Lemon Drizzle Loaf Cake (Printable)

A light, moist loaf bursting with fresh lemon flavor and finished with tangy glaze.

# What You Need:

→ Cake

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

→ Lemon Drizzle

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

# Step-by-Step:

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

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • It comes together in under twenty minutes of prep, leaving you time to actually enjoy the baking part instead of stress about it.
  • The warm glaze soaking into the still-hot cake creates this magical tender crumb that somehow stays moist for days.
  • One slice tastes like spring even if you're making it in the middle of winter.
02 -
  • Don't skip the room-temperature eggs and butter; this isn't being precious, it's the difference between a cloud of cake and something dense that tastes like butter instead of lemon.
  • The glaze is best applied to the warm cake, not a cold one—the warm crumb actually drinks it in rather than letting it sit on top like varnish.
03 -
  • Use a microplane zester instead of a box grater—you'll get finer, more evenly distributed zest that doesn't leave bitter white pith in your cake.
  • If you're worried about the cake cracking on top while baking, tent it loosely with foil for the first thirty minutes, then remove it so the top can turn golden.
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