Lemon Drizzle Cake

You can't get more classic than a lemon drizzle cake, and I take my lemon cakes very seriously. I ensure that my lemon cakes are packed full of lemon flavour, so not only is the drizzle made from lemon juice, but I soak the cake in lemon syrup and add crystallised lemon zest to the decoration for an extra texture and taste.

This cake always goes down well with family and friends and it's so easy to make. I always try to make it on the same day I'm serving it so everyone enjoys the cake at its freshest and fluffiest.

Either continue scrolling for the step by step recipe or watch my full YouTube tutorial here!

My cake sunk in the middle, what have I done wrong?
Sinking cakes is usually down to either slightly undercooking the cake, or it's been knocked int he oven during the baking process. To avoid this, don't open the oven door or rotate the cake until at least 2/3 of the way through baking.
My icing is too runny and ran all the way off the cake!
There isn't a rule to how thick or thin the icing should be, in fact lemon drizzle cakes can also have one thin glaze over the whole cake so don't worry if it's on the thin side! If you make the icing and it's too thin before you've decorated the cake, add more icing sugar to thicken it up
Can I freeze the cake?
Yes! this cake freezes very well and lasts up to 3 months in the freezer. Best to defrost at room temperature.

FAQs and Troubleshooting

You can use the same recipe and replace the lemon zest for orange or lime. It works so well with other citrus flavours!
Make sure you soak the cake whilst it's still hot, in the tin, to allow all the syrup to be absorbed into the cake
To ensure that the crack in the cake is central after it's been baked, you can draw a line of melted butter down the middle of the cake before baking

You can use the same recipe and replace the lemon zest for orange or lime. It works so well with other citrus flavours!
Make sure you soak the cake whilst it's still hot, in the tin, to allow all the syrup to be absorbed into the cake
To ensure that the crack in the cake is central after it's been baked, you can draw a line of melted butter down the middle of the cake before baking

You can use the same recipe and replace the lemon zest for orange or lime. It works so well with other citrus flavours!
Make sure you soak the cake whilst it's still hot, in the tin, to allow all the syrup to be absorbed into the cake
To ensure that the crack in the cake is central after it's been baked, you can draw a line of melted butter down the middle of the cake before baking

Top Tips

Cake:

Preheat the oven to 160°C/320°F with fan or 180°C/355°F no fan
Grease and line a loaf tin with baking paper and set aside
In large bowl, combine the melted butter, sugar and lemon zest and use a whisk to mix until fully incorporated
Break the eggs into a separate bowl and add the eggs along with the milk to the large bowl and whisk together to fully combine
Finally, add in the flour (or flour and baking powder) and fold in using a spatula until a smooth, even batter is formed
Pour the batter in to the load tin and make sure it's spread out evenly
Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden brown and springs back to the touch
Whilst the cake is baking, prepare the crystallised lemon zest

Crystallised Lemon Zest:

Peel a whole lemon and cut the zest into thin strips, trying to remove all of the white flesh from the zest too
Fill a saucepan of water and place the zest inside and put it onto a medium heat
Once the water bubbles, strain the zest through a sieve and repeat the same process (this removes the bitterness from the zest)
After the second time the zest has been strained, fill the pan with the measured amount of water and sugar and place the zest back inside
Heat the pan until bubbling, allowing the sugar to melt into the water
Leave the sugar water bubbling until the zest starts to look translucent
Strain the zest over a bowl, catching the sugar syrup underneath
Spread the lemon zest on a paper towel and leave to dry
Once the cake comes out the oven, soak with the lemon syrup and leave to cool completely in the tin

Icing:
Once the cake is cool, prepare the icing by combining small amounts of lemon juice with the icing sugar until a thick yet runny consistency is formed
Use a spoon or fork to drizzle the icing over the cake
Whilst it's still wet, sprinkle over the crystallised lemon zest

This lemon cake will last up to 3 days stored in an airtight container at room temperature.

