Baking & Breads Cake

Lemon Drizzle Loaf

Name: Lemon Drizzle Loaf
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 10 slices
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 175 g unsalted butter, softened; 175 g caster sugar; 3 large eggs; 225 g self-raising flour; 1 tsp baking powder; Zest of 2 unwaxed lemons; 75 ml whole milk; For the drizzle: juice of 1 1/2 lemons, 100 g granulated sugar

If you wait for the cake to cool before adding the drizzle, it sits on top like icing.

By Dana Reyes

Tested at least twice · Updated September 2026

Lemon Drizzle Loaf — A sharp lemon syrup poured over a warm sponge keeps it moist for days.

15 min

Prep time

45 min

Cook time

Serves

4.7

1,128 RATINGS

Why the syrup goes on hot

If you wait for the cake to cool before adding the drizzle, it sits on top like icing. Poured while the cake is warm, it soaks in and creates a sticky, moist crumb all the way through.

Use unwaxed lemons for the zest. The syrup uses both juice and a little extra sugar to form the crystalline top that cracks when sliced.

Ingredients

Makes 10

Instructions

About 1 hr 15 min from start to finish

Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a 900 g loaf tin with baking paper.

Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, adding a tablespoon of flour if the mixture looks curdled.

Fold in the remaining flour, baking powder and lemon zest, then stir in the milk to loosen the batter.

Spoon into the tin and bake for 45-50 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.

While the cake is still warm, mix the lemon juice and sugar and pour over the top. Leave to cool completely in the tin before slicing.

Testing notes & substitutions

Three rounds of testing turned up three things worth knowing before you start cooking.

Sugar crunch

Use granulated sugar for the drizzle, not caster. It gives the crackly top.

Under-mixing

Once the flour goes in, mix as little as possible to keep the crumb light.

Make it vegan

Use dairy-free butter and aquafaba as an egg replacer; increase the baking powder slightly.

Questions we get a lot

Can I freeze lemon drizzle?

Yes — wrap tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.

My drizzle sank in

The cake was too warm or the syrup too runny. Let the cake cool for 10 minutes first.

Can I use a different citrus?

Lime or orange both work. Reduce the sugar in the syrup slightly for lime.

Dana Reyes

Dana has cooked professionally for eleven years and has been testing recipes for Hearth & Thyme since 2019. She writes about weeknight cooking, slow breads, and the small techniques that quietly change a dish. Every recipe she publishes is cooked at least twice, in an ordinary home oven.