Lemon Drizzle Cake

This bright lemony loaf cake works any time of a day - eat it for a light dessert, tasty afternoon snack, or an indulgent breakfast. The granulated sugar topping gives you a crackly sugar coating that offers a textural contrast you don't get with icing. You can choose to add extra lemon zest for stronger lemon flavor and poppy seeds for more texture.

lemon poppyseed loaf ingredients

• 6 Tablespoons (85 g) butter

• 1 cup (198 g) sugar

• 2 large eggs

• ¾ cup milk

• ¼ cup lemon juice

• 1 teaspoon to 1 Tablespoon lemon zest or ½ teaspoon to 1 teaspoon lemon extract

• 2 cups (241 g) all purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• ½ teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 2 Tablespoons poppy seeds (optional)

topping:

• ¼ cup lemon juice

• ½ cup (99 g) sugar (granulated)

1. Grease a 9"x5" loaf pan. Preheat the oven to 350° F.

2. Stir lemon juice and milk together and set aside.

3. Melt butter. Whisk butter together with sugar and lemon zest (if using) until thoroughly combined.

4. Whisk in eggs, one at a time, thoroughly combining after each.

5. Slowly add in the milk lemon juice mixture, a little at a time, whisking thoroughly after each addition. Add in lemon extract if using and whisk to combine.

6. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and poppy seeds (if using) and whisk just until everything is combined. Do not over-mix.

7. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Top should be lightly golden, cake should pull away from the pan around the edges, and a toothpick inserted in the middle will come out clean. If the top starts to brown too quickly tent with foil.

8. While the cake is baking, mix sugar and lemon juice together - sugar may not completely dissolve. That is ok.

9. Remove cake from the oven, but leave it in the pan. Let it cool for 5 minutes. Gently poke holes in the top with a toothpick. Drizzle lemon sugar mixture over the top a little at a time, letting it soak in. Let cake cool 15 more minutes in pan.

10. Turn cake out carefully and let it finish cooling (top side up) on a wire rack. Store leftovers in an airtight container.

lemon drizzle