Lemon Drizzle Cake
A soft lemon loaf soaked with a crunchy sugar-and-lemon drizzle while still warm.
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- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 50 min
- Total
- 1 hr 30 min
- Makes
- one 2lb loaf
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Course
- Cake
- Cuisine
- British
Lemon drizzle is a plain creamed sponge baked in a loaf tin and soaked, the moment it leaves the oven, with lemon juice and sugar. The cake drinks the juice while the sugar stays on top and sets to a crisp crust, so the two things that matter are pouring the drizzle over while the cake is hot and leaving it in the tin until completely cool.
Ingredients
Cups use the King Arthur Baking ingredient weight chart. Weighing is more accurate.
Cake
- 225 g unsalted butter, softened
- 225 g caster sugar (US: superfine sugar)
- 4 medium eggs
- 225 g self-raising flour (US: self-rising flour)
- 1 unwaxed lemon, finely grated zest
Drizzle
- 1½ lemons, juice only
- 85 g caster sugar (US: superfine sugar)
Equipment
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- 2lb (900g) loaf tinHow to chooseShop on Amazon(affiliate link, opens in a new tab)
- Electric hand or stand mixerHow to chooseShop on Amazon(affiliate link, opens in a new tab)
- Digital kitchen scalesHow to chooseShop on Amazon(affiliate link, opens in a new tab)
Method
- 1
Heat the oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / gas 4 / 350°F. Line a 2lb (900 g) loaf tin with baking paper.
- 2
Beat the butter and sugar until pale and creamy, then beat in the eggs one at a time.
- 3
Fold in the flour and lemon zest until just combined. Spoon into the tin and level the top.
- 4
Bake for 45–50 minutes, until a skewer pushed into the centre comes out clean.
- 5
While the cake bakes, stir the lemon juice and sugar together for the drizzle; do not let the sugar dissolve completely.
- 6
As soon as the cake comes out, prick it all over with a skewer and spoon the drizzle evenly over the top.
- 7
Leave in the tin until completely cool: the sugar sets into a crisp crust.
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Convert tin sizes
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Enter tin sizes between 5 and 60 cm.
Frequently asked questions
Why pour the drizzle over a warm cake?
A warm cake soaks up the lemon syrup, while the sugar stays on top as a crunchy crust.
Why use an unwaxed lemon?
You use the zest, and unwaxed lemons have no wax coating on the skin. If you only have waxed lemons, scrub them in hot water first.
How long does lemon drizzle cake keep?
About 3–4 days in an airtight tin; it stays moist thanks to the syrup.
Guides for this recipe
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How-to
How to Host Afternoon Tea at Home
How-to
Afternoon Tea Menu Ideas
How-to
Essential Equipment for British Baking
Buying guide
Mixing Bowls: Glass, Steel or Ceramic?
Buying guide
Graters: Box, Rasp or Rotary?
Buying guide
Stand Mixers: What to Look For
Buying guide
Hand Mixers: A Buyer's Guide
Buying guide
Loaf Tins: 1lb or 2lb, Metal or Silicone?
Buying guide
Lemon Squeezers and Citrus Juicers
Buying guide
Kitchen Scales for Baking: What to Look For
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Card photos: Scones with jam and cream, a cup of tea and a china teapot, AlphaLemur via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped; A cream tea with scones, jam and clotted cream, Andy Li via Wikimedia Commons, CC0; Small cakes cooling on a wire rack, James Petts from London, England via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped; Stacked cream-coloured ceramic mixing bowls, RLiverpool2021 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped; Grating carrot over a salad with a flat grater, Brownretail via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped; A white stand mixer with a stainless steel bowl, Your Best Digs via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0, cropped; An electric hand mixer resting on a kitchen worktop, Santeri Viinamäki via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped; A sliced tin loaf, baked in a loaf tin, Mike Finn via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0, cropped; A wooden lemon reamer, Poupou l'quourouce via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.5, cropped; A traditional mechanical kitchen scale, Berthold Werner via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped; A Bakewell tart with a slice cut, showing the jam and almond filling, Brynn via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped; A round loaf of brown soda bread cooling on a wire rack, michael clarke stuff via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped; A tray of shortbread being cut into fingers, Elumineau via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped. All credits: image credits.