Lemon Drizzle Loaf Cake Recipe

By Emily Leary. Last updated Nov 20, 2023. Green links are Amazon links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

This beautiful lemon drizzle loaf cake is easy to make, with just simple ingredients and bags of lemon flavour in both the sponge and the generous lemon drizzle glaze.

I genuinely can’t name a more buttery or more lemony cake that this one. It’s really is a beautiful recipe!

Click to Jump to a Section!

Is this lemon drizzle cake easy to make?

It’s really easy to make this lemon drizzle loaf cake. You’ll start by creaming butter and sugar together, then gradually incorporating beaten egg.

Next, you’ll fold in self-raising flour and then stir in lots of fresh lemon juice and zest.

You’ll then pile your gorgeously lemony batter into a loaf tin lined with baking paper and then bake it until beautifully risen.

For the lemon drizzle icing, you’ll simply heat icing sugar and lemon juice together until you have a super zingy syrup.

You’ll then poke deep holes in the warm lemon sponge and pour the syrup all over the top before leaving it to cool.

Once cool, it slices to beautifully, and will look and taste like it came from the very best bakery in town.

How to serve lemon drizzle traybake

This lemon drizzle loaf cake is incredible enjoyed on its own, or with a hot cup of tea or coffee.

It’s also very easy to transport in its tin, so you can take it with you to all sorts of get togethers, from coffee mornings to dinner parties, picnics to pot lucks, bakes sales to birthdays.

It’s lovely served with a drizzle of single cream, a scoop of ice cream, or you can mix up some extra icing with fresh lemon juice and icing sugar and drizzle that on top for an extra sweet hit.

Can I use this recipe to make a layer cake?

You can definitely make a lemon drizzle layer cake. I would recommend using the ingredient quantities in my lemon drizzle traybake recipe. Use the same quantity of batter but bake in two 18cm (7inch) tins, then use half of the lemon drizzle syrup to drizzle on to each them.

Once cooled, they’d be great sandwiched and covered with cool lemon frosting or even cream cheese frosting.

Are you ready to make this delicious buttery, tender lemon drizzle loaf cake?

Read on for the full recipe with detailed instructions and a helpful photograph for every step. And if you have any questions, just leave me a comment. Enjoy!

Ingredients & substitutions

250 g (1⅓ cups + 2tbsp) white caster sugar (superfine sugar)
250 g (2 sticks + 1tbsp) slightly salted butter
3 medium free range eggs
250 g (1⅔ cups) self-raising white flour (self rising flour) sifted
4 unwaxed lemons (A standard UK lemon gives about 2 tbsp of juice. If yours are larger, adjust accordingly)
6 tbsp icing sugar (powdered sugar)

Learn more about

Lemons

Does it matter what kind of lemons I use?

You can use any type of lemons you like in this lemon drizzle loaf cake but they should be unwaxed as you’ll be zesting them.

If you can’t get hold of unwaxed lemons, you can remove the wax at home. Just place your lemons in a colander in the sink and pour freshly boiled water all over them. While they’re still warm, but not too hot to handle, brush them gently with a vegetable brush and the wax should come away. You can then rinse them off and they’ll be ready to use.

Remember, too, that lemons are truly the star of the show in this recipe, so while standard lemons are absolutely fine to use and give a wonderful result, investing in good quality lemons will make the cake extra special.

Note: lemons can vary in size and therefore give different amounts of juice. A standard UK lemon, as used in this recipe, gives about 2 tbsp of juice. If yours are larger or smaller, adjust accordingly.

Can I use lemon extract instead?

I’ve only tested this recipe with fresh lemons and the juice and zest are quite important to getting that ideal flavour and texture, but you could certainly try leaving out the lemon zest and juice in the sponge and using a little lemon extract instead.

For the drizzle, you could use 6 tbsp icing sugar, 6 tbsp of water and a little lemon extract to give a lemon syrup. Again, I haven’t tested this so can’t be sure how well it would work.

Why did my cake taste bitter?

When you zest your lemons, you should make sure to only take the yellow part of the lemon skin. I tend to use a fine grater for this (such as a mi c roplane) and it does the job beautifully.

