There are tonnes of exciting cake flavours to choose from but sometimes you just can’t beat a classic lemon drizzle.
The cake is the perfect blend of sharp and sweet, and is a firm favourite of baking legend Mary Berry. The former Great British Bake Off judge’s lemon drizzle traybake has been a hit since the 1960s and she says it’s her most asked about recipe. Thankfully the cake is very easy to make, but Mary says one ingredient is crucial for creating that deliciously light and fluffy texture when you bite into it.
According to Mary, it is vital that your baking spread – so your butter or margarine – is soft before it is added to the mixture as it helps to create tiny air bubbles as it’s beaten with the sugar which is essential for a light cake.
If butter or margarine is too cold when it’s added it won’t cream properly to create air bubbles, meaning your cake will be heavy and dense once baked.
Mary says ideally your baking spread should be at room temperature before it is added to the sugar as this allows it to emulsify and incorporate air more easily, ultimately resulting in a lighter and fluffier cake. The creaming of the butter and sugar is what will create the fluffy texture, so make sure you do this thoroughly as it’s crucial for a light tasting cake.
If you opt to use butter instead of a baking spread, then it’s very important to soften it at room temperature before you add it. Explaining the process in a YouTube video, Mary says: “If you like to use butter, it must be really soft.”
Once your 225g of baking spread and 225g of sugar are creamed, add in 275g of self-raising flour, four eggs, two teaspoons of baking powder and four tablespoons of milk. Then grate the zest of two lemons and for an extra kick of flavour you can also add one tablespoon of chopped lemon verbena leaves, but don’t worry if you can’t get hold of any as “the recipe will still work without it”.
One all of your ingredients are in the bowl beat them together using an electric whisk or mixer for about one minute until the mixture turns “beautifully smooth”.
Mary says: “That is beaten to perfection. That amount of mixture fills a tray bake tin 23 by 30 centimeters. You grease the tin really well and then you line it with non-stick paper. It needs to go in the oven at 160C for about 35 or 40 minutes.”
As the cake bakes you then need to turn your attention to making the lemon drizzle topping. To do this, simply squeeze the juice of two lemons into a bowl and add 175g of granulated sugar. Leave the cake to cool for 10 minutes once baked before brushing it with your lemon drizzle topping.
Mary adds: “Make sure you get it all to the edges and then it will be really delicious. Once the topping has completely soaked in, it’s ready to slice.
“Now, I cannot resist. That is as light as a feather. You can just see the flecks of lemon verbena. That is sheer bliss. When I’ve finished that, I’m quite sure I’d be ready for another slice.”