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Home » Baking & Desserts » Cakes » Lemon Drizzle Loaf Cake

1 May 2021

Lemon Drizzle Loaf Cake

Lemon Drizzle Loaf Cake – Fluffy, moist lemon sponge with the zing of lemon drizzle, decorated with lemon icing.

Skip to the recipe | Recipe FAQs

Pinterest suitable graphic - Sliced lemon drizzle cake showing a slice and the inner crumb with the recipe title shown on a banner at the top.

One type of cake that has been sadly lacking from my site (until now) is a loaf cake. I decided it was time to rectify this and I decided to start with an absolute classic – Lemon drizzle loaf cake.

It’s a lemon sponge, flavoured with plenty of lemon zest, coated in a zingy lemon drizzle and then finally finished with some lemon icing (the icing is optional, I add it as it makes the loaf cake look so pretty, but the cake is delicious without it).

It’s a similar sponge to the one I use in my easy lemon sponge cake and also my lemon drizzle cupcakes, but I’ve made some tweaks so that it works perfectly in a loaf tin, leaving you with a delicious, fluffy, moist cake.

Drizzle cake on a wooden board shown from above with two slices cut so the inside crumb is seen.

It always surprises me the number of you that compare similar recipes on my site and ask why I’ve made certain tweaks so I thought I’s quickly outline the key difference between this recipe and my lemon sponge cake recipe for anyone who’s interested.

There are two main reasons why adaptations to the recipe are needed when making a loaf cake rather than a sandwich cake:

  • A loaf cake needs significantly longer to bake in the oven. A longer baking time can result in a cake the either over-baked and dry around the edges, or under-baked in the middle (or worse still, both!).
  • A loaf cake is a lot taller than a sandwich cake so it needs a sturdier structure to support the additional height.

These tweaks also result in the loaf cake being a little peaky on top and having a little crack along the middle. This is something that I think is attractive in a loaf cake, but is to be avoided in sandwich cake where I want the top flat and as smooth as possible ready for decorating.

Unsliced lemon cake with drizzled lemon icing seen from the unsliced end.

So how did the tweaks I’ve made to this recipe counter both of these issues:

  1. Replacing one of the eggs with milk – I’ve talked before in my vegan vanilla cupcakes post about the role that eggs play in cake. One of the key roles is that they help to dry out your cake so that it isn’t claggy. This is great for cakes that are baked for a short period of time, but for cakes with a longer baking time, the additional heat also serves to dry out the cake. So a combination of lots of eggs and a longer cooking time can leave you with a cake that’s a little too dry.

    Reducing the amount of egg, reduces the drying properties of the cake mixture leaving you with a beautifully moist cake. Simply reducing the amount of egg means that the cake mixture is no longer the right consistency so I replaced it with extra milk.

  2. Adding lemon juice and bicarbonate of soda – Reducing the amount of egg in the cake mixture also removes some of the other brilliant qualities eggs bring to cakes. One is their ability to help cakes to rise. Combining bicarbonate of soda with an acid such as lemon juice helps to give your cake a little extra lift.

  3. Using the creaming method rather than all-in-one – In many of my cakes I use the all-in-one method where all of the ingredients are chucked into a bowl at the same time and mixed together.

    As with point 2, I wanted to add a little extra lift to the cake to replace the lift provided by the missing egg. Creaming together the butter/margarine and sugar before adding the wet ingredients and then folding in the dry ingredients adds additional air into the mixture which helps your cake to rise.

  4. Additional flour – Many of my cakes are based on a Victoria sponge which has equal weights of sugar, butter and flour. In this cake I’ve added an extra 20g of flour. Again, this is down to the missing egg (they do so much in a cake!). As well as making sure you don’t have a claggy cake and giving lift, eggs also add structure. The extra flour provides the extra structure needed.

  5. Removing the baking powder – Talking of adding structure, I often add extra baking powder to my sandwich cakes. This helps them to be fluffy and moist, as well as ensuring the cakes have a nice, flat top (have a read of my post about making self-raising flour from plain flour for more about this).

    This works well on sandwich cakes which are quite short, but can cause problems in deeper cakes such as loaf cakes. The additional raising agent can make the cakes a bit too fluffy and they then lack the structure needed to support the additional height and dip in the middle.

  6. Baking at 180°C rather than 160°C – I tend to bake my cakes on quite a low temperature which ensures they are moist and fluffy. However, after making all the adjustments listed above, I found it best to increase the temperature a little to get the perfect bake.