If you use a vegetable peeler, you’ll probably find the the pieces of lemon peel are too large and that you have taken off some of the pith as well, which is the white part underneath the zest. This is very bitter and can make your final cake taste unpleasant.

Can I leave out the lemon out of this lemon drizzle traybake?

You can leave out the lemon, but you’ll want to replace it with something else – try using the juice and zest of an orange instead. I have an amazing orange drizzle cake you could try.

If you’re nervous about this cake being too lemony, just be sure to taste the syrup before you pour it over the cake.

Some lemons are zingier than others, and personal taste varies, so if you want to tone it done, just add a little more sugar, or use less of the syrup. Personally, I like an intense lemony flavor and that’s what this recipe is designed to deliver.

Eggs

Can I use large eggs instead of medium eggs?

In the UK, medium eggs eggs weigh 53g – 63g (1.9oz – 2.2oz) and large eggs typically weigh 63g – 73g (2.2oz – 2.6 oz) .

If you want to use large eggs, beat them separately, then weigh 250g (8.8oz) into your cake bowl.

Can I make this lemon drizzle traybake without eggs?

The eggs are an important part of this recipe. They not only add moisture and colour, they also help to bind the different ingredients together.

If you can’t use eggs in this recipe, the following options can be considered as a replacement:

Egg alternatives (each = 1 egg so multiply as needed for the recipe)

Store-bought egg replacement powder (use as directed on the packet).
1 tablespoon of crushed chia or flax seeds mixed with 2 tablespoons of water and left for 10 minutes in the fridge.
3 tablespoons of aquafaba.
3 tablespoons of applesauce.
Half of a medium sized banana, mashed. It’s best to use fairly ripe bananas for this as they will mash more easily and bind your ingredients together more effectively

Note: I have not tested all of these replacements, so let me know how you get on.

Butter

Can I make this lemon drizzle loaf cake without butter?

If you don’t want to use butter in this lemon drizzle loaf cake, you can substitute for the same amount of flavourless oil, standard margarine or Stork.

If you do, it’s really important to choose a margarine with a high fat content, ideally around 80%. Light margarines tend to have a high water content which can upset the balance of the batter, thus affecting the final bake.

Remember, I always make this cake with butter, so you might need to test a little to be sure you’re using just the right amount of your fat of choice.

Flour

Can I make this lemon drizzle loaf cake with plain flour?

You’re going to want this sponge to rise, so you’re going to need a raising agent, and there isn’t anything to help with rise in plain flour. In contrast, self-raising flour contains baking powder, which helps give a lovely light, airy sponge and a good rise.

If you don’t have any self-raising flour, you can make your own. Simply add two teaspoons of baking powder to every 150g (1 cup) of plain flour in a bowl and sift them together before using in your recipe.

This particular recipe uses 250 g (1⅔ cups) self-raising flour, so if you use plain flour instead, you’ll need to add about 3.5 tsp of baking powder.

Sugar

Do I have to use caster sugar in this recipe?

I know that caster sugar isn’t something that’s easily available in the US – don’t worry.

Caster sugar crystals are very small which helps them to dissolve more easily, but granulated sugar, golden caster sugar and brown sugar will all work, they’ll just give a slightly different texture.

Do not use icing sugar / powdered sugar in this recipe as the crystals are too fine.

Can I make this lemon drizzle traybake without sugar?

Sugar lends not only sweetness, but also structure and texture to the cake, so I wouldn’t recommend leaving it out.

I have not experimented with artificial sweeteners, but I suspect it would be tricky to balance the lemon out – let me know if you experiment with it.

Can I make the lemon drizzle syrup without icing sugar?

Icing sugar is another name for powdered sugar.

If you don’t have any, you can use granulated or caster sugar, you will just need to be patient as you warm the syrup as it will take longer for the sugar crystals to fully dissolve.

Can I make the lemon drizzle traybake topping crunchy?

If you want a really crunchy lemon drizzle topping instead of a syrup that sinks in, you’ll need to change the method slightly.

Use granulated sugar instead of icing sugar and without any heat, mix your lemon juice and sugar together to form a paste, then spread over the warm cake with the back of a spoon. This should give you your zesty crunchy topping once cooled.

When should I drizzle my cake?

