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Close up image of a sliced lemon drizzle cake on a wooden board with lemons at the side

Lemon Drizzle Cake

5 from 24 votes

5 stars tells us you love the recipe

becs-table.com.au
This is the best zingy lemon drizzle cake that I know. It has a beautiful light texture, and the syrup that’s drizzled over it at the end, gives it a great lemon hit.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Difficulty Medium
Course Afternoon Tea, Dessert, Morning Tea
Cuisine British
Servings 12
Method Thermomix and Conventional

Equipment

  • 1 Thermomix or Stand Mixer

Ingredients
  

For the Loaf:

  • 3 eggs large
  • 260 g caster sugar
  • 225 g butter softened for stand mixer / cold cubes for TM
  • 10 g lemon rind grated *see tips
  • 300 g plain flour all-purpose
  • 1 ½ tsp baking powder
  • 190 g milk
  • ¼ tsp flaked sea salt or ⅛th tsp of fine sea salt

For the Lemon Syrup:

  • 100 g icing sugar
  • 60 g fresh lemon juice

You'll need:

  • 1 loaf pan 24cm x 10cm x 10cm 9” x 4” x 4”

Instructions
 

Want this as a Thermomix® guided recipe?

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Thermomix Method for the batter:

  • Start by reading the whole recipe, including the tips.
  • Prepare your loaf pan by lining it with baking paper, set your oven to 170°C fan
  • Weigh the flour, baking powder and salt into the TM bowl MC in, mix for 3 sec/speed 6, remove and set aside.
  • Weigh the sugar and lemon rind (no pith) into the TM bowl and grate for 5 sec/speed 8, scrape down and lift from the base, then repeat.
  • Weigh the cubes of cold butter into the TM bowl and mix 30 sec/speed 6.
  • Scrape down the sides and lift the butter from the base of the bowl, then insert the butterfly. Prepare all your ingredients ready to add to the TM. Place your eggs in one bowl, milk in a jug, and have the flour mix you prepared earlier at the ready.
  • Set the TM to speed 3.5, add one egg from the bowl, then take two heaped tablespoons of the flour and add them to the TM bowl one at a time while the blades are still running. Continue with the remainder of the eggs in a steady slow stream or one at a time, stop when combined and scrape down.
  • With the remainder of the dry ingredients and the milk at the ready, set the TM back to speed 3.5 and with the blades running, add the dry ingredients and liquid ingredients ½ at a time alternating them.
  • This batter should be quite thick; place it into the prepared loaf pan and bake it on the middle shelf of your oven. You may have to turn the pan around ½ way through the baking process as I have done.
  • This loaf will take a while to bake. Mine took 55 mins. Start checking at 40 minutes to get an idea of how yours is going. Bake until an inserted skewer comes out clean, or the Internal temp reaches 95°C in the centre.

Method for the syrup:

  • While the cake is baking, make the syrup. Mix the lemon juice and icing sugar together and leave to rest until the cake comes out of the oven. You can cook this out a little, but I prefer the zing that the fresh lemon gives.
  • As soon as you take the cake out of the oven, prick the warm cake all over with a skewer, then gently pour over the syrup and leave it to rest until completely cooled and absorbed.
  • Once cool, carefully ease the cake from the baking pan and remove the baking paper.
  • Just before serving, sift a little more icing sugar over the top for presentation.

Conventional Method for the batter:

  • Start by reading the whole recipe, including the tips.
  • Prepare your loaf pan by lining it with baking paper, set your oven to 170°C fan
  • Place the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl and mix well with a spoon or balloon whisk. Set aside.
  • Place the sugar and grated lemon rind (no pith) into the bowl of your stand mixer. Add the softened cubes of butter and beat until pale in colour.
  • Prepare all your ingredients ready to add to the Mixer. Place your eggs in one bowl, milk in a jug, and have the flour mix you prepared earlier at the ready.
  • With your mixer on low speed add one egg from the bowl, then take two heaped tablespoons of the flour and add. Continue with the remainder of the eggs in a steady slow stream or one at a time, stop when combined and scrape down.
  • With the remainder of the dry ingredients and the milk at the ready, set the Mixer back to medium and add the dry ingredients and liquid ingredients ½ at a time alternating them. Mix until well combined but avoid overmixing.
  • This batter should be quite thick; place it into the prepared loaf pan and bake it on the middle shelf of your oven. You may have to turn the pan around ½ way through the baking process as I have done.
  • This loaf will take a while to bake. Mine took 55 mins. Start checking at 40 minutes to get an idea of how yours is going. Bake until an inserted skewer comes out clean, or the Internal temp reaches 95°C in the centre. Check "method for the syrup" while the cake is baking.

Method for the syrup:

  • While the cake is baking, make the syrup. Mix the lemon juice and icing sugar together and leave to rest until the cake comes out of the oven. You can cook this out a little, but I prefer the zing that the fresh lemon gives.
  • As soon as you take the cake out of the oven, prick the warm cake all over with a skewer, then gently pour over the syrup and leave it to rest until completely cooled and absorbed.
  • Once cool, carefully ease the cake from the baking pan and remove the baking paper. Just before serving, sift a little more icing sugar over the top for presentation.

Video

Notes

Bec's Tips:
  • Thermomix - If you place your butterfly into the TM bowl and set it to rotate, if it doesn't move, remove it and remix butter for 3 seconds/speed 6, then place the butterfly back in position. It won't move until your butter is just at the right texture but don't overdo it, or your butter will be too soft, and you’ll end up with a gluey dense cake.
  • You can add more lemon zest to the base cake if you wish. I used the rind of 2 (whole medium-sized lemons), peeled them, making sure there was no pith, then grinding them in my TM with the sugar. You could add up to 4, depending on their size. I like to choose lemons that have no wax or scrub off the wax with warm water before peeling.
  • It’s normal for a loaf to have a crack on the top; it's all about how it bakes with so much batter to rise and very little space on the surface. If you want the loaf to be flatter on the top, add a baking strip around the outside of the tin. This will help prevent the heat from setting the sides in place before it has a chance to rise but be warned it will take longer to bake through. You can also leave a depression in the batter as I have in the image I've shared.
  • Don't cut the cake until it is cold. This cake is very tender but will firm up once allowed to cool. If you pop it in a container and place it in the fridge overnight, it will be even easier to slice, and portion once chilled.