Lemon Drizzle Loaf

Name: Lemon Drizzle Loaf
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 2 h
Total time: 2 h 20 min
Cuisine: United Kingdom
Ingredients: 175 g (12 tbsp) unsalted butter, very soft, plus extra for the pan; 175 g (¾ cup + 2 tbsp) superfine (caster) sugar; 2 unwaxed lemons, zest finely grated, juice reserved for the drizzle; 3 large eggs (about 150 g without shells), at room temperature; 175 g (1½ cups) self-raising flour, or all-purpose + 8 g (2 tsp) baking powder; 1 pinch fine sea salt; 60 g (¼ cup) plain yogurt or milk; 75 ml (5 tbsp) lemon juice (from the 2 lemons above); 100 g (½ cup) granulated sugar, coarser sugar gives more crunch

A tender lemon loaf soaked with a crackly sugar-and-lemon syrup

Makes: 1 loaf (900 g / 2 lb tin)
Hands-on: 20 min
Total: 2 h 20 min
Level: Easy

A buttery, lemon-zested loaf, pricked all over while hot and soaked with lemon juice and sugar, which sets into a thin, sharp, crackling crust. It's simple, keeps for days and is better on the second day.

Ingredients

Cake

175 gunsalted butter, very soft (12 tbsp)plus extra for the pan
175 gsuperfine (caster) sugar (¾ cup + 2 tbsp)
2unwaxed lemons, zest finely gratedjuice reserved for the drizzle
3large eggs (about 150 g without shells)at room temperature
175 gself-raising flour (1½ cups)or all-purpose + 8 g (2 tsp) baking powder
1 pinchfine sea salt
60 gplain yogurt or milk (¼ cup)

Drizzle

75 mllemon juice (from the 2 lemons above) (5 tbsp)
100 ggranulated sugar (½ cup)coarser sugar gives more crunch

Diet: Vegetarian
Allergens: gluten, egg, milk
Origin: United Kingdom

Method

Heat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Butter a 900 g (2 lb) loaf pan and line it with a sling of baking paper.
Beat the butter, superfine sugar and lemon zest with an electric mixer for 3 minutes (or a wooden spoon for 6–8), until pale and fluffy. 4 min
Beat in the eggs one at a time, adding a spoonful of the flour with the last one if it looks curdled.
Fold in the flour and salt, then the yogurt, until smooth. Scrape into the pan and level the top.
Bake 45–50 minutes, until golden, risen and a skewer comes out clean. 48 min
While it bakes, stir the lemon juice and granulated sugar together; don't let the sugar dissolve completely.
As soon as the cake comes out, prick it all over, right to the bottom, with a skewer. Spoon over the drizzle slowly, letting it soak in. Leave in the pan until completely cool, about 1 hour; the sugar sets into a crisp crust. 1 h

Why it works

Lemon's flavor lives in the oils of the zest, so rubbing and beating zest with sugar and butter carries it all through the crumb, while the juice goes on afterwards where its sharpness stays bright. A hot cake drinks syrup readily through the holes, and undissolved sugar crystals left on the surface dry into the signature crackly glaze.

Common mistakes

Dissolving the sugar fully. You'll get a soggy top instead of a crunchy one.
Drizzling a cold cake. It won't absorb the syrup.
Using waxed lemons for zest. Scrub them well or buy unwaxed.

Variations

Lemon and poppy seed: Fold 15 g (2 tbsp) poppy seeds into the batter.
Orange or lime: Use 1 large orange or 3 limes for both zest and juice.

Make ahead and storage

Keeps 5 days wrapped at room temperature; freezes well for 2 months.

Notes

Fan oven: 160°C (320°F).