Rapeseed Oil Lemon Drizzle Loaf Cake
A classic lemon drizzle loaf cake, made with rapeseed oil for a nutty flavour & vibrant colour! This cake’s easy to make & super lemony.
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We’re taking a classic lemon drizzle cake to another level by using nutty rapeseed oil in the batter!
It’s hard to improve something as classic as a lemon drizzle cake but we might have done it! This lemon loaf cake has all the characteristics of a great lemon drizzle; it’s moist, soft, sweet & packed full of lemon but is made with rapeseed oil instead of a neutral oil or butter. This adds a subtle nuttiness to the cake that works great with the lemon flavour and it gives the sponge a glorious yellow colour!
Like most lemon drizzle cakes, this one consists of 3 components. A soft & tender lemon loaf, a punchy lemon syrup & a sweet lemon icing. The key here is to soak the cake with the syrup, leaving it to chill out in the fridge overnight then ice it the following day. This may seem like a long time to wait but trust me it’s worth it!
I’m on a bit of loaf cake kick at minute! I posted a sour cream pound cake recipe a couple of weeks ago & I’m also working on a chocolate loaf cake at the minute as well. If there’s a loaf cake you’d like to see on the blog, feel free to leave a comment on this post!
Looking for more baking recipes to try? We have recipes for a whole load of bakes. From homemade bread & sourdough, to cakes, brownies & cookies.
What You’ll Need
- Rapeseed Oil – A good rapeseed oil makes all the difference here! A neutral oil like veg or sunflower will also work but you won’t get the same flavour & colour…
- Lemons – You’ll need 3 lemons in total for this cake, plus 1½ tsp of lemon extract (this is available in most supermarkets).
- Sugar – We’re using caster sugar for the cake & syrup and icing sugar for the icing. Make sure to sift the icing sugar, to prevent lumps in your icing.
- Eggs – Our lemon loaf uses 3 large eggs & an extra yolk. Your large eggs should weigh around 60 grams each, without the shell (63-73g in the shell).
- Flour – I used plain flour for my cake but plain sponge/cake flour can be used as well.
- Baking Powder – Make sure to weigh the baking powder accurately, for the best rise in the oven.
- Salt – Used to enhance the flavours in our cake. We’re using table salt.
- Double Cream – Cream adds fat to our cake batter, making it more soft & moist! Make sure to use room temperature double/heavy cream.
- Butter – We’re piping a thin line of soft butter down the middle of our cake before baking. This controls how the cake will crack as it bakes.
- Loaf Tin – You’ll need a 2lb loaf tin for this lemon drizzle cake. Make sure to line the base & sides, to prevent sticking (more on this below).
How To Line A Loaf Tin
The great thing about baking a lemon drizzle cake in a loaf tin, is that you can line it with baking parchment, therefore preventing any chance of it sticking.
The best way to do this, is to generously grease the inside of a 2 lb loaf tin with soft butter then line the base & 2 longer sides with a piece of baking parchment, leaving a couple of centimetres overhanging (as shown below). This also acts like a sling, making it easier to remove the lemon cake once baked.
How To Make A Rapeseed Oil Lemon Drizzle Loaf Cake
The full, printable recipe card for this lemon drizzle cake can be found at the bottom of this post! Here’s a quick rundown of the recipe…
- Whisk Eggs & Sugar
First, we add caster sugar & lemon zest into a mixing bowl then rub the zest into the sugar with our fingertips, to release the oils (this adds more flavour!). Next, we add in eggs & a yolk then whisk with an electric hand whisk, for 3-4 minutes until pale & fluffy. - Add In Rapeseed Oil
Next, we slowly pour rapeseed oil into the eggs, whilst still whisking. - Fold In Dry Ingredients, Cream & Lemon Extract
Once the oil has been emulsified with the eggs, we add in half of the sifted dry ingredients (plain flour, salt & baking powder) half the double cream & the lemon extract then fold in until just incorporated. We then add in the remaining flour & cream then fold again, until combined. If there’s any lumps in your batter, give it a gentle whisk, by hand. - Pour Batter Into Tin
Now, we transfer the lemon cake batter into a greased & lined 2lb loaf tin. Then we pipe a thin line of softened butter straight down the middle of the cake. This controls where the loaf cake will crack open as it bakes. - Bake
We bake the lemon loaf at 175°c/350°f until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. This will take 45 minutes – 1 hour. - Lemon Syrup
Once our cake is baked, we set it to one side then make our syrup straight away. To do this, place lemon juice & caster sugar into a saucepan then cook over a medium heat, until the sugar has dissolved & the mix is syrupy. This won’t take long (a minute or two of boiling once the sugar has dissolved)! - Soaking
Next, we use a skewer to poke holes all over the top of the cake then we pour over the warm syrup. We let the cake cool in the tin for 30 minutes then lift it out onto a cooling rack. Once completely cool, we wrap the cake in clingfilm & refrigerate overnight. - Icing
The next day, we mix together icing sugar & lemon juice to make a thick icing. We then brush this all over the top of the cake then bake at 160°c/320°f for 1-2 minutes, until set. Once the cake has cooled to room temperature, it can be sliced & served!
Rapeseed Oil Lemon Drizzle Cake Tips & Tricks
- Use a good quality rapeseed oil, for the best flavour & colour.
- Scrape the sides of your mixing bowl down regularly, for a properly mixed batter.
- Use room temperature ingredients for a smoother cake mix.
- Pipe a line of softened butter down the middle of the cake batter, to control how the top of the cake cracks as it bakes.
- Pour lemon syrup over the cake whilst it’s still warm, so that it soaks in better. Make sure to poke some holes in top of your cake with a skewer first!
- Wrap your cake in clingfilm & chill in the fridge overnight, before icing. This gives the syrup plenty of time to soak into the cake.
