Lemon drizzle cake
I made lemon drizzle cake on Thursday night, using a different recipe to my usual. I'm trying out a selection of lemon cake recipes to find the ultimate! Thursdays was my favourite so far, I think. It's a Mary Berry recipe, though I tinkered a bit with the lemon syrup for the topping and varied the tin from that stated.
225g softened butter (I used about 100g butter and made the rest up with margarine as I'd run out of butter)
225g caster sugar
275g self-raising flour
2 tsp baking powder
4 eggs
4 tbsp milk (I wasn't exact with this, just sloshed some in until I thought the consistency looked right)
grated zest of two lemons (big unwaxed ones)
For the topping: juice of the two lemons, 175g granulated sugar (I used half and half caster and icing sugar)
Cut a rectangle of non-stick baking parchment to fit the base and sides of a 30 x 23 x 4 cm roasting tin. Grease the tin and line with the paper, pushing it neatly into the corners of the tin.Preheat the oven to 160C/gas 2. (I used a 20cm square cake tin, lined)
Measure all the ingredients into a large bowl nd beat well for two minutes until well blended. (I did the classic cream the butter and sugar, then add eggs, then flour and lemon zest method)
Turn into the prepared tin, levelling the top gently with a plastic spatula.
Bake in the middle of the oven for 35-40 minutes, until the cake springs back when lightly pressed and is beginning to shrink away from the edges of the tin. (Mine needed 45 minutes, with the oven turned up to gas 3 for the last ten minutes)
Leave the cake to cool for a few minutes then remove it from the tin and place it on a wire rack.
Mix the lemon juice and sugar in a small bowl and spoon over cake while it is still just warm. Cut into squares when cold and store in an airtight tin. (I had made the syrup while the cake was baking and left it on the hob where it warmed slightly and the sugar melted. My topping wasn't crunchy but soaked thoroughly through the cake)
225g softened butter (I used about 100g butter and made the rest up with margarine as I'd run out of butter)
225g caster sugar
275g self-raising flour
2 tsp baking powder
4 eggs
4 tbsp milk (I wasn't exact with this, just sloshed some in until I thought the consistency looked right)
grated zest of two lemons (big unwaxed ones)
For the topping: juice of the two lemons, 175g granulated sugar (I used half and half caster and icing sugar)
Cut a rectangle of non-stick baking parchment to fit the base and sides of a 30 x 23 x 4 cm roasting tin. Grease the tin and line with the paper, pushing it neatly into the corners of the tin.Preheat the oven to 160C/gas 2. (I used a 20cm square cake tin, lined)
Measure all the ingredients into a large bowl nd beat well for two minutes until well blended. (I did the classic cream the butter and sugar, then add eggs, then flour and lemon zest method)
Turn into the prepared tin, levelling the top gently with a plastic spatula.
Bake in the middle of the oven for 35-40 minutes, until the cake springs back when lightly pressed and is beginning to shrink away from the edges of the tin. (Mine needed 45 minutes, with the oven turned up to gas 3 for the last ten minutes)
Leave the cake to cool for a few minutes then remove it from the tin and place it on a wire rack.
Mix the lemon juice and sugar in a small bowl and spoon over cake while it is still just warm. Cut into squares when cold and store in an airtight tin. (I had made the syrup while the cake was baking and left it on the hob where it warmed slightly and the sugar melted. My topping wasn't crunchy but soaked thoroughly through the cake)