Lemon Drizzle Cake Recipe

This easy Lemon Drizzle Cake is a moist, tender lemon loaf topped with a crunchy lemon sugar drizzle. A classic British cake that's bursting with fresh lemon flavor!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 45

Total Time 1

Servings slices

Calories 344kcal

Author Leigh Anne Wilkes

Equipment

Ingredients

3/4 cup butter, salted softened
1 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs large
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour unbleached
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 lemons zested and juiced

Lemon Drizzle

1/2 cup granulated sugar
2-3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Instructions

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
Line a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper or grease well.
In a large bowl, with an electic hand mixer, cream together softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Beat in eggs.
Add in the flour, baking powder, salt, lemon zest and lemon juice. Mix just until combined.
Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Lemon Drizzle

In a small bowl combine sugar and lemon juice to form a nice glazing, drizzling consistency.
Remove cake from oven and pok the surface with holes using a skewer.
Pour drizzle over the top and allow it to soak into the cake. Let cake cool for 10 minutes.
Remove from pan and allow to cool on a cooling rack until completely cooled.

Notes

Use fresh lemon juice. Freshly squeezed lemon juice will give you the brightest, freshest lemon flavor. Since you’ll also need lemon zest for the cake, zest your lemons before you juice them.
Don’t overmix the batter. Once you add the flour, mix just until everything is combined. Overmixing can make your cake less tender.
Check your loaf early. Loaf pans and ovens can vary, so begin checking the cake a 5-10 minutes before the suggested baking time. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
Add the drizzle while the cake is warm. This allows some of that fresh lemon juice to soak into the cake while the sugar stays on top and creates that wonderful crunchy finish.
Keep the sugar crunchy. Stir the granulated sugar and lemon juice together just before adding it to the cake. You don’t want the sugar to completely dissolve—the little sugar crystals are what give you that delicious crunchy topping.
Prefer a softer glaze? Substitute powdered sugar for the granulated sugar in the drizzle. You’ll get a smoother, softer glaze rather than the traditional crunchy lemon sugar topping.
Let it cool before slicing. As tempting as it is to cut into it right away, allowing the cake to cool will give it time to set up and make it easier to get nice, clean slices.

Nutrition