Frequently Asked Questions
Kept at room temperature, lemon drizzle cake will keep for a day or two. However it will keep for up to 5 days in the fridge. Make sure to store the cake in an airtight container or wrapped in clingfilm.
You sure can! Your lemon drizzle cake will still taste great just not as lemony. If you’d like to get some lemon extract, it’s available to buy in most supermarkets.
The most common reason for lemon drizzle cake to sink is because the oven has been opened too early. Make sure to give your cake at least 40 minutes in the oven before checking it. It’s also important to set your oven to the correct temperature & to use the correct size tin.
To prevent any chance of your lemon cake sticking, it’s best to grease the tin generously with butter and line the base & two longer sides with a piece of baking parchment. This also acts like a sling, making it easier to remove the cake from the tin once baked.
You’ll know when your lemon drizzle cake is cooked when a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. The cake will also be well risen, cracked on top & a deep, golden brown.
It’s best to pour the syrup over the lemon cake whilst it is still warm (make sure to poke some holes in the top of your cake with a skewer first!). Once you’ve poured over your syrup, let the cake cool in the tin for 30 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack & leave to cool completely. Once cool, wrap the cake in clingfilm & refrigerate overnight. This gives the syrup plenty of time to soak into the cake & helps develop flavour.
There’s a few different ways that you can ice a lemon drizzle cake but baking the icing on is the way I like best! Alternatively, you can leave the icing un baked or spoon over an icing made with granulated sugar & lemon juice, for a crunchier topping.
Baking Lemon Drizzle Loaf Cake In An Aga
With all of my recipes, I include cooking instructions for conventional ovens, fan ovens & also Agas. Here’s how to cook this recipe in an Aga…
Bake the lemon loaf on a grid shelf placed onto the floor of the baking oven. Slide a cold plain shelf onto the top set of runners just before baking the cake, leaving it in for the duration of the cook. Cook the lemon syrup on the boiling plate.
Equipment Used
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More Baking Recipes To Try!
- Sour Cream Pound Cake With Vanilla Bean Icing
- Double Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Blondies
- Black Tahini Chocolate Sheet Cake
- Brown Butter Biscoff Rice Krispie Treats
- Nutty Brown Butter Flapjacks
- Lemon Fondant Fancies
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Rapeseed Oil Lemon Drizzle Loaf Cake
Equipment
- 2 lb Loaf Tin
- Electric Hand Whisk
- Mixing Bowls
- Sieve
- Small Saucepan
- Wire Cooling Rack
- Pastry Brush
Ingredients
Lemon Loaf
- 240 g Caster Sugar
- 2 Lemons (Zested)
- 3 Large Eggs (60g Each Without The Shell)
- 1 Egg Yolk
- 90 g Rapeseed Oil
- 220 g Plain Flour
- 4 g Baking Powder
- ½ tsp Table Salt
- 140 g Double Cream (At Room Temperature)
- 1½ tsp Lemon Extract
To Pipe On Top (Before Baking)
- 20 g Softened Unsalted Butter (In A Piping Bag)
Lemon Syrup
- 80 g Caster Sugar
- 2 Lemons (Juiced)
- Water (To Bring Juice To 80 Grams)
Lemon Icing
- 80 g Icing Sugar
- 1 Lemon (Juiced)
Instructions
Lemon Loaf
- Preheat an oven to 175°c/155°c fan (350°f/310°f).
- Grease a 2 lb loaf tin with butter then line the bottom & two longer sides with a piece of baking parchment, leaving a couple of centimetres overhanging the tin's edges (this makes it easier to take the cake out of the tin once it is cooked!).
- Sieve the flour, salt & baking powder into a bowl then set aside.
- Next, add the caster sugar & lemon zest into a large mixing bowl, rub the zest into the sugar with your fingertips then add in the eggs & yolk.
- Using an electric hand whisk, whisk the eggs & sugar for 3-4 minutes, until light & pale then slowly pour in the rapeseed oil, whilst still whisking.
- Once the oil has been mixed in, add in half of the sifted flour, half of the double cream & the lemon extract. Fold in with a spatula, until just incorporated.
- Add in the remaining flour & cream then fold again, to combine. If there's any lumps, give the batter a gentle whisk, to get rid of them.
- Transfer the cake batter into the lined loaf tin the pipe a thin layer of softened butter straight down the middle of the cake.
- Bake the cake for 45 minutes – 1 hour, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Check the cake after 45 minutes. If it's starting to brown too much, cover the top loosely with foil.
Lemon Syrup
- Place the sugar into a small saucepan along with 80 grams of lemon juice. If necessary, top up the juice with cold water.Make your syrup as soon as your cake comes out of the oven!
- Cook over a medium heat, until the sugar has dissolved then bring to the boil & cook for another minute or two, until syrupy.
- Using a skewer, poke holes all over the top of the cake then pour over the syrup. Leave to cool in the tin for 30 minutes then lift the cake out & place onto a wire cooling rack. Leave to cool completely then wrap in clingfilm & refrigerate overnight.You might need to release each of the cake's end from the tin with a palette knife. Refrigerating the cake overnight gives the syrup plenty of time to soak into the cake & helps develop the flavours.
Lemon Icing
- The next day, preheat an oven to 160°c/140°c fan (320°f/284°f). Remove the clingfilm from the cake & place onto a baking tray.
- Next, sift the icing sugar into a mixing bowl then whisk in enough lemon juice to make a smooth, thick icing. The icing needs to be thick enough to brush onto the cake, without it running off. Start by adding ½ tbsp of juice!
- Brush the icing onto the top of the cake then bake in the preheated oven for 1-2 minutes, until set. Leave to cool to room temperature then cut into slices & serve.
