So, back to the Bake-Off. Those contestants are amazing. They can bake everything. I mean I'm ok at a cake or biscuits or perhaps a crumble or two but if anyone asks me to make a strudel I'd fall to pieces like flaky pastry. But these guys are stars, even the poor contestant that gets kicked out in week one! And the winner, what a guy. An amazing baker and what a great soldier. The amount of blood there was the week he cut his hand, I honestly had to look away and I work in a hospital!
But, for me the Bake-Off isn't just about entertainment, it's about inspiration. Most people can make a cake, but it's making a really good cake that I aspire to. The one where everyone fights over the last piece. And this lemon drizzle cake is the one. I am generally quite critical about my own food but I loved this one. So much so that I made sure it was me that ate the last piece!
Lemon Drizzle Cake
(makes 9-12 pieces | total prep and cooking time approx 1 hour 15 mins)
Ingredients 2 eggs
140g caster sugar
150g soft margarine, plus extra for greasing
Finely grated rind of 1 lemon
175g self raising flour (sieved)
125ml milk
Icing sugar for dusting
For the syrup: 110g icing sugar, 50ml of fresh lemon juice
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees
- Grease a 7 inch square cake tin and line with non-stick baking paper
- Place the eggs, caster sugar and margarine in a a mixing bowl and beat hard until smooth and fluffy. It is best to use an electric hand mixer to do this
- Stir in the lemon rind
- Fold in the sieved flour lightly and evenly
- Stir in the milk and mix - Pour mixture into the cake tin and spread evenly so the top is level
- Bake for 45-50 minutes until golden brown, firm to touch and a skewer comes out clean
- Remove from the oven and stand the tin on a wire rack to cool
- Just before the cake is cool make the syrup. Place the icing sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan and heat gently. Stir until sugar dissolves, do not boil!
- Prick the cake all over with a skewer and spoon the hot syrup evenly over the top, allowing it to be absorbed
- Leave to cool in the tin and then turn the cake out and cut into even pieces
- Dust with a little icing sugar before serving
(original recipe taken from the Big Book of Baking, amendments by yours truly!)
Tried this recipe at the weekend. Well done accidental cook, it's definitely the best lemon drizzle cake recipe I've ever tried.
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