Lemon Drizzle Cake

Step 1

Set the oven to 350°F and wait until the indicator light or beep tells you it has finished heating, about 10 minutes.

Step 2

Line an 8-inch round or square cake pan with parchment paper, letting the paper overhang the edges by 2 inches on all sides.

Step 3

Zest the lemon by rubbing it firmly against the small holes of a box grater or microplane until you have about 1 teaspoon of fine yellow zest, then cut the lemon in half and squeeze out the juice into a small bowl.

Step 4

Add the softened butter and caster sugar to a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer or by hand with a wooden spoon for 2–3 minutes until the mixture is pale, fluffy, and looks like soft scrambled eggs.

Step 5

Crack the eggs into a small bowl, beat them lightly with a fork until uniform, then add them to the butter mixture in two parts, beating well after each addition until no streaks of egg remain.

Step 6

Pour the self-raising flour and lemon zest onto the butter mixture and fold gently with a rubber spatula, lifting batter from the bottom of the bowl up and over the dry ingredients until no flour streaks remain, about 1 minute.

Step 7

Pour the finished batter into the prepared cake pan, smooth the top with a spatula so it's level, then slide the pan into the preheated oven.

Step 8

Bake for 18–22 minutes until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.

Step 9

While the cake bakes, pour the lemon juice into a small bowl and add the icing sugar gradually, stirring with a spoon until you have a thick, spreadable paste with no lumps.

Step 10

Remove the cake from the oven and let it rest in the pan for 5 minutes, then lift it out using the parchment paper overhang and set it on a cooling rack.

Step 11

While the cake is still warm, spoon or spread the lemon glaze evenly over the top surface in a thin layer, letting some drip down the sides.

Step 12

Let the cake cool to room temperature on the rack, about 15 minutes, so the glaze firms up into a crumbly, crunchy layer, then slice and serve.