Crazylegs’ Lemon Cake
Some time ago, my friend Crazylegs asked me to email her the recipe for my favourite Lemon Drizzle cake. A cake which had been regarded as a hit when I’d made it for her previously, whilst we were both still living in the UK. I understand from her that this recipe has now been successfully reproduced by friends in Sydney, Bristol and London.
You will need:
2 x Lemons (unwaxed)
Icing Sugar (ideally)
Butter or Margerine
Caster Sugar
2 x Eggs
Self Raising Flour
Baking Powder (optional)
Milk (optional)
Heat your oven to a moderate heat - approx 180 degrees.
- Get a loaf tin and liberally grease the inside with margarine or butter. Cut strips of greaseproof paper to fit the sides and bottom and line well. How accurately you do this depends on whether suffer from Obsessional Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and have an unbearable need for symmetry.
- Start with two unwaxed lemons. Zest the lemons, being careful not to scrape off too much of the manky, bitter pith, into a bowl and put aside.
Juice the remaining (naked) lemons into a bowl and add about 150g of icing sugar (if you don’t have that, you could use caster, or even go mad and make some with caster sugar and a pestle and mortar). Stir well and put that to one side as well. - Start by putting about 175g of either softened butter or margarine (don’t use Olivio, I found by experience) in a large mixing bowl. Mix in 175g of Caster sugar until it has a similar consistency to mortar (you’ll remember that from last time you did some bricklaying) and add the lemon zest – ensuring even distribution.*
- Next up, get some eggs on the go. Two should do the trick. If you have a hand blender, good for you. Gradually add the eggs and beat into the mixture. It’s likely to curdle, but don’t have a mare.
- Gradually sieve over 200g of decent quality self-raising flour and get in amongst it stirring wise with a spatchelor, and add first a splash of milk, and then a teaspoon of baking powder once it’s mixed in for extra lightness.
When all mixed in (scraping the mixture off the sides and running back through the middle etc.) it should now resemble Lemon Cake Mixture.
Transfer said Lemon Cake Mixture into the greased and papered tin using any method you see fit. - Shake the tin to level the mixture off and then spend ten or so minutes attempting to again obtain “perfect symmetry” with the spatchelor.
- Put the tin in the pre-heated oven for about three quarters of an hour.
When it’s done, it should be golden brown. Here you can use the old “Stick the knife in the middle and then check for residue to see if it’s done” trick that your Nan taught you. - The next bit’s optional and kinda dependent on whether you used caster sugar with the lemon juice. – You can very gently heat the mixture on the hob for about 5 or so minutes to melt the sugar… (I tend to).
- When the cake’s done: Leave it to cool for a few minutes, prick the surface a few times with a fork or cocktail stick and pour the lemon ‘drizzle’ over the top. Do this gradually. Let it soak in before adding much more.
- When that’s done, let it cool down before removing the cake from the tin/greaseproof and putting on a plate or and attractive serving display of some kind.
- You could dust with icing or caster sugar (best done immediately after the ‘drizzling’ procedure) or arrange some zest, attractively cut into spirals.
- Maybe even garnish with those little jelly sweets that look like a real slice of lemon – do what feels natural.
*This is the point that my friend adds poppy seeds. I think that’s just crazy talk personally.
