I’m
excited because I’m finally back at it, by ‘it’ I mean writing {p.s. apologies
for being awol, it was unintentional but life got in the way and I was also
procrastinating a little bit, oops}.
This past weekend the weather was glorious but I still wanted to bake something,
resulting in the difficult decision of deciding on whether cake was worth the
hassle of turning on the oven – the cake won obviously. But in a
bid to justify myself I did opt for a summery flavour; lemon. For me lemons
just embody the essence of good weather, maybe because they’re yellow or
perhaps I associate lemonade with summer or it could even just be the fresh,
zingy flavour – either way I think I made the right choice because I get to end
my day with a cuppa and some cake.
I have made this particular version of lemon cake a lot, its my go-to and it comes out great every time, I also like the fact that its super easy and the mixture can be whipped up in no time because the ingredients are always to hand.
So to make my lemon drizzle loaf you will need:
1. Margarine/butter
2. Caster sugar
3. Eggs
4. Self-raising flour
5. Baking powder
6. Lemons
7. Milk
To start with, beat together 225g of margarine and 225g of caster sugar until light, pale in colour and fluffy - this is enough for one traybake or two loaves so if you want just one then halve all measurements accordingly (also, debut appearance of my new Kitchen Aid, I love it so much).
Add in four eggs, beating well after each addition - at this point you can add in the zest of one lemon and a generous dash of lemon juice.
In the last step, sift in 275g of self raising flour and 1 teaspoon of baking powder alternating with 4 tablespoons of milk. Mix well until a smooth consistency of batter is achieved.
All that's left to do is spoon the mixture into greaseproof paper lined loaf tins and top with a sprinkle of demerara sugar. Place the tins into an oven preheated to Gas Mark 4 and bake until golden brown (around 30 mins but keep an eye on it as timings may vary).
Nearing the end of the baking time prepare the lemon drizzle, this is just a simple syrup consisting of demerara sugar and fresh lemon juice - I never measure the ratios of the two ingredients but just alter as I see fit. Personally I don't like a lot of drizzle as it creates more of a 'wet' layer on the cake so I add in less lemon juice.
As soon as the loaf comes out of the oven prick it all over with a skewer and pour on the syrup, then let it cool in the tin.
As soon as the loaf comes out of the oven prick it all over with a skewer and pour on the syrup, then let it cool in the tin.
Slice up and serve with a side of sunshine (side note: still tastes great even when its raining, this I can attest to).
😋
Enjoy!
Q x
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