Lemon Drizzle Cake
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 55 minutes
Makes 12 squares of cake
- 330g/11.7ozs cake flour*
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 200ml/7ozs milk (full cream or skim)
- 50ml/1.7flozs lemon juice
- 220g/7.7ozs caster or superfine sugar
- 190g/6.7ozs butter, softened
- Finely grated zest of 2 lemons
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
- 3 eggs, room temperature
For Drizzle
- 180g/6ozs white (not caster or superfine) sugar
- 60ml/2flozs lemon juice, strained (no pulp)
- Lemon zest for sprinkling on top (optional)
Cake flour can be bought at the supermarket. You can also make it at home. To make 1 cup/150g/5.2ozs of cake flour replace 2 tablespoons of plain all purpose flour with cornflour/fine cornstarch and whisk well. I usually mix up a big batch of this and keep it in a container ready for baking cakes as it produces a softer texture.
Step 1 - Preheat oven to 150C/300F fan forced and line the base and sides of a 20cm/8inch square cake tin with parchment up the sides so that you can easily lift it out of the tin. In a jug whisk the cake flour and baking powder together. In another jug mix the lemon juice and milk and allow to curdle.
Step 2 Conventional -Place the sugar, butter, lemon zest and vanilla in a food processor and process for 2 minutes. Add eggs in one at a time and pulse after each addition and repeat until they're all added in and you have a smooth mixture. Add in half of the flour mixture and half of the milk mixture and pulse. Then add the remaining flour and milk and pulse until just combined. Scoop into the baking tin and smooth over the top and bake for 50-55 minutes until the centre springs back when touched.
Step 2 Thermomix - Place the sugar, butter, lemon zest and vanilla in the Thermomix and set to 2 minutes/speed#5. Crack eggs into a bowl and set to 30 seconds, speed #5. Remove MC and drop in eggs one at a time until they're all added in. You can stop and scrape down the sides after the second egg just to ensure that they're well incorporated. Add in half of the flour mixture and half of the milk mixture and set to Turbo 2 seconds. Then add the remaining flour and milk and set to Turbo 2 seconds, twice. Scoop into the baking tin and smooth over and bake for 50-55 minutes until the centre springs back when touched.
Step 3 - Remove the cake from the oven and wait for 10 minutes while it cools off a little. Gently lift the cake out of the tin using the parchment and place on a cooling rack sitting on top of a plate or tray to catch any drips. Carefully remove the parchment. Mix the sugar and the lemon juice in a bowl (don't try and dissolve the sugar just mix briefly to combine) and spoon this sugar mixture immediately over the cake while it is still warm. Allow to cool and then cut into squares.