Lemon Drizzle Loaf Cake! – Back to Basics!
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An easy lemon drizzle loaf cake – lemon sponge, lemon drizzle, lemon icing… what more could you want?! Another post in my back to basics series!
Lemon drizzle loaf cake
So, say hello to your new lemon addiction. I have always been a fan of lemon flavours, and this new post, another instalment in my back to basics series, is my lemon drizzle loaf cake. It’s easy, it’s delicious, and I love it.
In the past, I have uploaded my lemon lime drizzle cake – which is fairly similar. It’s an old post, with different quantities, and is obviously lemon and lime combined! As you all adore loaf cakes even more now though, I thought I would do an in-depth post into this beauty.
Tin
So… when you are starting with a loaf cake, you need the right tin. Loaf tins can vary greatly in size, even if they are described as being the same tin. For example, I have three different 2lb loaf tins, but they are all slightly different in how much water they can hold. Usually, this is okay as long as they are similar enough! For reference, this is the 2lb loaf tin that I use! If it helps, the exact measurements are – 24.4 x 14.4 x 6.9 cm. This may help you if your’s varies slightly!
Some loaf tins are still 2lb, but they are slightly wider and shallower, which means the bake time can vary – but baking a loaf cake is quite similar to baking a Bundt Cake. They can vary dependent on tin, just like a Bundt Cake, but usually they work out the same!
When I line the tin, I usually grease it slightly and then add parchment paper on top. I don’t then grease on top of the paper. I don’t feel the need, and if you use the correct type of baking parchment, then you definitely don’t need to do it!
Cake mix
Now when it comes to the cake mix, it really is just a basic cake mix. Even weight quantities of butter, sugar, eggs and flour – with lemon added in. Because it’s just the basic cake mix, you need to make sure the quantities are correct.
You can help this by weighing your eggs, in their shells, but generally I find 5 medium eggs = 250g of mix. It’s much easier this way. If you use large eggs, they can often be 60g, so I would only use 4 eggs, and only 240g each of the rest of the ingredients. I hope this makes sense.
When it comes to the lemon, you have two choices. Fresh lemon zest grated finely, or lemon extract! Either work well, and they both work the same! I swap between both each time, and they both work well. If you want to use the zest, you can then use the same lemons for the drizzles later.
Bake
When baking a loaf cake, it can vary a bit just like bundt cakes, as mentioned earlier! The usual timings is 55-65 minutes, because it’s quite a lot of mix, in a smaller sized tin (compared to a round tin!).
Sometimes, the baking can take longer though. My oven is a fan oven, so I put it on the fan setting at 160C – I set the timer for 55 minutes, and then check it. If when I open the door and touch the tin the cake wobbles, it’s definitely not done! However, if it’s not wobbling it’s worth checking.
Checking a cake is a fine balance though. When opening the oven door, you really don’t want to take too long. For every second an oven door is open, you will lose LOTS of heat. If your cake isn’t finished baking, it can sometimes also sink if taken out too early.
Lemon drizzle
For the lemon drizzle, you want to mix together the lemon juice and caster sugar – it makes a sort of cloudy drizzly paste – spoon this over the cake once it’s come out of the oven and it will soak in. Leave the cake to cool fully before moving from the tin!
The wonderful thing about this sort of cake is that it’s simple, but it’s so delicious. The lemon drizzle keeps the cake lovely and moist – and it won’t dry out. I use my stand mixer to mix the cake ingredients together, and it’s amazing. Although, this isn’t essential.
Decoration
Once cooled, you can optionally decorate it – I use the icing sugar, ‘watered’ down with some more lemon juice – and just drizzle it over with a small spoon! I then sprinkle on some lemon zest to make it look pretty, but both the icing drizzle and zest are optional. They just look nice!.
You can of course leave it completely plain, top it with a buttercream or even a fresh cream topping – that’s the charm of a bake like this, you can do whatever you want.
Top tips
A handy method to check if your cake is ready, is to (carefully!!) listen to the cake – if it’s making a bubbling/crackling sound, then it’s not actually finished baking either. You’ll want to continue baking till the skewer is clean, and also not making a sound.
I classically use caster sugar for the sponge and main drizzle, but this can be switched with golden caster sugar, light brown sugar, or even dark brown – but the changes can change the flavour!
I use medium eggs as I have said, and I use self-raising flour. If you can’t access self-raising, you will want to use plain flour with baking powder added in. You whisk in 2 level tsps of baking powder per 150g of flour, before using it in a recipe! It’s often easier to make a larger batch though, and then just store the flour for later use! Easy and delicious.
I hope you love this recipe, any questions leave them below! x
Lemon Drizzle Loaf Cake!
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 250 g unsalted butter
- 250 g caster sugar
- 250 g self raising flour
- 5 medium eggs
- Zest of 2 lemons (2tsp lemon extract)
Drizzle
- 75 ml lemon juice
- 75 g caster sugar
Decoration
- 50 g icing sugar
- 1-2 tsps lemon juice
- Lemon zest
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180C/160C Fan - grease and line your 2lb loaf tin!