It’s best to drizzle the syrup over the cake while it’s still warm. The main reason for this is that it will penetrate the cake more evenly make for a better texture.

Leave the cake in the tin while you do this so that you don’t lose any of the syrup as it seeps through the cake.

Can I make this lemon drizzle loaf cake in a food processor or stand mixer?

You can use a stand-type electric mixer, but it’s not really necessary.

If your food processor comes with a beater rather than blade attachment, then you cream the butter and sugar together on a low setting, then blend in the eggs. It won’t incorporate as much air as a whisk, though, so is not recommended.

You can definitely beat the butter and sugar, and then the eggs, in a stand mixer to speed up the job, but a hand mixer will do the job just as well.

Whatever method you use to combine the butter, sugar and eggs, it’s important that you gently fold the flour in by hand. Beating will cause the cake batter can be easily overworked, which could make your finished bake tough and/or poorly risen if the blades knock out the air and stretch the gluten.

Can I make this lemon drizzle loaf cake without an electric whisk?

Using an electric hand whisk to beat the butter and sugar together, and then beat in the eggs is really handy because it gets the job done and beats in lots of air.

However, you can absolutely do the job by hand, it’ll just take a little more elbow grease!

Can I make this lemon drizzle loaf cake using the all in one method?

The all in one method is where you add all of the sponge ingredients into the bowl at once and then beat them all together until smooth.

This recipe is quite forgiving, so if you are in a hurry, the all in-one method will work.

However, I recommend following the recipe and beating the butter and sugar first, then adding the eggs, then folding in the flour etc as this will incorporate plenty of air without overworking the gluten in your mixture, which can make for a tough sponge.

Can I make this recipe without weighing scales?

The best bakes happen when you take the time to measure everything out properly. When I follow a recipe, it’s the first thing I do. That way, I know I have the right quantities of everything.

I’ve provided the ingredient measurements in both metric and common US measures like cups and sticks for ease.

What tin do I need to use?

I have used a 1lb/500g loaf tin but it’s quite tall and makes a nice deep cake which cuts into 8 slices.

A 2lb/1000g tin would work fine too, but would give a wider, shorter loaf.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Make the Lemon Sponge

Grease and line your nonstick 1lb loaf tin. If you don’t have any greaseproof paper, greasing and then dusting with flour can help prevent sticking. Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan, 350F).

Put the sugar and butter in a large bowl.

Whisk together until fluffy.

Add the beaten eggs a little at a time and whisk in.

Repeat until all the egg is added.

Sift in the flour.

Fold until smooth.

Add the zest of 3 lemons and the juice of 1½ to the mixture.

Gently mix through.

Spoon the batter into a greased and lined loaf tin.

Mark a line in the batter down the centre using a knife. This will promote an attractive crack in the loaf cake and make it a lovely even shape.

Bake for approximately 60 minutes.

Make & add the lemon syrup

In a small pan, mix the juice of 2½ of the lemons with the icing sugar.

Place over a medium low heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved, then bring to a boil for 1-2 minutes until you have a light syrupy texture.

Poke holes all over the warm sponge with a skewer, almost down to the bottom.

Take the syrup off the heat (careful, it’s hot!) and pour all over the cooling sponge gradually so that the syrup has time to soak in.

Allow to cool completely, then cut into generous slices and enjoy with a hot cup of tea or coffee.

Allergen & Dietary Information for Lemon Drizzle Loaf Cake

Is this lemon drizzle loaf cake healthy?

This cake is quite high in sugar and fat. It’s best enjoyed as an occasional treat, as part of a balanced diet.

Vegetarian lemon drizzle loaf cake

Yes, this recipe is suitable for vegetarians as it contains no meat, fish or poultry.

Double check all of your ingredients labels to make sure to check that they are suitable for vegetarians. Don’t forget to also check anything extra you intend to serve the recipe with.

How to make this lemon drizzle loaf cake recipe vegan

No, this lemon drizzle cake is not vegan due to the use of eggs and butter, but if you want to substitute those for alternatives, I have included advice above.

For the butter, you can use any good quality vegan butter. Aim for one that is about 80% fat is possible, as this will behave similarly to dairy butter and give the best result, generally speaking.

