – perfect with a cup of tea!
Only 4 syns per slice or 4 SmartPoints on WW!
Read More
Slimming World lemon cake on a marble plate with slice taken out shown overhead

HAVE YOU MADE MY LEMON DRIZZLE LOAF RECIPE? Please leave a rating, post a photo on my Facebook page, share it on Instagram, or save it to Pinterest with the tag #supergoldenbakes and make my day!

Easy Lemon Drizzle Loaf Cake

Lucy Parissi | Supergolden Bakes
Simply the best and easiest Lemon Drizzle Loaf Cake! Just five ingredients whisked together in one bowl and you can create a beautifully moist, buttery, tangy lemon cake with the softest crumb.
5 from 4 votes
Print Rate
Course: Afternoon Tea, Breads & Loaf Cakes
Cuisine: British
Keyword: Lemon Drizzle Loaf Cake, Lemon Loaf Cake Recipe
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 12 slices
Calories: 369kcal
Prevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

  • 226 g (1 cup) softened unsalted butter or margarine (Stork)
  • 300 g (1 ½ cups) caster sugar (superfine sugar)
  • 260 g (2 cups) self raising flour
  • 4 medium eggs
  • 2 lemons, zested and juiced

FOR THE DRIZZLE

  • 100 g ( ½ cup) caster or granulated sugar , plus extra if needed
  • Remaining lemon juice

FOR THE ICING (OPTIONAL)

  • 100 g (scant 1 cup) icing sugar
  • Lemon juice , as needed

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 180C (350F) or 160F (220F) Fan Setting. Line a 2 pound / 900g loaf tin with parchment paper letting the ends of the paper hang over the edge of the tin. Alternatively use a loaf tin liner.
  • Put all the cake ingredients in a large mixing bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment). Beat together on low speed to start with then increase the speed once the ingredients have combined. Add 1-2 tablespoons of the lemon juice and keep mixing, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl, until you have a smooth batter.
  • Spoon the cake batter into the prepared cake tin and level. Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until the cake is golden, well risen and springy to the touch. A toothpick inserted in the centre should come out clean.
  • Prick holes over the entire cake. Mix together the remaining lemon juice and sugar and drizzle over the warm cake (still in the tin) until it soaks in. Sprinkle with some extra sugar before the syrup dries (unless you want to add a glaze).
  • Use the paper to lift the cake out of the tin and leave it to cool on a wire rack (this is the hardest part of the recipe) before slicing.
  • You can leave your lemon loaf as is or decorate with lemon slices, lemon zest or edible flowers. If you want to add a simple glaze, mix icing sugar and lemon juice until you have a thick but pourable glaze. Drizzle the glaze over the cool cake, letting it drip down the sides.

Video

Notes

  • Use softened unsalted butter or Stork (margarine). The butter should be soft enough for your finger to leave an imprint if prodded.
  • Remaining ingredients, namely the eggs, also need to be room temperature.
  • Use a microplane to zest the lemons – I have specified the zest of two but you can add even more zest if you like! 
  • Make sure the self raising flour is fresh.
  • Check the cake five minutes before the baking time indicated in the recipe. Some ovens run hot, others are not hot enough.

Nutritional Info

Calories: 369kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 55mg | Sodium: 200mg | Potassium: 75mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 34g | Vitamin A: 757IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 1mg
SaveSaved!
Tried this recipe?Mention @supergolden88 or tag #supergoldenbakes!
« Rhubarb Crumble with Oat Crumble Topping
Delicious No Bake Biscoff Bars »
Subscribe to get the all the latest tasty goodness delivered to your inbox!

Check your inbox or spam folder now to confirm your subscription.

Comments

  1. Jackie says

    August 09, 2022 at 12:59 pm

    5 stars
    First time I have ever made a lemon drizzle cake. This turned out perfectly. I will use this recipe again. I had to bake it for 65 minutes in my fan oven at 160.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




HEY, NICE TO MEET YOU!

Picture of Lucy ParissiHi, I am Lucy Parissi, the recipe developer, food  photographer and author behind Supergolden Bakes. If you are looking for easy sweet and savoury recipes that are packed with flavour you have come to the right place!  READ MORE

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter

Air Fryer Recipes

whole roast chicken in chefree
Air fryer chicken sharwama served with flatbreads, tomatoes, onions, lettuce, pickles
Air Fryer Rolls topped with sesame seeds
Bowl of air fryer pulled pork in barbecue sauce with buns on the side
Air Fryer Pavlova filled with cream and fresh berries on a stand
Air fryer sourdough bread sliced in half on cutting board

More Posts from this Category

As Seen In…

Collage of brand logos, including Cosmopolitan, BuzzFeed, Chowhound, MSN, Elle, and Redbook