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Lovely lemon drizzle loaf

By Cassie Best

A classic recipe for this much-loved citrus sponge with crunchy sugar topping and moist texture

Prep:25 mins
Cook:50 mins

Serves 10
Easy

Nutrition per serving

kcal 377
fat 19g
saturates 11g
carbs 49g
sugars 32g
fibre 1g
protein 4g
salt 0.6g

Ingredients

200g salted butter, softened, plus a little for greasing
200g golden caster sugar
zest 3 large unwaxed lemons (save a little to decorate)
3 large eggs, at room temperature
225g self-raising flour
50g full-fat natural yogurt
2 tbsp good-quality lemon curd
juice 1½ lemons
85g granulated sugar
4-5 sugar cubes, crushed

Tip

Make your lemon drizzle cake extra zesty

Add the lemon zest at the beginning – that way it gets bashed about a bit during all the mixing, releasing more of its lemony oil into the cake batter.

Method

Heat oven to 170c/150c fan/gas 31?2. Grease and line a 2lb loaf tin with baking parchment. Put the butter, caster sugar and lemon zest in a large bowl, and beat with an electric hand whisk until pale and fluffy. Crack in 1 egg, whisk into the butter mixture until well combined, then add 1 heaped tbsp flour and mix again. Continue with the remaining eggs and flour, finishing with any remaining flour and mixing until just combined. Finally, add the yogurt and lemon curd, and fold together with a spatula until smooth. Scrape the mixture into the tin and bake in the centre of the oven for 45-50 mins until golden and risen – a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake should come out clean.
Leave to cool in the tin for 5 mins. For the drizzle, mix the lemon juice and sugars in a small bowl. Transfer the cake to a cooling rack. Using a fine skewer or cocktail stick, poke holes all over the top of the cake. Spoon over the drizzle, scatter with the reserved zest and leave to soak in for 10 mins before serving. Will keep in a cake tin for 3 days.