Lemon Drizzle Simnel Slices Recipes

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/ gas 4. Line a 20 x 20cm square baking tin with baking parchment.
• Using an electric whisk, beat the butter and sugar together until pale, light and fluffy. Add the eggs and mix again. Add the flour, baking powder, lemon zest, lemon curd and milk, and mix with a wooden spoon until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 25-30 mins or until a skewer comes out clean.
• Mix the sugar and lemon juice together and pour over the hot cake. Leave to cool in the tin. You can eat the cake as it is, or for a fancy finish, try making this feather icing.
• Mix the icing sugar with just enough water to give a runny, but not watery, icing. Put a small amount of icing in a separate bowl. Add a few drops of the food colouring to the icing until pale yellow. Spoon into a disposable icing bag.
• Remove the cake from the tin and peel off the baking parchment. Sit the cake on a wire rack over a baking tray. Spread the white icing over the top. Pipe thin lines of the coloured icing across the width of the cake. Use a cocktail stick to drag through the lines in opposite directions to create a feathered effect. Leave to set before cutting into slices.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 170c/150c fan/gas 3½. Grease and line a 2lb loaf tin with baking parchment. Put the butter, caster sugar and lemon zest in a large bowl, and beat with an electric hand whisk until pale and fluffy. Crack in 1 egg, whisk into the butter mixture until well combined, then add 1 heaped tbsp flour and mix again. Continue with the remaining eggs and flour, finishing with any remaining flour and mixing until just combined. Finally, add the yogurt and lemon curd, and fold together with a spatula until smooth. Scrape the mixture into the tin and bake in the centre of the oven for 45-50 mins until golden and risen - a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake should come out clean.
• Leave to cool in the tin for 5 mins. For the drizzle, mix the lemon juice and sugars in a small bowl. Transfer the cake to a cooling rack. Using a fine skewer or cocktail stick, poke holes all over the top of the cake. Spoon over the drizzle, scatter with the reserved zest and leave to soak in for 10 mins before serving. Will keep in a cake tin for 3 days.