Lemon drizzle cake recipe made from scratch with fresh lemons and an easy to follow cake recipe. A lovely citrus cake thats crumbly, moist and perfect for an afternoon tea or as a celebration or birthday cake. Topped with lemon syrup, lemon icing, fresh mint and lemon zest, this really is the best lemon drizzle cake you'll ever make.
Start by pre heating the oven to 160 degrees C / 320 degrees F. Then prepare the loaf tin by lining with greaseproof paper. Use margarine or butter to help stick the paper to the sides and base of the tin.
Add 150g of softened, cubed butter and 150g caster sugar to a mixing bowl or to your stand mixer/food processor.
Cream together the sugar and butter using the beater attachment on the stand mixer. Alternatively use a hand held whisk or food processor.
Start the mixer off slowly and as the ingredients start to combine take it up to full speed. Then mix for around 10 minutes or until the sugar and butter are creamy.
Gradually add 3 beaten eggs to the creamed sugar and butter, whilst keeping the mixer on high. (or add a bit of egg and then whisk in by hand before adding the next bit). Adding the egg should be done as slowly as possible and can take at least 10 minutes. 
TIP: If you add too much egg too quickly the mixture will split and be ruined. To help avoid this you can add 1 pr 2 tablespoons of the Self raising flour, ahead of time. So make sure you already have your flour weighed out and if you're worried the mixture might split at any time - add in a bit of the flour and continue to mix. 



After all the egg is combined into the mixture, remove the bowl from the stand mixer. Add the self raising flour (or the remaining flour of you have already used some) and the zest of 2 unwaxed lemons.
Use a spatula to gently fold the flour and zest into the mixture. Ensuring that the batter stays light and fluffy.



Carefully transfer the cake mix to the lined loaf tin and smooth down the top using the spatula.



Place the loaf tin in the centre of the pre heated oven and bake for 45 minutes or until a inserted skewer comes out clean. Leave the cake in the tin for the moment.



In a small bowl mix together the juice of 2 lemons with 100g of caster sugar to form a syrup.
Prick the warm cake all over with a small skewer or cocktail stick. Spoon the lemon syrup all over the warm cake allowing some of the syrup to run into the holes. As the cake cools in the tin the syrup will set and crystallise on the outer edge of the cake.



Once the cake is cooled slightly and the lemon syrup has set (after 20 minutes or so), remove from the tin and place on a wire rack to continue cooling.
Next, mix together the icing sugar and juice of 1 lemon (15ml) to make lemon icing. The lemon icing is an optional step.
 Drizzle the icing over the cooled lemon drizzle cake. I used a piping bag for this but you can just spoon it over if you prefer.
Finally top with freshly chopped mint leaves and extra lemon zest.
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Notes
How long will this cake keep?Lemon drizzle cake will keep well in a sealed container for at least 4 days - sometimes longer.Best way to storeLemon drizzle is best stored in an air tight container and to keep it extra fresh you can also wrap in cling film and then in foil.Can you freeze this cake?You can freeze lemon drizzle but I recommend you freeze the cooled cake as it is without any lemon syrup or lemon icing added. Upon defrosting the syrup and icing can be added. Freeze for up to 3 months and fully defrost at room temperature over night.How do you add lemon flavour to cake?The best way to add lemon flavour to a cake is to add the zest of a couple of lemons to the raw cake mix. This allows the lemon flavour to be distributed evenly and then baked with the cake. Using a dry ingredient also means that the consistency of the cake won't be altered. After baking a lemon syrup can be poured over the warm cake for a boost of extra citrus flavour.Why does my cake sink in the middle?Lemon drizzle cake tends to sink if its bakes at too high a temperature of if the oven door is opened repeatedly during the first 10 minutes of baking. Bake at 160 degrees C or 320 degrees F and avoid opening the oven door until most of the baking time has passed. You may check that the cake isn't catching on the top after 30 minutes.Â