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Easy lemon drizzle cake. A light and fluffy cake packed with plenty of delicious zingy lemon flavour, topped with a sweet lemon drizzle. A perfect tea time treat! Recipe by movers and bakers
5 from 1 vote

Easy Lemon Drizzle Cake

My Easy Lemon Drizzle Cake is a British classic! This moist and fluffy loaf cake is packed with natural zingy citrus thanks to fresh lemon zest and juice. Soaked in a sweet lemon syrup while warm and finished with a crunchy lemon icing, this is the best lemon drizzle recipe for afternoon tea, bake sales, or a sunny weekend treat!
Servings 12 servings
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Cooling time 2 hours
Total Time 3 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

For the loaf cake

  • 200 g (1 cup) caster sugar
  • 2 large lemons, zest only
  • 110 g (½ cup) unsalted butter, softened
  • 215 g (1 ½ cups + 1 tbsp) plain (all purpose) flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 125 g (½ cup + 1 tbsp) yogurt (I used Greek yogurt)

For the lemon syrup

  • 30 g (2 tbsp + 1 tsp) caster sugar
  • 30 ml (2-3 tbsp) lemon juice

How to make the drizzle

  • 75 g (½ cup + 1 tbsp) icing (powdered) sugar
  • 2-4 tbsp lemon juice, plus additional zest to decorate

Instructions

For the loaf cake

  • Line a loaf tin with parchment paper (grease the tin to help it stay better if using parchment) or a loaf tin liner and set it aside. Preheat the oven to 160C/320F whilst making the cake batter.
  • In a large bowl or using a stand mixer, tip in the caster sugar. Zest the lemons directly into the bowl, then beat the zest and sugar together until the sugar has turned a pale yellow colour. Add in the softened butter and beat until the mixture is pale and fluffy.
  • Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt into the same bowl and beat it all together until the mixture resembles damp sand.
  • In a jug, tip in the eggs and yogurt. Mix well until smooth and totally combined.
  • Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and mix at a low speed to combine. Scrap the bowl down, then turn the speed up and beat on high for about 30 seconds to get some air into the batter.
  • Tip the cake mixture into the prepared tin, smoothing the mixture out and levelling the top. Place the loaf tin into the oven and bake for 50-55 minutes, until risen and golden and a wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Place the tin on a cooling rack, leaving the cake in the tin.

For the lemon syrup

  • While the cake is baking, make the lemon simple syrup. Place the caster sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved and the syrup is smooth. Leave in the saucepan until the cake has baked.
  • Once the cake has baked and is out of the oven, do not remove it from the tin. Whilst the cake is still hot, use a toothpick or skewer to poke holes all over the cake. Drizzle or brush the lemon syrup all over the cake, allowing it to soak in evenly for plenty of delicious flavour. Leave to cool in the tin.

How to make the drizzle

  • Sift the icing sugar into a small bowl. Squeeze in enough lemon juice to make the drizzle topping. I like mine quite thick, but add more lemon juice if you prefer it thinner.
  • Remove the cake from the tin, discarding the parchment paper as you do, and place on a plate. Drizzle the lemon drizzle topping all over the cake. Zest over some additional lemon zest if desired and serve. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

  • Always zest lemons BEFORE cutting them to juice. This may sound obvious, but is an easy mistake to make and it is really no fun trying to zest a squishy lemon half!
  • Zest lemons directly into the mixing bowl. Doing this ensures you not only get all the zest in, but also any of the flavourful oils off the fruit too. Trust me, it makes a huge different to the flavour you will get in the finished cake!
  • Ensure ingredients are at room temperature. Softened butter is much easier to mix in and will result in a better cake, and room temperature eggs and yogurt will mix better with the other ingredients for better final results.
  • If you wish to control where the lemon loaf cake cracks during baking, simply dip a knife in some melted butter or a little oil and pull it through where you want the crack to be. This will cause the mixture to separate in that space during baking, resulting in a split in the cake where you want it to be.
  • The lemon syrup can be made once the loaf cake comes out of the oven, but it is important you put it on the cake whilst it is still warm at least. The warm cake absorbs and disperses the syrup much better than a cold cake would, so do it as soon as possible once removed from the oven.
  • The final lemon sugar drizzle on top of the cake is completely optional, the cake is delicious without it! However, I think it is so pretty, and gives an extra lemon sugar kick, so I always add it on.
    • Author: Andrea
    Calories: 272kcal
    Course: Cakes
    Cuisine: British
    Keyword: Easy Lemon Drizzle Cake Loaf, Light and Fluffy Citrus Sponge, Moist Lemon Drizzle with Yogurt, Rubbing Lemon Zest into Sugar, Tender and Moist Golden Crumb, Traditional British Lemon Drizzle Recipe, Using a Skewer to Poke Holes for Syrup

    Nutrition

    Calories: 272kcal