Lemon Drizzle Loaf Cake

Well friends, it looks like we're already into February of 2012. I'm not going to go into a long description of how fast time is flying, but let me just say, damn! that was fast!

We are already looking forward to the next winter break. Or even a three-day weekend. I'm tired!

I hear that citrus is a great pick-me-up, so I made a lemon loaf on the weekend. This is probably the first time I've taken out the loaf pan for this blog! New year, new baked good shapes?

Lemon Drizzle Loaf Cake
Adapted from The Primrose Bakery Book
(Makes about 1 x 900g loaf cake, 8-10 slices)

155 grams of sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
155 grams of granulated sugar
20 grams of cornstarch
155 grams of unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 large eggs
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C. Grease your 1 x 900g loaf pan and line with parchment paper.
2. Sift the flour, baking powder, sugar, and cornstarch together.
3. Add in the butter, eggs, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Mix until evenly blended.
4. Pour the batter into the loaf pan, smooth the top with a spatula.
5. Bake in the centre of the oven for about 35-40 minutes, until golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the centre of the loaf comes out clean. Let the loaf cool.
6. Make an icing drizzle. The book suggests 160g of granulated sugar and the juice of 2 lemons. I used icing sugar, vanilla extract, and water.
7. Pour the drizzle over the loaf and allow it to set.

There were a few changes to the original recipe. The Primrose Bakery is in England and naturally their cookbook would have a few differences. You'll note that the measurements were all given in grams, which I actually liked. In my opinion, it helps give a more accurate recipe.

Back to the alterations I made. I didn't use self-raising flour, simply because I didn't have any and I figured the baking powder would help. In the end, I don't think it mattered because my loaf looked approximately the same height as the one in the cookbook.

I used granulated sugar instead of golden caster sugar, again because I didn't think I had any, but it turns out that I might actually have a jar! Cornflour was one of the ingredients listed, but after doing some research, it means cornstarch in the UK. I didn't think cornmeal would be used for a lemon loaf - but who knows?

Lastly, I changed the "drizzle" part of the recipe. This was a personal choice, I wanted smooth icing sugar, but I'm sure the texture of their icing makes the loaf more interesting.

Howard so kindly taste-tested a few slices for me. I think it was met with approval because he said, "Something finally worked out!" That was a poke to my first baking blunder of the year. Hmph!

But it was nice to hear that he enjoyed it. The cake was moist with a lemon flavour. I'd say go stronger, the zest and juice of one lemon isn't enough! Unless maybe if you had a giant lemon?