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
This did not look down after 35 minutes so I left it in five extra. Took it out it sank and was raw in the middle. Had to put it back in for another 10 minutes.
Baking times are always approximate because ovens and pans vary so much. I hope the extra 10 minutes did the trick!
I am curious why does the video say buttermilk lemon bread as you require milk not buttermilk in the recipe? The cake is delicious thank you for the recipe.
Sometimes a related video will play on a post, Susan, so the buttermilk lemon bread is a different recipe.
I substituted gluten free flour blend, and it was still delicious. In fact, it was better the next day! Love the flavor and texture.
Thanks Mendy!
I bake this as a tray bake as I use Mary’s original recipe, and even that is never done at 35 minutes so I’m not surprised to see comments that baking it in a bundt for 35 minutes is also an issue. (yes my oven is calibrated correctly and I use an oven thermometer as well). It’s a great cake and super easy to throw together. I melt my sugar for the glaze as I don’t like the texture of crunching on sugar, but that’s just a personal quirk. The other changes I make are adding in the juice of a lemon to the batter and I add a Tb of Cointreau or Triple Sec to the lemon syrup. A suggested change for your written recipe is the term vegetable peeler for removing the lemon zest. For a novice baker that could be confusing. Using microplane, fine grater, or rasp would be more helpful.
My recipe makes use of my special lemon sugar, which is made by processing lemon zest with the sugar. In that case I peel the lemon with a vegetable peeler and process it with the sugar. It gets the most out of that zest! As I mention in the recipe you can also do it with a microplane and just mix it with the sugar. But I highly suggest trying my method ~ it’s a game changer!
Lemon drizzle is one of my ultimate favourites! It was my gran’s favourite and became mine too! I love this recipe. The sponge is so light and the lemon sugar coating makes it perfect!
How many medium eggs should I use in this recipe? Thanks
I would go with 5, Emma.
I love this recipe, super easy to make and comes out perfect every time. It’s popular with the whole family, even those who don’t like lemon.
Really loved this recipe, beautiful cake. I would have liked the sponge to be more lemony , would i achieve this by just adding more zest? Thank you
Yes, any time you add the zest of citrus fruit to a recipe you’ll get an extra layer of flavor.
i baked this cake for Easter dinner. I was disappointed in the texture of the cake. I had hoped it would be light. The taste was good but not what I had expected. I might of over baked it. After 35 minutes I checked it and it was still not done so I baked it for 10 minutes longer.
Sorry this didn’t work out for you Lydia. The texture is more of a lemon bread or lemon pound cake style, so it isn’t super light like a boxed cake mix, for instance.
Lovely recipe I personally substituted the butter with Light mayonnaise which gave the cake a very moist texture and very light it’s a fabulous substitute lower fat content but doesn’t change the flavour
Interesting! I’ve made a few mayonnaise cakes before and really like them.
This cake is so deliciously moist and tangy encased in a crunchy exterior that looks like shiny crystals. This is definitely going on my list of favourite ‘go to’ cakes!
Do you have any idea if this cake freezes well? I need a few good recipes I can bake ahead for to bring for a family event. Do you have any other suggestions? I love your site and your recipes.
The cake itself should freeze well, but of course you’d want to glaze it before serving. You might think about one of the crumble bars or tarts, the shortbread dough freezes well. The rhubarb crumble tart is really good.
Hi. Am I reading the recipe correctly that it requires baking powder in two places — first, to make the self-raising flour and second, as a separate ingredient for this Lemon Drizzle Cake recipe? Thanks for clarifying!
Yes, the recipe calls for baking powder and self rising flour.