Lemon Drizzle Loaf Cake

This lemon loaf cake is a wonderfully simple and utterly delicious classic. Perfect for afternoon tea! There is something about the soft, zesty lemon crumb drizzled with tangy lemon icing that is just too good to resist.

Prep Time15

Cook Time35

Total Time45

Course: Baking

Cuisine: British

Servings: servings

Author: Margie Nomura

Ingredients

For the cake:

3 large eggs
6 oz self-rising flour (self-raising flour) about 1 1/3 cups
1 tsp baking powder
6 oz superfine sugar (caster sugar) about 1 scant cup
6 oz unsalted butter 1 1/2 sticks; diced and at room temperature
2 lemons zested

For the drizzle:

4 oz confectioners' sugar (icing sugar) about 1 scant cup
2 lemons juiced

To serve (optional):

Fresh raspberries
Confectioners' sugar (icing sugar) for dusting

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C/160°C fan). Grease and line a 9.5 x 4-inch (24 x 10 cm) loaf pan with parchment paper. Alternatively, grease with butter and coat with a little flour if you are confident it is very non-stick.
Put the eggs, flour, baking powder, superfine (caster) sugar, butter, and lemon zest into a food processor. Blitz until combined to form a smooth cake batter, scraping down the sides as necessary.
Scrape into the prepared pan and bake in the preheated oven for about 30-35 minutes - or until well risen, bouncy to touch, and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
Meanwhile, while the lemon loaf is baking, sieve the confectioners' (icing) sugar into a medium-sized bowl. Mix in the lemon juice to form a smooth icing.
Once the cake is baked, use a sharp knife or skewer to poke holes across the top, making sure you go all the way down to the bottom. Gradually pour over the icing, a little at a time, ensuring it is evenly distributed across the cake. Leave it to soak in before pouring over the remaining glaze.
Leave in the pan to finish cooling completely.
When ready to serve, remove from the pan and set onto a flat serving plate. Scatter around a few fresh raspberries and dust with icing sugar. Cut into slices and serve with freshly brewed tea.

Notes

Make-ahead and storage

To store: Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

To freeze: Leave the lemon loaf cake to cool completely before covering in a double layer of plastic wrap and chilling for up to 3 months. Defrost fully at room temperature before slicing and serving.

Make ahead: If you can resist it, it will keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. It is actually better after the first day as the lemon drizzle has had time to infuse the sponge.

More quick tips

Softened butter: It is very important that your butter is at a soft room temperature before you start to make this lemon loaf. If it is fridge-cold, it won’t cream with the sugar properly, and you will end up with lumps in the batter.
Measuring: In the UK, we use metric weight and volume measurements for ingredients. For the absolute best results with any British baked good, pull out your kitchen scale and start weighing!
Decorate: If you want to make this lemon loaf cake look even more special, you can decorate with sprigs of fresh mint and candied lemon slices. Some extra lemon zest also looks very pretty.

Nutrition