  7. Adding a little salt – This is more of a progression in my baking that anything else. I historically haven’t added salt to my lemon bakes, but I wanted to help bring out the lemon flavour and found adding a tiny pinch helped to enhance the lemon flavour.
Lemon drizzle cake seen at eye level with one slice at the front of the shot and the inner crumb visible.

Lemon Drizzle Loaf Cake FAQs

If it’s your first time making this recipe or you have a question, please take a moment to have a read through my FAQs for some extra tips and allergen information.

  • How long does this cake last and how should it be stored?
  • Can I use buttermilk instead of milk?
  • Can I change this recipe to use orange or lime?
  • Can I use this recipe to make cupcakes?
  • Can I use this recipe to make a layer cake?
  • What is this recipe free from? Who is it suitable for?

How long does this cake last and how should it be stored?

This cake lasts for about a week after baking and should be stored in an airtight container.

❄️ Suitable for freezing

This cake can be frozen for approx. 3 months after baking. Simply pop it into a freezer-safe airtight container or wrap it in clingfilm and freeze.

Make sure it is defrosted thoroughly before serving.

Lemon drizzle cake viewed from above with two slices at one end placed one on top of each other.

Can I use buttermilk instead of milk?

Yes.

Using buttermilk (or yogurt thinned with a little milk) will also give a lovely fluffy sponge. As both buttermilk and yogurt are more acidic than milk you do not need to add the lemon juice (or vinegar) to the cake mixture.

Can I change this recipe to use orange or lime?

Absolutely.

This recipe will work equally well with any citrus fruit. Simply replace the zest in the main cake and the juice in the drizzle with your chosen fruit.

For an orange drizzle loaf cake, use the zest from half a large orange. For a lime drizzle cake, use the zest of 3 limes.

Unsliced lemon loaf cake viewed at eye level with the lemon icing drip visible.

Can I use this recipe to make cupcakes?

If you’d like to make lemon drizzle cupcakes I have a recipe on here that’s perfect for that. It differs a little from this one (have a read of this full post to find out why), but gives the same delicious result.

Can I use this recipe to make a layer cake?

As with the cupcakes I have a slightly different recipe for lemon sponge cake that’s perfect for making layer cakes or single layer traybakes. That recipe also includes a handy calculator to adjust the ingredients for different sized round, square and rectangular tins.

  • Lemon cake topper with lemon buttercream on a white cake stand.

What is this recipe free from? Who is it suitable for?

The ingredients I used to make this recipe are all free from the following allergens. However, please check any labels carefully for allergens you need to avoid as brands can vary, and product recipes can change over time.

  • Suitable for Vegetarians
  • Tree Nut-Free
  • Peanut-Free
  • Sesame-Free
  • Soya-Free
  • Sulphur Dioxide and Sulphite-Free
  • Lupin-Free

This loaf cake be made dairy-free by simply switching the margarine and milk for dairy-free alternatives.

This cake can be made gluten-free by switching the self-raising flour for a commercial gluten-free equivalent.

Unsliced lemon drizzle cake as seen from above on a wooden board.

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Lemon Drizzle Loaf Cake

Fluffy, moist lemon sponge with the zing of lemon drizzle, decorated with lemon icing.
4.93 from 13 votes
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Active Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
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INGREDIENTS

Metric – US Cups/Ounces

Lemon Loaf Cake

  • Zest of 2 lemons
  • 200 g caster sugar
  • 200 g soft margarine or butter - if using butter make sure it is soft and at room temperature
  • 3 medium eggs
  • 50 ml milk - I use skimmed but any is fine
  • ½ tsp lemon juice or white vinegar
  • 220 g self-raising flour
  • ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • ⅛ tsp salt

Lemon Drizzle

  • 60 g caster sugar
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice - approx. juice of 1 lemon

Icing (Optional)

  • 40 g icing sugar
  • ½-2 tsp lemon juice or water

INSTRUCTIONS

Make the lemon loaf cake

  • Pre-heat your oven to 180°C/160°C fan.
  • Line a 2lb loaf tin with greaseproof paper or cake release.
  • Finely grate the zest of 2 lemons.
  • Cream together your butter (200g) and caster sugar (200g) until light and fluffy.
  • In a separate bowl, lightly beat together the eggs (3 medium), milk (50ml) and lemon juice (½ tsp).
  • Gradually add the egg mixture to the butter and sugar. Beat in each addition thoroughly before adding more.
    You may find that the mixture starts to look a little split. If this happens add 1-2 tbsp of your flour and this should give it a smooter texture (remember to reduce the flour you add later by the amount you added here).
  • Add the dry ingredients (220g self-raising flour, ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda, ⅛ tsp salt) and the grated lemon zest to the other ingredients and fold together until combined.
  • Pour the mixture into your prepared tin and bake for 50-60 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

