Vintage Lemon Drizzle Cake

 

 

I usually like to have a cake in the cake-tin at the weekend. I like to relax and indulge in a spot of cake and a cup of hot tea while I do it, plus you never know when company is going to drop by. Its always nice to have a cake in the tin when they do.

This cake recipe I am sharing with you today was adapted from the baking book entitled, Vintage Cakes, tremendously good cakes for sharing and giving, by Jane Brocket. It is a British baking book.

 

I have several of Jane's books. One of them is a knitting/crocheting/homemaking book, which I just love.  Her life is filled with joy and color, which is how I like my life to be also. Just because  someone lives on their own that doesn't mean that you can't enjoy a bit of color.

It may look like the cake has sunk in the middle, but that is just where the lemon syrup has collected most of all, and there is a dip in the plate that it is sitting on. I can assure you that it is not fallen in the least, but that middle part is sooooo scrumptiously moist and lemony delicious!  It is my favorite part.

 

Most modern lemon drizzle cakes are baked as loaves and will have a crunchy lemon drizzle on top.  Those are mightly tasty for sure. Still others are like this one, baked in a single round layer and topped with a sticky lemon syrup.

The lemon syrup is applied while both are still warm, the cake and the syrup. The syrup soaks into the cake, leaving a lovely sticky surface, which is much closer to the vintage lemon drizzle cakes of yesteryear.

 

This is not a large cake.  Only one 8-inch layer, but what it lacks in stature is more than made up by taste.  This is a beautiful lemon cake with  both lemon zest and juice being in the cake batter itself.

That sticky soaking syrup contains the juice of two whole lemons which gives it a lovely mouth puckeringly sweet lemon  finish.

I enjoyed a slice warm, before it even cooled entirely. I could not wait. It was beautiful served with a hot cup of Forever Nuts by David's Tea.  The perfect combination.

You just cannot beat a nice slice of a good Lemon Drizzle Cake, and this is one of the finest I have ever baked. Thank you Jane!

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE VINTAGE LEMON DRIZZLE CAKE

As I always say, simple, everyday, baking cupboard ingredients, and not a lot of them. This is citrus season so why not make the most of the fresh lemons that are available to us in the shops at the moment!

• 3./4 cup + 2/3 tsp (175g) butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup (175g) granulated sugar
• 3 large free range eggs
• 1 1/2 cups + 1 heaped TBS (175g) self raising flour
• the finely grated zest of 2 unwaxed or well scrubbed lemons
• the juice of 1/2 lemon

For the soaking syrup:

• 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
• the juice of two lemons

  

It really is important that your ingredients are all at room temperature. This will ensure you the best cake  possible when it comes to your finished cake!  Do scrub your lemons, unwaxed or not, to remove any wax, or insect debris.

If you don't have self raising flour, it is very easy to make your own. For every cup of flour, simply measure out the flour and add 1 1/2 tsp of baking powder and 1/4 tsp of salt.   I make mine up 3 to 4 cups worth at a time.  Its very easy to make and always gets used up.

Most British cake recipes rely on self raising flour.

 

HOW TO MAKE VINTAGE LEMON DRIZZLE CAKE

If you follow the directions exactly and make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature, you are in for a real treat!

Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter an 8-inch round cake tin really well and then line the bottom with baking paper. (I use a loose bottom tin.)

Cream the butter and sugar together until pale in color and quite fluffy Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Beat in the lemon zest and lemon juice until well incorporated.

Sift the flour over top and then fold it in with a large metal spoon, gently but thoroughly. Spoon into the prepared cake tin, leveling the top off with the back of a spoon.

Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until risen and golden brown, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

 

While the cake is baking make the lemon syrup. Combine the lemon juice and sugar in a small saucepan. Heat gently, without stirring, until the sugar melts into the lemon juice. Simmer over medium heat, without stirring until the mixture becomes syrupy.

Remove, set aside and keep warm.

When the cake it done, remove it from the oven and using a skewer or clean knitting needle poke holes in the top of the cake, about 12 to 15. Pour the warm syrup evenly over top of the cake, allowing it to soak in.

Leave the cake to cool completely in the tin before removing. Peel the paper off the bottom and cut into wedges to serve.

This will keep for several days if wrapped in greaseproof paper and stored in an airtight container.

 

Simply put, this was a lovely cake. I enjoyed a wedge of it while it was still slightly warm and took two slices over to my sister for her and my dad to enjoy.  I loved the sticky topping.  Soft cake, sticky topping, a beautiful combination.

It had a lovely delicate lemon flavor and that sticky topping added a lovely sweet/tart finish. Perfectly at home with a nice hot cup of tea, herbal or otherwise. I highly recommend!

 

If you are a fan of the teatime cake, and who doesn't like a bit of cake with their tea, you might also want to check out the following teatime cake recipes!

VINTAGE CONDENSED MILK FRUITED SCONE LOAF - This recipe for this Fruited Scone Loaf hails from the 1950's. The original recipe called it a cake, but it is a very dense and crumbly cake, much more like a scone and so I have relabeled it as a Scone Loaf. Filled with lots of sticky raisins and candied cherries, it is lovely served thinly sliced and buttered with hot cups of tea.

MARMALADE CAKE -  This is a beautiful teatime cake, filled with little bits of sticky orange marmalade. Moist and delicious, flavored with orange and topped with an orange glace icing.  The marmalade adds just a hint of bittersweet in contrast to the normal sugar which is used.  Not at all unpleasant. This is one of my favorite teatime cakes.

Yield: 8 to 10 servings

Author: Marie Rayner

Vintage Lemon Drizzle Cake

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 30 MinInactive time: 1 HourTotal time: 1 H & 40 M

A deliciously moist cake with a delicate lemon flavor, and a lush lemon sugar drizzle glaze. For this cake the glaze is sticky, not crunchy. You might also be tempted to call this a lemon syrup cake. Inactive time reflect the time needed for the cake to cool in the tin before cutting.

Ingredients

• 3./4 cup + 2/3 tsp (175g) butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup (175g) granulated sugar
• 3 large free range eggs
• 1 1/2 cups + 1 heaped TBS (175g) self raising flour
• the finely grated zest of 2 unwaxed or well scrubbed lemons
• the juice of 1/2 lemon

For the soaking syrup:

• 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
• the juice of two lemons

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter an 8-inch round cake tin really well and then line the bottom with baking paper. (I use a loose bottom tin.)
2. Cream the butter and sugar together until pale in color and quite fluffy Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
3. Beat in the lemon zest and lemon juice until well incorporated.
4. Sift the flour over top and then fold it in with a large metal spoon, gently but thoroughly. Spoon into the prepared cake tin, leveling the top off with the back of a spoon.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until risen and golden brown, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. While the cake is baking make the lemon syrup. Combine the lemon juice and sugar in a small saucepan. Heat gently, without stirring, until the sugar melts into the lemon juice. Simmer over medium heat, without stirring until the mixture becomes syrupy.
7. Remove, set aside and keep warm.
8. When the cake it done, remove it from the oven and using a skewer or clean knitting needle poke holes in the top of the cake, about 12 to 15. Pour the warm syrup evenly over top of the cake, allowing it to soak in.
9. Leave the cake to cool completely in the tin before removing. Peel the paper off the bottom and cut into wedges to serve.
10. This will keep for several days if wrapped in greaseproof paper and stored in an airtight container.

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