With special thanks to Lorraine Small
Serves 10-12
Ingredients:
■ 175g softened butter
■ 175g caster sugar
■ 3 large eggs
■ zest of 2 lemons
■ 175g self-raising flour
■ 1 tsp baking powder
■ 2 tbsp milk
For the syrup
■ 100g icing sugar
■ Juice of 2 lemons
For the icing
■ 125g icing sugar
■ 2-3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
■ Lemon curd, for the filling
Method:
Preheat your oven to 170°C/Gas Mark 3.
Grease and line a 900g loaf tin with parchment paper.
Cream the softened butter and caster sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Stir in the lemon zest.
Sift the flour and baking powder together. Gradually fold the dry ingredients into the butter mixture, alternating with the milk, until the batter is smooth and well combined.
Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf tin, smoothing the top with a spatula. Bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into
the centre comes out clean. If the top starts to brown too quickly, cover loosely with foil for the last 10-15 minutes.
While the cake is baking, mix the icing sugar with the lemon juice in a small bowl until fully dissolved to create the ‘lemon drizzle’ syrup.
Once baked, remove the cake from the oven. Let the cake cool completely in the tin before transferring it to a wire rack. Split the cake in two and slowly pour the lemon syrup over both sides allowing it to soak in.
Sandwich together with good quality lemon curd. To make the icing, combine the icing sugar and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, adding more juice as needed to create a smooth, pourable glaze. Spread over the cake and leave to set.