While the cake is in the oven, make the lemon drizzle

  • Mix together the caster sugar (60g) and lemon juice (2 tbsp).
  • Once you've removed the cake from the oven, while it's still hot in its tin, use a skewer to poke lots of small holes all over the top of the cake (going through to the bottom). Pour or brush over the lemon and sugar mixture so the top of the cake is evenly coated.
  • Leave the cake to cook in the tin for a few minutes before removing it and placing it on a wire rack to cool completely.

While the cake cools, make the icing (optional)

  • Mix together the icing sugar (40g) with ½ tsp of lemon juice or water. Gradually add more lemon juice (or water) until when you lift up your spoon it drips off slowly. If you accidentally add too much liquid then simply add a little more sugar until you have your desired consistency.
  • Once your cake has cooled completed, drizzle the icing across the top of the cake – I allow it to run slowly off a spoon, but you could also use a fork or a piping bag.
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NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Calories: 340kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 4.4g | Fat: 15.7g | Saturated Fat: 4.2g | Sodium: 257.5mg | Fiber: 0.8g | Sugar: 30.7g

Any nutritional information provided is the estimated nutritional information per serving. Please refer to my guide to Charlotte’s Lively Kitchen nutritional information if you would like to learn more about how this is calculated.


Author: Charlotte Oates

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Snowgoose says

    May 06, 2022 at 11:42 pm

    5 stars
    Beautifully moist and light cake. First time I’ve made a lemon drizzle cake and it won’t be the last. All your recipes are wonderful Charlotte.Thank you.

    Reply
  2. Suzanne says

    April 30, 2022 at 8:31 pm

    This looks really good and your explanations make sense. I’m going to try making this tomorrow.

    Reply
  3. Shazi says

    April 30, 2022 at 1:38 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious and exactly the kind of result I was looking for.

    Reply
  4. Pat Ward says

    February 22, 2022 at 8:37 pm

    To substitute less eggs, how much milk should I use

    Thank you

    Reply
    • Charlotte Oates says

      February 27, 2022 at 11:33 pm

      Milk is not an appropriate replacement for eggs and this recipe has not been tested with less eggs. I would suggest using an egg free recipe rather than trying to adapt a recipe to your needs.

  5. Jane says

    November 21, 2021 at 1:01 pm

    I made this cake. I feel it needs more lemon juice in the batter in addition to the zest. Also, I feel baking powder would have created more lift in the cake. You mentioned in your narrative prior to the recipe you reduced the egg, but you didn’t mention it in the receipt itself. So do you use 3 eggs, or 2 with the substitute of milk or buttermilk?

    Reply
    • Charlotte Oates says

      November 23, 2021 at 10:48 pm

      You use the quantities specified in the recipe, so 3 eggs. Normally for a sponge of this size I’d use 4 eggs so I’ve used fewer. The lemon juice in the batter is to activate the bicarbonate of soda. If you want more lemon flavour then I’d recommend adding more zest.

      Adding baking powder would have given more lift, but would also have made it more likely that the cake would sink after baking. That’s why I don’t add it.

  6. Shona says

    October 16, 2021 at 8:59 pm

    5 stars
    Family kept commenting on how lovely this cake was. Super moist and tender cake, absolutely delicious!

    Reply
  7. Nitika Sharma says

    October 12, 2021 at 12:43 pm

    5 stars
    Thank you for this amazing recipe. The cake came out amazing really moist. tasty and rose really well. One of the best recipes I have come across. Thank you also for the clear concise directions & reasons for making it this way – really insightful.

    Reply
  8. Lani says

    October 11, 2021 at 7:12 am

    5 stars
    Hi there.
    I have accidentally added the juice of the whole lemon instead of 1/2 tsp as per recipe . My cake turned out dry and crumbly. Do you think that was the reason? Please help. I really love this cake. Thank you.

    Reply
    • Charlotte Oates says

      November 01, 2021 at 9:56 pm

      It’s possible that is the reason as the cake would have too much liquid and not enough flour to give it structure making it crumbly.

