Lemon Drizzle Cake is an easy lemon bundt with a distinctive crunchy lemon glaze. You only need a few basic ingredients to make this lovely lemony dessert.
lemon drizzle cake: the perfect lemon dessert?
Lemon drizzle cake is a classic British sponge cake infused with lemon flavor and topped with a sweet-tart lemon syrup or glaze that soaks into the cake, giving it a moist texture and intense citrus flavor. The unique crunchy glaze on this lemon bundt makes it especially delicious.
Lemon drizzle cake has been a staple in British baking for decades, however, Mary Berry’s signature simple, foolproof recipe helped make it one of the most beloved home-baked cakes in the UK ~ and now in the US!
When it comes to cakes of all kinds, I’m all about the texture. This one has a delicate crumb that stays nice and moist thanks to the glaze. It acts as a barrier to keep the cake from drying out, so I recommend you don’t slice the cake until you’re ready to serve.
lemon drizzle cake ingredient notes
- lemons
- you’ll need 2 for the rind and juice
- self rising flour
- easily made yourself if you don’t have access to it Just multiply the basic formula for the amount of flour you need. Blend together:
- 1 cup flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- sugar
- butter
- large eggs
- milk
- baking powder
kitchen tool spotlight: a great basic bundt pan
Bundt pans come in all sorts of wonderful shapes and sizes, which is great, except that you never know how your pan is going to work with a specific recipe. I like to use this one from Wilton which is a basic, all purpose pan that’s sturdy, nonstick, and a standard size, with a 10 cup capacity.
There’s a time and place for intricate shapes, but the streamlined design of this pan will never let you down, and always releases the cake perfectly.
Pan prep is key to a perfectly released lemon drizzle
- Always use a nonstick pan, and replace old or scratched pans regularly.
- Butter the pan generously, making sure to get all the nooks and crannies
- Also add a thin dusting of flour.
- Let the cake cool for 10-15 minutes after baking ~ set a timer!
- Run a thin offset spatula or other flexible knife along all the edges, including the center tube, to loosen before flipping the pan over to release the cake.
lemon drizzle cake serving suggestions
The cake is a lovely golden color, and every time the knife goes through that crunchy lemon glaze it creates a beautiful crackled texture, so there’s no need for any bells and whistles.
If you’re serving it for a special occasions like Easter brunch or a wedding shower you might surround it with simple edible flowers like pansies, or lavender sprigs. You can also place a very small glass or vial into the center of the cake and fill it with delicate flowers for a beautiful effect.
the bottom line
This cake is on the smaller side as bundts go, but that works well because it’s got the perfect cake to glaze ratio. The cake itself has a gentle lemon flavor from the zest in the batter, and the glaze gives it that one two punch from the juice.
Every lemon dessert exploits the flavor of the fruit in a unique way
- My Lemon Layer Cake and Raspberry Lemon Cake feature a super tangy lemon frosting.
- My Whole Meyer Lemon Bars and Flourless Whole Meyer Lemon Cake recipes actually use the entire fruit.
- My super popular Lemon Olive Oil Cake is a whole new way of experiencing lemon!
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Lemon Drizzle Cake
Equipment
- a standard bundt pan
Ingredients
- 1 1/8 cup sugar
- rind of 2 small or 1 large lemon, peeled with a vegetable peeler, yellow part only
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 4 Tbsp milk
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 1/4 cups self rising flour, (see below to make your own self rising flour.)
crunchy glaze
- 1 cup sugar
- juice of 2 lemons
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour a standard 9 or 10 cup bundt pan
- First make the lemon sugar: put the sugar and lemon peels in a food processor and process until the zest is completely incorporated in to the sugar. It will be pale yellow, moist, and fragrant. Note: if you don't have a food processor, the finely grate the zest of two lemons and mix into the sugar by hand.
- Put the sugar and butter into the bowl of a stand mixer, or you can mix by hand with electric beaters. Cream them together for 4 to 5 minutes, scraping down the bowl as necessary. It should be pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one by one.
- Blend in the milk, then the baking powder, and finally fold in the flour. Don't over mix, but make sure everything is evenly incorporated.
- Spoon the batter into your prepared pan and spread out evenly. Bake for 35 minutes, or until risen, golden, and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out without wet batter on it. The top should spring back when lightly touched.
- Let the cake cool for 12 minutes, then run a thin offset spreading knife around the edges to gently loosen them. Loosen the cake around the center neck of the pan, soo. Gently flip the cake over onto a cooling rack.
- Meanwhile, mix the sugar with enough lemon juice to make a loose paste, about the consistency of a runny honey. Brush the glaze liberally over the entire surface of the cake (while it is still warm!) going over it more than once if necessary. You'll want a thick even coating. Let the icing dry before slicing.
Notes
How to make your own self-rising flour
Just multiply the basic formula for the amount of flour you need. I like to make a larger batch to keep on hand.- 1 cup flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
Nutrition
Happen to watch British baking show during these holidays and the for the Christmas eve party, I baked this wonderful cake my 8 year old. It came out splendid.
I did a slight mistake of leaving it a bit longer in the oven and that made the cake a bit hard than I would like.
Good that it’s not too overbaked and guests loved it the texture.
Too bad, I didn’t have a way to post the pictures here.
Have made several attempts at lemon drizzle cake recently and this recipe was the BEST. Excellent crumb as Mary says. I did make holes in it and drizzled a mixture of lemon juice and icing sugar over it
My mouth is watering just thinking about it 🙂
Because the amount of juice in lemons can vary so much, how much juice do you recommend for the drizzle?
I would add a little at a time until the sugar becomes a thick but spoonable glaze, like thick honey. You might not need all the juice, so start with one lemon and go from there. If you’re using bottled lemon juice, start with a tablespoon and go up from there.
Just made this tonight and it was delicious! Took some to our neighbors and they loved it! My glaze didn’t come out as “crunchy” as you described but I sprinkled confectioners sugar over the top and it looked nice! I will make again for sure!
I have lots of fresh organic blueberries on hand. Would it work to fold them in to the batter immediately prior to baking? I’m a fan of the flavor combination in general, but not sure what you thought about using them in this particular recipe ….
I think that would be really nice Carol…the batter is thick enough to support the berries, for sure.
I always say you can’t beat a bundt! And lemony desserts are always at the top of my list too. I’ll be adding this to my baking list Sue!
Sue, your lemon cakes are all winners!! Thanks for the recipe!
Sorry … I misread the recipe and do see a bundt size. My pan probably won’t work, so I’m what other type of pan might this recipe work? Thanks.
Your pan should work fine, Laurie, the batter just won’t come up very high. And I believe Mary makes this in a 9×12 pan, so that would work for sure.
I just baked the lemon yogurt loaf cake … again … from Odette Williams’ Simple Cake yesterday! We love lemon in our house and a good bundt. Is the glaze crunchy from the granulated sugar? Also, what size bundt? You indicated it was small, but the recipe lists no size. Mine is a 10-15 cup bundt. If that’s too big, I’ve got lots of other round, square and loaf pans. What size[s] might work?
Oh I love Mary Berry. I use her Hot Cross Bun recipe every Easter – even last week although I had to use dried cranberries instead of raisins as I had plenty and shopping is challenging right now. I’m from England and several family members can’t find flour or eggs. But I love it when Mary says, “It’s a bit of a palaver!” which about sums up life at the moment. Will be making this cake soon.
I couldn’t get fresh lemons from the grocery. Can I use lemon juice>?
You can in a pinch, but you won’t have the zest, which is so important to the flavor. Might be worth a try, though, we all have to make compromises these days 🙂