Cake:

Preheat the oven to 160°C/320°F with fan or 180°C/355°F no fan
Grease and line a loaf tin with baking paper and set aside
In large bowl, combine the melted butter, sugar and lemon zest and use a whisk to mix until fully incorporated
Break the eggs into a separate bowl and add the eggs along with the milk to the large bowl and whisk together to fully combine
Finally, add in the flour (or flour and baking powder) and fold in using a spatula until a smooth, even batter is formed
Pour the batter in to the load tin and make sure it's spread out evenly
Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden brown and springs back to the touch
Whilst the cake is baking, prepare the crystallised lemon zest

Crystallised Lemon Zest:

Peel a whole lemon and cut the zest into thin strips, trying to remove all of the white flesh from the zest too
Fill a saucepan of water and place the zest inside and put it onto a medium heat
Once the water bubbles, strain the zest through a sieve and repeat the same process (this removes the bitterness from the zest)
After the second time the zest has been strained, fill the pan with the measured amount of water and sugar and place the zest back inside
Heat the pan until bubbling, allowing the sugar to melt into the water
Leave the sugar water bubbling until the zest starts to look translucent
Strain the zest over a bowl, catching the sugar syrup underneath
Spread the lemon zest on a paper towel and leave to dry
Once the cake comes out the oven, soak with the lemon syrup and leave to cool completely in the tin

Icing:
Once the cake is cool, prepare the icing by combining small amounts of lemon juice with the icing sugar until a thick yet runny consistency is formed
Use a spoon or fork to drizzle the icing over the cake
Whilst it's still wet, sprinkle over the crystallised lemon zest

This lemon cake will last up to 3 days stored in an airtight container at room temperature.

Method

Loaf tin
Baking paper
Large bowl
Whisk
Rubber spatula
Small saucepan
Sieve
Extra bowl
Vegetable Peeler
Knife
Paper towel

Loaf tin
Baking paper
Large bowl
Whisk
Rubber spatula
Small saucepan
Sieve
Extra bowl
Vegetable Peeler
Knife
Paper towel

Equipment

Cake:

170g melted butter
260g caster/granulated sugar
150g (3) egg
260g self-raising flour (or 248g plain flour and 12g baking powder)
130ml milk Vanilla extract Zest
1 large lemon

Crystallised Lemon zest:
1 lemon
150g sugar
100ml water

Icing
Lemon juice
100g icing sugar

Cake:

170g melted butter
260g caster/granulated sugar
150g (3) egg
260g self-raising flour (or 248g plain flour and 12g baking powder)
130ml milk Vanilla extract Zest
1 large lemon

Crystallised Lemon zest:
1 lemon
150g sugar
100ml water

Icing
Lemon juice
100g icing sugar

Ingredients

My cake sunk in the middle, what have I done wrong?
Sinking cakes is usually down to either slightly undercooking the cake, or it's been knocked int he oven during the baking process. To avoid this, don't open the oven door or rotate the cake until at least 2/3 of the way through baking.
My icing is too runny and ran all the way off the cake!
There isn't a rule to how thick or thin the icing should be, in fact lemon drizzle cakes can also have one thin glaze over the whole cake so don't worry if it's on the thin side! If you make the icing and it's too thin before you've decorated the cake, add more icing sugar to thicken it up
Can I freeze the cake?
Yes! this cake freezes very well and lasts up to 3 months in the freezer. Best to defrost at room temperature.

The recipe below makes one loaf cake

My cake sunk in the middle, what have I done wrong?
Sinking cakes is usually down to either slightly undercooking the cake, or it's been knocked int he oven during the baking process. To avoid this, don't open the oven door or rotate the cake until at least 2/3 of the way through baking.
My icing is too runny and ran all the way off the cake!
There isn't a rule to how thick or thin the icing should be, in fact lemon drizzle cakes can also have one thin glaze over the whole cake so don't worry if it's on the thin side! If you make the icing and it's too thin before you've decorated the cake, add more icing sugar to thicken it up
Can I freeze the cake?
Yes! this cake freezes very well and lasts up to 3 months in the freezer. Best to defrost at room temperature.