  9. Rebecca says

    October 06, 2021 at 5:08 pm

    5 stars
    I cannot wait to make this, bored of the usual chocolate or vanilla cakes out there, fancy a change. And I LOVE everything lemon.

    I was just wondering if you can use a normal round cake tin and divide the mixture into two tins instead of using the loaf tin?

    I love your recipes, they are so easy to follow. You have helped me loads, I’m starting to bake a lot more instead of buying ready bought items from the supermarket.

    Thank you!

    Reply
    • Charlotte Oates says

      October 10, 2021 at 3:21 pm

      I haven’t tested this recipe in round tins but it should be fine. I’d use 20cm round tins and bake for c. 30 minutes. You’ll probably want to increase the amount of drizzle as the surface are of the cake is bigger than for a loaf cake.

  10. Craig says

    October 03, 2021 at 10:42 am

    My mixture splits and doesn’t become smoother when I add the flour. Any advice would be welcome. Thank you

    Reply
    • Charlotte Oates says

      October 03, 2021 at 2:48 pm

      That can happen. I’ve found I still get a lovely light cake after baking so it’s not something I’d worry too much about.

  11. Lani says

    September 07, 2021 at 4:29 am

    5 stars
    Is it possible to make two recipes at the same time? Two recipes, two loaves. Thank you.

    Reply
    • Charlotte Oates says

      September 07, 2021 at 2:57 pm

      I haven’t tried it, but you should be fine as long as you have space to put them side by side on the same oven shelf.

    • Annette Holbrook says

      March 19, 2022 at 11:28 am

      4 stars
      Hi Lani,
      When I bake Date & Walnut loaf, I often bake two, one to eat and one to give away to family and friends.

      But do ensure as Charlotte says, that you leave room between the tins.

    • Suzanne says

      April 30, 2022 at 8:28 pm

      I usually make two loaves of banana cake an put in the oven side by side on the same shelf with a gap between the two. They come out fine.

  12. Lani says

    September 06, 2021 at 4:28 pm

    5 stars
    Hi Charlotte. Can I double the recipe? This lemon cake is absolutely the best! Thanks for sharing this recipe.

    Reply
    • Charlotte Oates says

      September 06, 2021 at 4:47 pm

      What do you mean by double? Make two loaves at the same time or use a different size/shape of tin?

  13. Jamie says

    July 31, 2021 at 4:32 pm

    5 stars
    This is THE best lemon loaf recipe I’ve made or eaten and I’ve been asked to share the recipe several times by others.
    Thank you so much

    Reply
  14. Roz Tippetts says

    June 21, 2021 at 7:13 pm

    Why can’t you use the same recipe for lemon cupcakes as a big cake – I can’t see the explanation?

    Reply
    • Charlotte Oates says

      June 22, 2021 at 12:41 pm

      You probably can, I’ve just never tested it, whereas I have a tried and tested lemon drizzle cupcake recipe that has been used many many times by my readers so that’s what I recommend using.

      If you wanted to try this cake as cupcakes I’d expect it to make about 16 and they’d need c. 20 minutes in the oven.

  15. Rebecca says

    June 18, 2021 at 9:31 pm

    5 stars
    I’ve tried many recipes for a lemon drizzle loaf recipes but this has to be the best for improving rather than tasting stale after the first day. Light and tasty, we were very impressed.

    Reply
  16. Susan Apter says

    June 16, 2021 at 6:28 pm

    Made this today and got lots of compliments! It was moist and very lemony. I will certainly be making this again.

    Reply
  17. Desicart says

    May 18, 2021 at 2:02 pm

    5 stars
    Yum! This looks so delicious and tasty!

    Reply
  18. Nic | Nic's Adventures & Bakes says

    May 15, 2021 at 3:04 pm

    5 stars
    Thanks for sharing, this lemon cake looks lovely 🙂

    Reply
  19. Karen says

    May 04, 2021 at 3:35 pm

    5 stars
    So fluffy and delisious as is all Charlotte’s cakes best ever

    Reply
  20. WENDY MARTIN says

    May 01, 2021 at 11:12 pm

    Hi there,
    You mention preheating the oven to 180 & 160…..I don’t have an electric oven only Gas so can you tell me what would be the ideal Gas No. for the Lemon Drizzle Cake please ?

    Reply
    • Charlotte Oates says

      May 01, 2021 at 11:20 pm

      Gas mark 4

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Hi, I'm Charlotte Oates. Welcome to my lively kitchen where I share delicious, simple baking recipes, baking tools and calculators, and lots of tips and tricks.

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