lemon drizzle cake

Clare was on her last bite and my fork was in midair when Ant piped up. "So, do we have any dessert?" he asked, dimple flashing. Cheeky monkey, I thought, we have a friend over and he knows there's no dessert prepared. I had planned to pull out some ice cream and the tea pot. But Clare started to laugh, and I thought, well, I've got the time. So I decided to whip something up.


I have had this cake bookmarked for several weeks. In Jamie's original version it includes poppy seeds but this walnut version has a nice nutty backdrop to the zesty lemon. The cake only uses one bowl (always a plus for me, since I am not a frequent baker) and the icing is dead simple. Mine is a bit less sweet than Jamie's too; this is not the right blog for rich, unhealthy desserts, as you know.

Lemon Drizzle Cake
adapted from Cook with Jamie: My Guide to Making You a Better Cook
serves 8 - 10

for the cake:
1/2 c (115 g) butter
1/2 c (115 g) caster sugar
4 large eggs
1/2 c (50 g) ground or finely chopped walnuts
zest and juice of 2 lemons
1 c (125 g) flour
1 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda

for the drizzle:
1 3/4 c (225 g) icing sugar
zest and juice of 1 lemon

Beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add the eggs, beating in well.
Fold in the ground walnuts, lemon zest, lemon juice, flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
Spoon the mixture into a 20 cm springform pan.
Bake at 350 F/180 C for 40 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.
Meanwhile, use an electric mixer to make the icing by mixing the icing sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice.
Allow the cake to cool and then pour the icing over top.

Clare was patient while I baked and she laughed as I took photos. Then I pulled out the tea to go with this zesty, fresh cake.