Lemon Drizzle Cake
A plain loaf cake pierced all over while still hot and drenched in lemon and sugar, which soaks in and then sets into a crackling crust on top. Britain's most-baked cake, by some distance.
Photograph credit: Lemon Drizzle Slice - Café W 2025-12-26 by Andy Li · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Method
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Heat the oven to 175°C / 345°F. Butter and line a 900 g loaf tin with the paper standing proud of the rim.
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Beat the butter, sugar and lemon zest for 5 minutes until pale and fluffy — rubbing the zest into the sugar first releases its oils.
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Add the eggs one at a time, beating well, adding a spoonful of flour if it looks like curdling.
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Fold in the flour, baking powder and salt, then the lemon juice and milk to a soft dropping consistency.
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Scrape into the tin, level the top, and bake 50 to 55 minutes until risen, golden and a skewer comes out clean. Cover with foil at 40 minutes if it is browning fast.
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While it bakes, stir the granulated sugar and lemon juice together. Do not heat it — the sugar should stay granular.
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The moment the cake comes out, pierce it all over, right to the base, with a skewer.
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Spoon the drizzle slowly over the hot cake, letting each addition soak in before adding more.
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Cool completely in the tin. Drizzle with lemon icing and zest if using.
Chef’s Tips
- Hot cake, cold drizzle. That temperature difference is what draws the syrup down into the crumb.
- Granulated sugar in the drizzle, not caster or icing. The undissolved crystals make the crust.
- Cool it in the tin. Turning it out warm and soaked risks it collapsing.
Common Substitutions & Variations
- No self-raising flour to hand? Use the same weight of plain flour plus 2 teaspoons of baking powder per 150 g.
Pairing Suggestions
- A pot of Earl Grey
- Crème fraîche, as a dessert
- Fresh raspberries
Storage & Reheating
Keeps 5 days wrapped at room temperature — it improves on day two — and freezes 3 months.
Common questions
How long does Lemon Drizzle Cake take to make?
About 1 hour in total — 15 minutes of preparation and 45 minutes of cooking. The recipe serves 10.
What are the key tips for making Lemon Drizzle Cake?
Hot cake, cold drizzle. That temperature difference is what draws the syrup down into the crumb. Granulated sugar in the drizzle, not caster or icing. The undissolved crystals make the crust. Cool it in the tin. Turning it out warm and soaked risks it collapsing.
What should I serve with Lemon Drizzle Cake?
A pot of Earl Grey; Crème fraîche, as a dessert; Fresh raspberries.
Can Lemon Drizzle Cake be made ahead or frozen?
Keeps 5 days wrapped at room temperature — it improves on day two — and freezes 3 months.
Is Lemon Drizzle Cake suitable for a special diet?
This recipe is vegetarian. Those labels are checked against the ingredient list, so a dish is only marked when nothing in it contradicts the claim.
How many calories are in Lemon Drizzle Cake?
About 428 kcal per serving, with 5 g protein, 58 g carbohydrate and 20 g fat. The figures are calculated from the ingredient list and are an estimate.
Nutritional Highlights
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.
Reader Reviews
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Written and tested by Turab
One person, one kitchen — no test kitchen, no team. How every recipe on this site is checked before it goes up.
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