Actually it’s Victoria’s Fabulous Lemon Drizzle Cake and she got it from some heart-healthy American recipe book, but I’m sure she won’t mind me sharing it with the world. My family adore this, even my non-cake-eating husband, and I frequently make 12 muffins instead of the cake, with exactly the same quantities. A friend of mine in England has made both Nigella’s and Jamie’s (and if I know her, Delia’s) Lemon Drizzle Cake and says this one is the best. I dare you to try it. You know you want to. Then come back and tell me it’s the best Lemon Drizzle Cake ever.
The Ingredients:
1 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup butter (in the Heart book it was margarine, but I refuse to countenance margarine in my kitchen)
1 egg
2 TBSPs low-fat plain yogurt (in an emergency, I once used vanilla and it was fine)
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
Grated zest of a lemon
For the icing: juice of a lemon, plus 1/4 cup caster sugar
The Method:
Preheat oven to 180°
Grease, flour and – if you have the energy – line a standard loaf tin, or put muffin cups in your muffin tray
Cream the butter and sugar
Beat in the egg and yogurt
Beat in the milk
Sieve the flour and BP, then beat into the egg mixture until blended
Stir in the lemon zest
Pour into loaf tin or muffin tray
Bake for one hour or until a skewer comes out clean
Combine lemon juice and sugar and before pouring over the warm cake, stab it all over with a piece of dried spaghetti to make holes for the syrup
Remove from tin, place on rack, leave to cool
The Result:
Oh yes, this is a great recipe and I have the book it comes from. I make it all the time and it’s gone in a flash. Great idea to make it into muffins!
Christina, I can’t really lay claim to it then, can I? I shall have to rename it The Fabulous Lemon Drizzle Cake. Glad to hear you and your family like it.
Hi Charlotte, beautiful photo. I wish I could reach out and take one!
I love lemon anything. I will definitely be trying this recipe out.
By the way, in Aus we would call them cup cakes and not muffins.
Yum! I adore lemons, and agree completely with your opinion of the m word.
Bindi, isn’t it odd? I call them muffins because that’s what the Germans call them, but in England they would be fairy cakes.
Karrie, I know you and I love a lemon. I think I must post the recipe for my Inexplicably Easy Lemon Ice-cream (involves no stirring and no ice-cream machine!).
But I want to spear holes in it with a piece of dried spaghetti!
Thanks Charlotte. I’ve written it down. It sounds delicious and very easy.
Charlotte, I’ve gained ten pounds just reading your past two posts. Will you adopt me?
Lesley, the recipe now includes stabbing. Enjoy.
Hope you like it, Lizzy.
Ian, consider it done. I don’t need another child but my kids could do with another uncle. They’ve only got five, poor things.
Just made it. And it is, indeed, practically the best cake ever. Almost as good, in fact, as my pineapple pie…
You want to know about my pineapple pie, don’t you? Oh yes you do…
Of course you should never allow margarine in your kitchen! That Heart cookbook must be old fashioned, now they have shown that all the trans fats in margarine are very bad for you. Butter forever!
By the way, I also have gained ten pounds from reading these posts, and want to be adopted!
Thanks Charl, and thanks V for the gracious lend! I am now going to try and print it out (ha ha). I agree about margerine, not only is it disgusting, but it does not have all the goodies that butter does.. yum yum..
They look wonderful, Charlotte, and are probably far better for the substitution of butter for the horrible margarine. And the promise of lemon is probably going to be enough for me to overcome my fear of those five words…
Yum – and they contain the recommended daily intake of Vitamin C and will prevent scurvy – so it is essential that I eat a few of these every day!
Charlotte, this is torture! I have no oven for the time being, I can’t even try to make these delicious cakes… I immediately start a list of dishes I have to try once I’ll have my kitchen ready
Yum! I want some!
Must try this one!
I want to try these tomorrow, but it’s supposed to be 90F, so I’ll wait for a cooler day.
Stupid American questions: Is caster sugar what the US calls granulated sugar? I assume 180 is C and not F?
I’m a little stumped what I would call them: cupcakes to me are always frosted, while muffins need to have tops that rise over the cup part. Whatever, they look yummy!
Hey Charlotte! I made this cake today. It is pretty good and I served it without shame to my mother in law who is a domestic goddess I’m always slightly intimidated about cooking or baking for. But that said…it wasn’t quiiiiiiiiite as fantastic as my gin and lime cake recipe which is similiar in concept- but with gin! Bombay Blue Saphire syrup. Mmm mmm good! Come to New Zealand and I’ll make it for you.
I am so glad I have my oven back. I made these yesterday and they are wonderful. Even D, who is not keen on sweet treats or lemon, had two. Next time I might try them with ginger syrup rather than lemon, just for something different…
I love the recipie and the cakes look great but i have a few questions, although this i probally stupid as i want to make the muffins tonight. do you know what the yogurt does and could i subsitute it with oil. you mentioned that they would be called fairy cakes, what about using self rasing flour? im going to go try these and will probaly end up failing. BYE
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Finally got around to making this today Charlotte and must agree, it’s LUSCIOUS
Did you ever post the recipe for the easy lemon ice cream??