To replace the eggs, you could try one of these alternatives (each = 1 egg so multiply as needed for the recipe):

Store-bought egg replacement powder (use as directed on the packet).
1 tablespoon of crushed chia or flax seeds mixed with 2 tablespoons of water and left for 10 minutes in the fridge.
3 tablespoons of aquafaba.
3 tablespoons of applesauce.
Half of a medium sized banana, mashed. It’s best to use fairly ripe bananas for this as they will mash more easily and bind your ingredients together more effectively

Note: I have not tested all of these replacements, so let me know how you get on.

If you already have a favourite vegan victoria sponge recipe, you could try using that in place of the main batter ingredients here, simply adding the lemon zest and juice as directed and then following the steps for the drizzle.

Double check all of your ingredients labels to make sure to check that they are suitable for vegans. Don’t forget to also check anything extra you intend to serve the recipe with.

Is this lemon drizzle loaf cake recipe nut-free?

Yes, this lemon drizzle loaf cake is totally nut-free.

However, with all allergies and sensitivities, it’s important to check the packaging of all of the ingredients you use very carefully to ensure they are nut-free.

This is because even though none of the ingredients should naturally contain nuts, some may have been produced in a factory that handles nuts, meaning there is a risk of cross-contamination.

Is this lemon drizzle loaf cake recipe gluten-free?

No, this is not a gluten-free lemon drizzle sponge as it contains wheat flour.

I haven’t tried making this recipe with gluten-free flour yet but you could certainly give it a go.

Whenever baking a gluten-free cake recipe, I recommend using a good quality brand that will likely be a blend of different flours like rice, or oat mixed with a binding agent like xanthan gum which really helps with the texture and, of course, a raising agent where you need self-raising flour.

You might also like to experiment with adding a small amount of ground almonds to lend a little more texture to your gluten free bake.

If you already have a favourite gluten-free victoria sponge recipe, you could try using that in place of the main batter ingredients here, simply adding the lemon zest and juice as directed and then following the steps for the drizzle.

None of the other ingredients naturally contain gluten but you should still double check all of your ingredients labels to make sure to check that they are gluten-free. Don’t forget to also check anything extra you intend to serve the recipe with.

Is this recipe keto-friendly?

No, this lemon drizzle loaf cake is not keto friendly as it’s high in carbohydrates.

Is this lemon drizzle loaf cake safe to eat while pregnant?

There is nothing in this cake recipe that should present a risk to pregnant people if the ingredients are in good condition and have been stored correctly, and the recipe is cooked hygienically and safely.

Egg safety varies from country to country and you should always seek country-specific advice. The NHS has a great resource that will help review the latest advice regarding foods that are safe to eat while pregnant in the UK.

A Mummy Too does not offer medical advice. Please seek help from a medical professional if you need further information or have any concerns.

Troubleshooting Lemon Drizzle Loaf Cake

How can I tell when my lemon drizzle loaf cake is ready?

Visually, you’re looking for a cake that is light golden in colour and looks even from edge to edge.

When you feel confident that your cake is ready, remove it from the oven and insert a flat skewer into the centre of the cake. When you pull it out, it should look clean. If anything has stuck to the skewer than the cake needs longer in the oven.

Don’t worry if you don’t get it right first time. Baking cakes takes a bit of intuition and the more you get more used to baking and the quirks of your particular oven, the more you will get a feel for when your cake is done.

Why is my lemon drizzle loaf cake dry? Why does it have hard edges?

If your cake seems dry or hard, the most likely explanation is that it’s overbaked. This could be because the temperature in your oven was too high, or the cake was baked for too long.

Every oven is different and temperatures can vary wildly, even in high quality ovens, so my preferred way to follow a cake recipe is to look at the baking time and then set my timer to remind to start keeping an eye on my cake 10 minutes before the end so that I can ensure I take it out at just the right time.

My lemon drizzle sponge batter seems really thick, can I thin it?

The batter for this lemon drizzle sponge is indeed thick, but if you think it’s too thick, you can thin it out with a splash of milk, yogurt or buttermilk.

Only add a little at a time and stir gently to combine so that you don’t over-thin or overmix your batter.

Why did my lemon cake batter split/curdle?

If your batter seems to have gone watery and lumpy, or resembles scrambled egg, then it has probably split.

