QiMeal
Lemon Drizzle Cake
Lemon Drizzle Cake · ready in 1 h 30 min · 8 servings · 389 kcal per serving · easy · 7 ingredients
A classic British tea loaf, bright with lemon zest and finished with a sharp sugar glaze that sets into the beloved crackly drizzle crust.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Total
- 1 h 30 min
- Serves
- 8
- kcal
- 389
- Difficulty
- easy
Ingredients · 8 servings
- 175 gButter, softened
- 250 gSugar, divided
- 3Egg, room temperature
- 175 gFlour, sifted
- 8 gBaking powder
- 1 gSalt
- 100 gLemon, zested and juiced
Equipment
oven, loaf tin, parchment paper, mixing bowl, electric mixer, spatula, fine grater, citrus juicer, small bowl, spoon, skewer, wire rack
Instructions
- Mise En Place
Gather butter, sugar, egg, flour, baking powder, salt, and lemon, then set out a scale, loaf tin, parchment, bowls, mixer, skewer, and rack. · 10 min
What to look for: All ingredients are measured and tools are within reach.
- Prepare Oven
Heat oven to 180°C / 356°F and line a 900 g loaf tin with parchment, leaving enough overhang to lift the cake after baking. · 5 min
What to look for: The tin is fully lined and the oven is hot.
- Cream Butter
Beat softened butter with 175 g sugar until pale and fluffy, scraping the bowl once so the crumb bakes light and even. · 4 min
What to look for: The mixture looks lighter in color and slightly increased in volume.
- Add Eggs
Beat in eggs 1 at a time with 10 g flour after each addition, then mix in the lemon zest until the batter smells bright. · 5 min
What to look for: The batter is smooth, glossy, and flecked with lemon zest.
- Fold Batter
Fold in the remaining 145 g flour, baking powder, and salt gently until no dry streaks remain and the batter stays airy. · 3 min
What to look for: The batter is thick, smooth, and free of visible flour.
- Bake Loaf
Scrape batter into the tin, level the top, and bake for 45 minutes until risen, golden, and a skewer comes out clean. · 45 min
What to look for: The top is domed, golden, and slightly cracked.
- Make Drizzle
Stir lemon juice with the remaining 75 g sugar until slushy but not fully dissolved, keeping crystals for the crunchy top. · 3 min
What to look for: The drizzle looks wet, grainy, and glossy.
- Soak Cake
Poke the hot loaf all over with a skewer, spoon over the lemon sugar slowly, and let it sink into the crumb and crust. · 3 min
What to look for: The drizzle disappears into the holes and leaves sugar crystals on top.
- Cool Cake
Cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then lift onto a rack and let the glaze set into a thin crackly shell. · 15 min
What to look for: The glaze is dry to the touch and lightly crystallized.
- Serve Slices
Slice the cake into 8 pieces and serve at room temperature, with the top crisp and the center soft and lemon scented. · 2 min
What to look for: Each slice has a golden crumb and a sparkling lemon crust.
Nutrition (per serving)
| kcal | 389 |
|---|---|
| Protein | 5 g |
| Carbohydrates | 50 g |
| of which sugars | 32 g |
| Fat | 20 g |
| of which saturated | 12 g |
| Fibre | 1 g |
| Sodium | 117 mg |
Nutri-ScoreE
Allergens
Contains: gluten, milk, eggs
Storage and reheating
- Fridge: up to 5 days
- Freezer: yes, up to 3 months
- Serve at room temperature. Thaw wrapped slices overnight if frozen to protect the lemon glaze.
Ingredient substitutions
Butter
- Salted butter: Use the same weight and omit the added salt.
Sugar
- Caster sugar: Caster sugar dissolves easily in the batter and still gives a crisp drizzle.
Egg
- Large egg: Use eggs close to 50 g each without shell for the best batter texture.
Flour
- Self raising flour: Use the same weight and omit the baking powder.
Baking powder
- Aluminum free baking powder: Use the same weight for a clean tasting rise.
Salt
- Fine salt: Fine salt disperses evenly through the batter.
