Lighter Lemon Drizzle Cake Recipes

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 10-cup nonstick bundt pan generously with cooking spray.
• Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl and stir to combine.
• Cream the butter, granulated sugar and lemon zest in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-high speed until lightened, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs one a time, making sure each is fully combined before adding the next and stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl once. Turn the speed to low and add half of the flour mixture; mix until combined. Add the milk and vanilla and mix until combined, then scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the remaining flour mixture and mix until combined, then turn the speed up to medium and mix until the batter is smooth, a few seconds.
• Spread the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a tester inserted in the center of a side comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes, then unmold onto the rack and let cool completely.
• For the glaze: Combine the cream cheese and confectioners' sugar in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on low speed until smooth. Add 2 tablespoons lemon juice and mix until smooth and pourable but not runny; add the remaining tablespoon of lemon juice if needed. Pour the glaze evenly over the cake and let drip down the sides.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Lightly oil a 20cm round x 5cm deep cake tin and line the base with baking parchment. For the cake, put the flour, baking powder, ground almonds and polenta in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the lemon zest and sugar, then make a dip in the centre. Beat the eggs in a bowl, then stir in the yogurt. Tip this mixture along with the oil into the dip (see step-by-step number 1), then briefly and gently stir with a large metal spoon so everything is just combined, without overmixing.
• Spoon the mixture into the tin and level the top (step 2). Bake for 40 mins or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Cover loosely with foil for the final 5-10 mins if it starts to brown too quickly.
• While the cake cooks, make the lemon syrup. Tip the caster sugar into a small saucepan with the lemon juice and 75ml water. Heat over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved. Raise the heat, boil for 4 mins until slightly reduced and syrupy, then remove from the heat.
• Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool briefly in the tin. While it is still warm, turn it out of the tin, peel off the lining paper and sit the cake on a wire rack set over a baking tray or similar. Use a skewer to make lots of small holes all over the top of the cake (step 3). Slowly spoon over half the lemon syrup (step 4) and let it soak in. Spoon over the rest in the same way, brushing the edges and sides of the cake too with the last of the syrup.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Measure ingredients into bowls. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
• Combine 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar and butter in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until creamy and pale. Add 1 egg at a time, beating until the batter returns to a uniform pale color before adding the next. Sift in flour gradually. Fold with a wooden spoon to be sure flour is combined. Add baking powder and lemon zest.
• Pour batter into the prepared pan, being careful not to press it down.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Try not to open the oven door early to avoid collapsing the fluffy cake.
• Juice the zested lemon into a small bowl. Add the zest and juice of the second lemon. Stir in 7 tablespoons sugar until dissolved. Pour glaze over the warm cake and leave to cool in the pan; glaze will harden as the cake cools.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325 degrees and place a rack in the center. Grease a 9-by-12-inch baking pan and line with parchment paper, allowing a 2-inch overhang on the long sides.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and lemon zest.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together butter and half of the sugar (225 grams/1 cup plus 2 tablespoons) until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until incorporated, then beat in milk, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary (mixture will look curdled, and that's O.K.). Mix in flour mixture until combined, then scrape into prepared baking pan, smoothing the top.
• Bake until golden brown and springy, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes, then use the paper overhang to lift the cake out of the pan; transfer to wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet and carefully remove paper.
• While cake bakes, in a small bowl mix together remaining half of the sugar (225 grams/1 cup plus 2 tablespoons) and enough lemon juice to make a runny mixture. While cake is still warm, spoon the sugar mixture evenly over the top. (The cake has to be cooled slightly to prevent topping from melting, but warm enough that it soaks into the cake, leaving a crunchy sugar coat on top.) Let cool, then cut into squares.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 9-inch non-stick loaf pan.
• In a medium mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together with a wooden spoon (or use an electric mixer). Gradually beat in the eggs and mix until light and fluffy. Stir in the lemon zest, flour, and baking powder, and mix well. Add 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice and mix well again. Then beat in the milk.
• Pour the cake batter evenly into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes.
• In the meantime, mix the remaining lemon juice and the confectioner's sugar together in a small bowl to make a glaze.
• When it's ready, take the cake out of the oven and cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Then turn it out onto a plate. Pierce the top of the cake all over with a thin skewer. Spoon the lemon glaze carefully and evenly over the cake until all of it is absorbed. Ready to eat.

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a Bundt pan.
• Whisk together the flour, pudding mix, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
• Beat the butter, oil and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment at medium-high speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until pale and fluffy, 4 to 6 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs, one at a time, beating until the yellow disappears after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract, lemon zest and lemon juice just until combined.
• Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the milk in 3 additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat just until the ingredients are combined.
• Scrape the batter evenly into the prepared Bundt pan and bake until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean with only a couple of moist crumbs, 1 hour 5 minutes to 1 hour 10 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the cake and invert onto a cooling rack to cool completely, about 45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the lemon drizzle: Whisk together the confectioners' sugar, lemon juice and vanilla until thick. (If it's too runny, add a little more confectioners' sugar.) After the cake is cooled, pour the lemon drizzle over the top.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 180oC then grease and line a 2ib loaf tin.
• Cream the butter and sugar together, add the lemon zest and eggs then beat again, if it splits add a tbs of flour and keep mixing. Add in flour, mixing gently then finally add the milk. Pour in prepared tin and bake for around 45 minutes.
• Meanwhile mix the sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl and put to one side, the sugar will dissolve into a lovely tart syrup. Remember to stir again before putting on the cake.
• Test the cake ( when a skewer comes out of the middle clean) prick it all over ans slowly spoon the sugar onto the cake. I find it easier to start in the middle then work my way round to the sides of the cake to ensure even distribution of the syrup.
• Leave to cool completely in the tin before removing.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Line a 1-pound loaf tin with parchment paper.
• Beat butter and sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift flour and baking powder together and fold into the batter until well blended. Add lemon zest and juice and mix well. Spoon batter into the prepared loaf tin and level the top with a knife.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the cake begins to turn golden brown and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and place tin on a wire rack.
• Mix together powdered sugar and lemon juice for the lemon glaze in a small bowl.
• Drizzle glaze all over the top of the warm cake while it is still in the pan. Allow to cool completely, about 1 hour before removing from the pan and slicing into 8 pieces.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180°C.
• Butter and line the base of a 20cm round cake tin.
• Beat the butter and caster sugar in a large bowl using electric hand whisk until pale and creamy.
• Add the lemon zest (reserving half a tsp for the icing) and mix well.
• Gradually whisk the eggs into the butter mix--don't worry if it curdles a bit.
• Sift together the flour and baking powder and fold into the egg and butter mix using a large metal spoon or spatula.
• Add the ground almonds and 3/4 of the lemon juice; fold until thoroughly combined.
• Spoon into the cake tin and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
• Put cake tin on wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, mix together the remaining lemon juice and zest and enough icing sugar to make a runny icing and then drizzle over top of cake.
• Cool in tin for a further 30 minutes and then remove and cool completely.