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.
Servings: 8 People
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.
Notes
1. Cooking 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.
2. Loaf Tin – You’ll need a 2 lb loaf tin for this lemon drizzle cake recipe. The tin should roughly measure 9″ x 5″ x 2.5″. To prevent the cake from sticking, I’d recommend lining the base & two longer sides with a piece of baking parchment, leaving a couple of centimetres overhanging. This acts like a sling, making it easier to remove the cake once it is baked. Make sure to grease each end with butter, as well.
3. Rapeseed Oil - A good quality rapeseed oil makes all the difference here! Make sure to whisk it into the eggs gradually, so that it emulsifies properly.
4. Room Temperature Ingredients – For a properly mixed cake batter, it’s important that the eggs & cream are all at room temperature. The butter that's piped on top should be soft but not melted!
5. Piping Butter On Top – Piping a thin line of soft butter down the middle of the cake before baking it, allows us to control where the top of the cake will crack as it bakes. This is optional though!
6. Overnight Chill - Letting the cake chill in the fridge overnight gives the syrup plenty of time to soak in & helps develop the flavours. If you're short on time, let the cake cool to room temperature before icing.
7. Storage - This cake should be stored in an airtight container or wrapped in clingfilm. Kept at room temperature, it will keep for a couple of days. In the fridge, it will keep for up to 5 days.