It usually happens when you add cold eggs to room temperature butter and sugar. The three ingredients are supposed to form an emulsion as they are beaten together, but the difference in temperature can prevent that.

To avoid splitting your batter, aim to remove the quantity of eggs and butter you’ll need from the fridge before you start baking and leave them to come up to room temperature before you start.

If your mixture does start to split, try adding a spoonful of flour (from the 340g total you’re planning to use). This can help encourage the emulsion to come back together, then you can fold in the rest of the flour.

Counter-intuitively, mixing your eggs, sugar and butter together more vigorously will not cause them to come back together. In fact, overmixing the ingredients can lead to a split batter, so as soon as it looks lump free, stop beating.

Finally, if you have split your batter and it won’t come back together, don’t worry! Just carry on with the recipe according to the instructions. You may get a slightly more uneven bake and or a lower rise but it should still be delicious!

Why did my sponge fail to rise/was flat/sank in the middle?

If you ever have any sort of sponge that fails to rise, it’s usually for one of these reasons.

Oven too hot: Oven temperature is crucial to a good result. Your oven may be running hotter than the dial suggests, meaning the cake rose too fast to support its own weight. This is often the cause when a cake sinks in the middle.
Over-beaten batter: If you beat too much air into the cake, it can rise too fast and then collapse.
Letting the heat out: Opening the oven door during baking can cause the temperature to drop rapidly, causing the cake to lose height.
Slamming the door: Closing the oven door too roughly during baking can also mean that the air is knocked out.
Wrong size tin: Using a too big, narrow, shallow or wide tin can mean that the mix is too deep to cook all the way through and so isn’t able to hold its structure. Or its too shallow and has overbaked.
Too much flour: A thick batter with too much flour won’t rise as well, and can give a dense sponge, so check that your quantities are correct.
Old flour: Self-raising flour also has a shorter shelf life than plain flour, so make sure that the flour you used is in date or it may have lost some of its effectiveness, meaning your cake will not rise as much as it otherwise would.

How to store, keep & freeze lemon drizzle loaf cake

What is the best way to store lemon drizzle loaf cake and how long will it keep?

Stored in an airtight container in a cool place out of direct sunlight, your lemon drizzle loaf cake will keep well for 3-4 days. Don’t slice it or keep the slices tightly packed together to avoid the edges drying out.

Can I put this lemon drizzle loaf cake be kept in the fridge?

You can store your lemon drizzle loaf cake in a sealed container in the refrigerator if you like, but it’s likely that the crumb will lose a little of its tenderness and become sort of grainy.

For this reason, I think this lemon drizzle cake is better stored at room temp to preserve its tender crumb.

Can this lemon drizzle loaf cake recipe be frozen?

Yes! It actually freezes really well.

Make sure to place it in an airtight container. I find the best way to freeze is to first cut the cake into squares. That way, you can just grab a slice when you want and allow it to gently defrost before eating.

If you find your freezer is prone to freezer burn (where the food gets a frost on it and seems damaged) then you can go an extra step and double wrap the cake well in plastic wrap / cling film before placing in a airtight container.

And once you’ve given the recipe a go, I’d love you to come back and leave a comment letting me know how yours turned out.

I’d love to see your videos and pics, too! Just tag me on social media. I’m @emilylearycooks on Twitter and TikTok or @amummytoo on Instagram.

Print this Lemon drizzle loaf cake recipe

Print Recipe

Lemon drizzle loaf cake

This is truly the zingiest, most delicious and moreish lemon drizzle loaf cake you’ll ever make. The recipe is easy to follow and the crumb is super soft and tender.

Prep Time15 minutes

Cook Time1 hour

Total Time1 hour 15 minutes

Course: cakes and bakes

Cuisine: British

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: 8 slices

Author: Emily Leary

Ingredients

250 g (1⅓ cups + 2tbsp) white caster sugar (superfine sugar)
250 g (2 sticks + 1tbsp) slightly salted butter
3 medium free range eggs
250 g (1⅔ cups) self-raising white flour (self rising flour) sifted
4 unwaxed lemons (A standard UK lemon gives about 2 tbsp of juice. If yours are larger, adjust accordingly)
6 tbsp icing sugar (powdered sugar)