Hairy Bikers Lemon Drizzle Cake Recipe

Hairy Bikers lemon drizzle cake is a buttery loaf flavoured with the zest of 2 lemons, then soaked with lemon juice and granulated sugar. So the Mums Know Best recipe serves 10 at around 335 calories a slice by my sums, taking about 2 hours with setting.

Soggy is good here, because “it’s the one cake that the soggier it is, the better”, and they reckon it’s “dead easy to make”. But only the crumb gets soggy, since the lemon sugar dries into a crunchy crust on top.

Making about 50 deep holes with a skewer matters most to me, since that’s how the lemon sugar reaches the crumb. And pausing 5 minutes between the two drizzles lets the first half soak in before the rest goes on.

Hairy Bikers Lemon Drizzle Cake Recipe

Author: Alex Saidani Cooking Method:Baking Cuisine:British Courses:Dessert

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 15 minutesCook time: 35 minutesRest time:1 hour 10 minutesTotal time:2 hours Servings:10 servingsCalories:335 kcal Best Season:Summer

Description

Butter, sugar, self-raising flour, eggs and the zest of two lemons are pulsed together, then baked in a 900g loaf tin. Once it’s out of the tin and pierced all over, lemon juice and granulated sugar are spooned on, setting into a crisp, tangy crust.

Ingredients

For the cake

• 175g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
• 175g granulated sugar
• 200g self-raising flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 3 large free-range eggs
• finely grated zest of 2 small unwaxed lemons

For the drizzle

• 100g granulated sugar
• juice of 1 of the lemons (about 3 tbsp)

Instructions

1. Prepare the tin: Heat the oven to 180°C/Gas 4, or Fan 160°C by my conversion. Then butter a 900g (2lb) non-stick loaf tin well and line the base with baking parchment.
2. Blitz the batter: Put the 175g of cake sugar in a food processor with the butter, flour, baking powder, eggs and lemon zest. Then blend on the pulse setting until just combined, thick and smooth.
3. Bake: Spoon the batter into the tin, level the top and bake for 35 minutes, until well risen and pale golden brown. And as my own extra check, a skewer in the middle should come out clean.
4. Make the lemon sugar: Leave the cake in the tin for 5 minutes, and meanwhile mix one lemon’s juice, about 3 tbsp, with the 100g of drizzle sugar. If it’s short, I’d squeeze some of the second lemon, which is my own tip.
5. Make the holes: Turn the cake out onto a wire rack set over a tray, peel off the parchment and turn it the right way up. Then make about 50 deep holes in the top with a skewer.
6. Drizzle twice: Slowly spoon over half the lemon sugar, letting it coat the top and run down the sides. After 5 minutes, spoon over the rest the same way.
7. Leave to set: Leave the cake for at least an hour, until the lemon and sugar have crystallised on top. Then cut it into thick slices.

FAQs

Why granulated sugar and not icing sugar?

As I understand it, granulated sugar doesn’t fully dissolve in cold lemon juice, so it dries into a crunchy crust over that hour. But their lime and coconut drizzle cake in Brilliant Bakes goes the other way, heating 150g of icing sugar with lime juice until it dissolves.

That syrup goes over the warm cake in the tin, with 2 to 3 tsp of tequila stirred in first if you like. And if you only have caster sugar, I’d use it in the batter but keep granulated for the drizzle, which is my suggestion.

Is there a ginger lemon drizzle cake?

Yes, their stem ginger and lemon drizzle cake in Ultimate Comfort Food beats 2 finely chopped balls of stem ginger into a creamed batter. Then the lemon juice is mixed with ginger syrup, a third chopped ball and 2 tbsp of granulated sugar for the topping.

It bakes for about 45 minutes in a large loaf tin and makes about 12 slices, and they say the top may crack a little. Or for a darker, spicier loaf, their ginger cake from British Classics uses six spices and a jar of stem ginger.

Is there a skinny or fat free version?

There’s no fat free drizzle cake of theirs that I’ve found, so the nearest lighter option is their Hairy Dieters skinny lemon cupcakes. And they’re a different recipe at 167 calories each, made with 50ml of sunflower oil, low-fat yoghurt, far less sugar and blueberries.

They’re finished with a runny icing of 100g icing sugar and about 4 tsp of lemon juice, drizzled on with a spoon. So it’s a drizzle in spirit, though the batter makes 12 cupcakes rather than a loaf.

Do I need a food processor?

No, though the Mums Know Best recipe uses one, pulsing everything together just until combined. And their coffee and walnut cake uses the same all-in-one method, where a longer blitz gives a heavy sponge.

Without one, I’d borrow the creamed method from their ginger version, which is my suggestion. So beat the butter, sugar and zest until fluffy, then add the eggs one at a time with 2 tbsp of flour each. After that, fold in the rest of the flour with the baking powder.

How do I store it, and can I freeze it?

The recipe doesn’t say, so this is my approach: keep it in an airtight tin at room temperature for 3 to 4 days. And their ginger version is also stored in an airtight container once it’s cool.

I’d freeze it after drizzling, whole or sliced and wrapped well, for up to a month. Then thaw it at room temperature, though the crunchy top may soften a little.