- Beat together your butter and sugar together until light and creamy!
- Add in your flour, eggs and lemon and beat again until combined. It'll be a smooth cake mixture!
- Add the mix into the cake tin and bake. This can take 55-65 minutes - but check from 50 minutes onwards.
- Towards the end of baking - in a bowl, mix together your 75ml lemon juice and 75g caster sugar together.
- Once the cake is baked, drizzle this over the cake, whilst still in the tin. Let the cake cool fully.
- Once the cake is cooled, remove from the tin.
- If you want to decorate, mix in lemon juice to your icing sugar until you reach the desired consistency.
- Drizzle this over the cake, and sprinkle on some lemon zest for decoration! Enjoy!
Notes
- I use this loaf tin!
- If it helps, I also use this baking parchment in my bakes!
- As mentioned in the post, if you are using large eggs - use four large eggs, and 240g flour, sugar, butter.
- If your cake sinks, it hasn't finished baking! Loaf tin baking times can vary so check on the cake from 50 minutes onwards.
- This cake will last for 4-5 days at room temp! I store it in a cake storage tin.
- You can easily water down the icing for the drizzle with water instead, but the lemon juice is more zingy!
- If you want to make a smaller cake you can - reduce it down by one medium egg, and use 200g of ingredients. Or even reduce by two eggs, and use 150g of ingredients. The fewer the ingredients the quicker the bake time!
ENJOY!
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J x
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Hey, I can see the recipe says to use butter however I just wanted to check whether stork is fine to use instead?
I find cakes come out better with stork than butter, but happy to use butter if needed and if tastes better!
Thanks
Hiya! You can use either – completely up to you! Enjoy! x
I have made this loaf cake loads of times because it’s the best lemon drizzle cake ever 😊everyone I have baked it for raves about it. Thank u again Jane as have found same from all ur recipes. Can’t wait for ur second book. Ps only been baking for 4 months no fails yet with ur recipes Thank u ☺️ 💖💖
I love this recipe!
Just wondering, I want to try this in mini loaf cake cases instead of 1 big one. Do you know if the recipe will change/how many mini loafs in one big?
Hope that makes sense x
Did you make mini ones? – i am also planning this not sure how long to bake for
Hi, I’ve made this before and its amazing, I wanted to
Mark again but in the little mini loaf cases, how long would you recommend to bake for? X
Hi Jane could you tell me if I have to use lemon extract. Can’t get it at local shops can I use extra lemon juice instead.
Hiya! As per the recipe – you can use lemon juice or lemon zest! Hope this helps! x
Recipe sounds amazing. When you line the tin with the baking paper, do you line the whole tin or just the bottom? In the past I have found it makes the cake a funny shape if it crinkles up round the sides. Thank you x
On a loaf tin, I line the bottom and long sides with one piece of baking paper. Leave the ends but grease well. I agree about the creases leaving indentations on the cake, it spoils the look.
Hi, can you freeze this once decorated? Thanks! 🙂
Hiya! Absolutely you can, for up to 3 months. Enjoy! x
Hello
Could you add poppy seeds, if so how many would you put in?
This is my first time making a lemon drizzle and the icing on top has gone really clear and looks nothing like yours! What am I doing wrong?
Love this recipe however presentation wise it looks nothing like the picture the icing seems to go clear?!
Is there something I’ve missed?
Some icing sugar is thinner so requires less liquid – but as long as it tastes okay!
Hiya. Sorry probably sound like a silly question but when you weigh the eggs do you weigh after they’ve been cracked? And then measure all the ingredients the same weight?!
You weigh the eggs in their shells first. Then whatever they say in the scales , you then weigh out the sugar, butter and flour to the exact amount of weight of the eggs. So if for example the weight of the eggs in their shells weighed 240g then you would weigh out 240g of sugar, butter and flour
I don’t have any lemon extract, can I use lemon juice ìn the cake instead?
For the sponge mixture you would want extract or zest, not juice x
Hi Jane, can you suggest the best way to add white chocolate to this recipe? Thank you!
Hi Jane,
I love this recipe have used it lots before!! Just wondering if I can make the cake batter today and keep it in the fridge until tomorrow and bake it then? Would that work or would it ruin the rise of the cake?
Thank you!!
I always recommend using fresh cake batter xx
The most beautiful lemon drizzle cake. This was the first time I’ve tried to bake a cake, and it was so easy. I used a 2lb tin and probably filled it a little more the 2/3 so it took an extra 10/15 minutes to bake.
Absolutely delicious. Simple ingredients, simple technique and turned out well.
I have a question. My loaf took about 50-53 minutes. However it started browning earlier and by the time I took it out, it was dark brown (looked somewhat burnt). When I cut it, the inside was perfectly fine. Any advice? Would covering with foil half way etc work?
Thank you
Hiya! So glad you loved it. Yes best thing to do with this is to turn the heat down and cover it in foil!x
Hi I made this today using the tin you recommend. My cake domed in the middle, (rise more). Is there a reason it would do this as followed recipe to a t.
Many thanks
Hiya – loaf cakes classically do dome, so there’s nothing to change!