Lemon Drizzle Loaf Cake

Moist loaf cake soaked in a tangy lemon syrup and a drizzle of lemon icing. This lemon drizzle cake is sweet, bright, and refreshing!

What is a lemon drizzle cake?

Lemon drizzle cake is a traditional British cake typically served with tea! The drizzle comes from the icing made from lemon juice and sugar that is drizzled over the cake after it is baked for a sweet and tangy flavor.

The lemon glaze should set to a crackly icing that goes perfectly with the moist sponge cake beneath. It's truly the perfect kind of cake to pair with a cup of warm tea.

Ingredients

Cake

• Whole milk: Make sure you use whole milk, the fat content of the milk helps create a moister, fluffier cake.
• Vegetable oil: Vegetable oil adds fat while keeping the cake light!
• Unsalted butter: Butter adds fat while giving the loaf a more fragrant flavour

• Granulated sugar: Sugar is needed for sweetness, as well as an extra lightness to the loaf
• Large eggs: Binds everything together
• Plain flour: Plain flour or all-purpose flour forms the structure of the cake

• Baking powder: Gives the cake rise and fluffiness
• Pinch of salt: Balances out the flavours in the cake
• Lemon zest: Lemon zest adds a lemon fragrance without adding extra moisture to the cake

Lemon Syrup

• Lemon juice: Make sure you use freshly squeezed lemon juice as it will have more flavor and tang. The lemon juice will also add extra moisture and lemon flavor to your cake.
• White sugar: This balances out the sourness in the lemon juice and adds sweetness to the cake. If you like a sweeter cake feel free to increase this!

Lemon Icing

• Icing/powdered sugar: Make sure you use powdered sugar otherwise the sugar won't dissolve with the lemon juice to form the glaze
• Lemon juice: If you aren't a fan of a super lemony cake you can replace this with milk

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does this last?

This lasts up to 2 days when stored in an airtight container at room temperature, or up to 4 days when stored in the fridge.

How should I serve this?

You can serve this cake at room temperature for a soft loaf with crackly icing. Or warm it up in the microwave or toaster oven for a warm cake.

When the cake is warmed up the icing melts into the cake to create a lemon syrup, making it moister than if it was served at room temperature. You can even serve it with a dollop of whipped cream for an a well-rounded dessert.

Can I make this with different citrus?

Yes of course! This recipe works well with most kinds of citrus. If you are using a citrus that is sweeter than lemons ie. oranges, mandarins, etc. make sure you adjust the sugar levels in the syrup.

You can taste the syrup and adjust to your liking!

Why is my cake dense and gummy?

There are a couple of reasons why your cake might be gummy or dense. The first is if too much liquid has been added to the cake. This may happen if you decide to add extra lemon juice to the cake batter or add too much milk.

The cake can turn out dense if the batter was overmixed. Make sure you only mix until everything is just combined. The more you stir the batter the denser your cake will turn out.

Let's Get Cooking

If you liked this recipe make sure to leave me a comment and rating down below, I would love to know how you went. Also don't forget to tag me on Instagram @catherine.desserts so I can see and share your desserts.

Follow me on facebook, pinterest, youtube and tiktok for more of my baking creations and updates! Until next time... happy caking!

📖 Recipe

Lemon Drizzle Loaf Cake Recipe

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Moist loaf cake soaked in a tangy lemon syrup and a drizzle of lemon icing. This lemon drizzle cake is sweet, bright, and refreshing!

• Author: Catherine Zhang
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
• Yield: 1 loaf cake 1x
• Category: Cake
• Method: Easy
• Cuisine: British

Ingredients

Units MUS Scale 1x2x3x

Cake

• 120ml Whole milk (½ cup)
• 60ml Vegetable oil (¼ cup)
• 30g Unsalted butter (2 tablespoon 1 tsp), room temperature
• 150g White sugar (¾ cup)
• 2 Eggs, room temperature
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract
• 165g Plain flour (1 ⅓ cup)
• 2 tsp Baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• Zest of one lemon

Lemon Syrup

• 120ml Lemon juice (½ cup)
• 50g White sugar (¼ cup)

Lemon Icing

• 100g Icing/powdered sugar (1 cup)
• 2 tbsp Lemon juice, approx

See Also This Recipe:  Mandarin Mochi

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Instructions

Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F
2. Line a 9 x 5 inch / 22 x 13cm loaf tin with baking paper
3. Add sugar, butter, and oil to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat for 5 minutes on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy
4. Add the eggs and vanilla extract to the butter and beat on high for 1 minute, until well combined
5. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium-sized bowl, and whisk to combine
6. Add half the flour mix to the butter mix and beat until just combined
7. Add the milk, followed by the rest of the flour and lemon zest, beat until just combined
8. Transfer the batter to the cake tin and bake for 45-50 mins, or until an inserted toothpick emerges clean
9. Set aside as you make the lemon syrup

Lemon Syrup

1. Combine the lemon juice and sugar in a small saucepan or microwave-safe bowl and heat until the sugar has completely dissolved
2. Use a skewer to poke holes all over the surface of the cake
3. Pour the warm lemon syrup over the warm loaf cake
4. Set aside to cool and soak for 30 minutes

Lemon Icing

1. Combine the lemon juice and sugar together in a large bowl, whisk until smooth
2. Add more lemon juice if the icing is too thick, and add more. sugar if it is too runny
3. Drizzle over the cooled cake and set aside for 30 minutes to set

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