Easy Lemon Drizzle Cake

I have made lemon drizzle cake several times and this is by far the easiest and the best recipe for lemon drizzle cake I have used. This recipe was sent to me by 8 year old Chloe. It's a really easy recipe to scale up, I doubled it and baked it in my big loaf tin as I had lots of people to feed.

Mothers Day is not too far away and I think this cake is perfect for children to make for their mums as it's so easy and delicious. Chloe says that it is lovely served as a dessert with clotted cream and some raspberries. 

---

Easy Lemon Drizzle Cake

• Time:  15 minutes + 45 minutes baking
• Cost:  21p per serving (based on 8 servings)
• Calories:  355 per serving (based on 8 servings)
• Makes: 8-10 slices

Ingredients:

• 150g caster sugar
• 150g butter or margarine at room temperature
• 2 medium eggs, whisked
• 150g self-raising flour
• 1 large lemon, finely grated zest and juice
• 1 - 2 tablespoons of water
• 1 & 1/2 tablespoons caster sugar

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 4 / 180 C. Grease a small loaf tin or cake tin, or line with greaseproof paper.
2. Cream the caster sugar and butter (or margarine) together using an electric hand whisk or wooden spoon. Gradually incorporate the whisked eggs until smooth-ish.
3. Sieve the flour over the mixture and add the finely grated lemon zest. Using a metal spoon or spatula, fold the flour and zest into the mixture.
4. The cake batter may be a little stiff, so at this point fold in 1-2 tablespoons of cold water to loosen it a little. You don't want it to be too liquid though.
5. Pour the mixture into your tin and bake for around 45 minutes until a skewer just comes out clean. It's worth testing the cake after 35 minutes as ovens can vary.
6. While the cake is baking, combine the lemon juice with 1 & 1/2 tablespoons of caster sugar until smooth.
7. When the cake comes out of the oven, use a skewer to prick it all over on the top. Allow to cool for around 15 minutes and then remove from the tin and place it on your serving dish. 
8. Carefully spoon the sugar-lemon drizzle mixture evenly over the cake allowing some to run over the sides. Allow to fully cool and then enjoy.