Oooh I love the sharpness of lemon drizzle cake – the sharpness contrasting with the sweet tender crumb, the sticky syrup that drenches it and I’m helpless to resist crystallised rose petals and violets. This is a Nigella Lawson recipe and it works perfectly every time.

I haven’t got a picture of it sliced because I made it for Alex’s school Summer Fair ‘Guess the weight of the cake’ competition. I was about to start when it hit me. It’s a loaf cake made in a 450g tin. Oh dear. That would kind of give the weight away, non? So I got out my long tin (30x11cm), did 1½ quantity and all was well.

Preheat the oven to GM4/180C/350F and grease and line your tin, bringing the paper just above the top of the tin so you can pull it out when it’s cooked. The original recipe is for a 450g tin measuring 23x13x7cm. Mine is 30x11x7cm and takes 1½ the amount.

Zest your lemon and put to one side. My friend Emily sent me this microplane grater from the States. It’s nice to think about Em everytime you grate something – I recommend it.

Cream together the butter and sugar then very gradually add the beaten eggs and zest

Once that’s all combined, add the flour and a pinch of salt and the milk. Spoon into the lined tin and put in the oven for 45-60 mins, depending on your tin size.

Towards the end of the cooking time, put your lemon juice and icing sugar in a small saucepan

and heat very gently, whisking to dissolve the sugar.

Once the cake is golden brown and a cocktail stick comes out clean, remove from the oven and pierce all over with the cocktail stick or a skewer.

Transfer the syrup to a jug (makes the drizzle more of a drizzle than a dirty great tidal wave) and carefully, evenly pour over the cake. Pay plenty of attention to the middle so that it doesn’t just soak round the sides.

Let it sit in the tin and start to soak all the syrup up

At this point, I decided to harness the power of the sticky syrup and pressed my crystallised rose and violet bits to the top. Let it sit in the tin until completely cold.

A very pretty, very delicious cake.

A little edit here. As I gave this one away, I couldn’t show you the inside. I have made another since then and snapped a picture of the cut cake for you to see. Yummo.

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Lemon Syrup Drizzle Cake
adapted from Nigella Lawson’s recipe

PRINT THIS RECIPE (opens in a new window)

Preheat oven to GM4/180C/350F
Grease and line a tin measuring 30x11x7cm *original quantity for 450g tin at bottom*

190g unsalted butter
265g caster sugar
3 large eggs
zest of 2-3 lemons (depending on size)
265g self-raising flour
pinch of salt
6 tblsp milk

Syrup:
juice of 2-3 lemons
150g icing sugar (in fact, I only had 120g and it made no difference)

crystallised rose and violet petals to decorate

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs and lemon zest.
Gently add the flour and salt, then the milk.
Spoon into the lined tin and bake for 55-60 mins – until golden and risen.

Towards the end of the baking time, put the lemon juice and icing sugar into a small saucepan and heat to melt the sugar. Transfer to a jug for easier drizzling.

Once the cake is cooked, remove from the oven and pierce all over with a cocktail stick or wooden skewer. Don’t stab it to death, but equally, be sure to pierce it all over.
Carefully, slowly and evenly pour the syrup all over the cake, giving it time to absorb the syrup.
If desired, press pieces of crystallised rose and violet petals on top.
Cool completely in the tin.
This cake keeps well if it gets the chance.

* Original recipe quantities for a 450g tin measuring 23x13x7cm*
125g unsalted butter
175g caster sugar
2 large eggs
zest of 1-2 lemons
175g self-raising flour
pinch of salt
4 tblsp milk

syrup:
juice of 1-2 lemons (about 4 tblsp)
100g icing sugar