When Life gives you Lemons......

.....there are 3 options:

a. Make lemonade
b. Have a gin and tonic
c. Make a cake

Lemon Drizzle Cake
I don't know anyone who doesn't love Lemon Drizzle Cake. Those people may be out there, but I can honestly say that I haven't met any of them. In a survey I read many moons ago, the nation's favourite cake was found to be this one. That, plus a glut of lemons that seemed to be accumulating at the bottom of my fridge, was all the encouragement I needed to get baking this simple, classic, zesty delight.

Why is this cake is so loved, I wonder? I can't say I have any profound theories on this subject; I am a baker, not a philosopher, after all. But I know why I love it.

If you have been reading my blog for a while, I think you will have gathered that I am not about the elaborate cake. I am about the cake that is relatively simple to make, but is full of good ingredients and most importantly, flavour. There is something about the flavour of lemons that brightens any  cake, and makes it sing. If you like some cake with your drizzle then, in my opinion, the holes you make for the syrup must go all the way to the bottom. Not only does this impart the whole cake with the most delicious lemon flavour, it also makes it incredibly moist. 

You could just leave the cake there, and you wouldn't be disappointed. But the addition of some icing and candied lemons makes this cake really special and worthy of any afternoon tea table.

  

For the Cake
(adapted from Nigella Lawson How to be a Domestic Goddess)

125g unsalted butter, at room temperature 

175g golden caster sugar

2 large eggs, beaten

zest of 1 lemon

175g self-raising flour, sifted

pinch of salt

4 tbsp milk

For the Syrup

4 tbsp lemon juice (1 1/2 lemons)

100g icing sugar

For the Icing (optional)

140g icing sugar, sifted

juice of 1 lemon

You will also need a small loaf tin, size 23 x 13 x 7cm, greased and lined with baking paper

1. Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F/ Gas 4.

2. Cream the butter and sugar together for about 5 minutes until they are light and fluffy.

3. Add the eggs a little at a time, beating well after each addition, and then add the lemon zest.

4. Fold in the flour and salt gently until well mixed in, followed by the milk.

5. Transfer the mixture into the prepared loaf tin, and bake for 45 minutes, or until golden and a skewer comes out clean when inserted.

6. While the cake is cooking, make the syrup by putting the icing sugar and lemon juice into a saucepan and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved.

7. When the cake is done, take it out of the oven and straightaway using a skewer, or cocktail stick, prick all over the surface and spoon over the syrup. 

8. Leave to get completely cold in the tin before turning out onto a cake rack.

9. To make the icing, put the icing sugar in a bowl, and stir in enough lemon juice to make an icing that is thin enough to pour over the cake.

10. Leave the icing to set.

11. Make the candied lemon slices according to the method below and use to decorate the cake.

 

Baking Notes

I decorated the cake with candied lemon slices, which are very easy to make. Cut 1-2 lemons in slices (but not too thin because they have a tendency to fall apart whilst being candied). Put 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water into a saucepan and heat until dissolved, stirring. Place the lemon slices in a single layer in the sugar syrup and boil for 5-7 minutes until they are soft and translucent.

When ready remove from the syrup and place on a sheet of baking parchment on a wire rack, until cold, and then use to decorate the cake.