Lemon Drizzle Cake

A solitary photo of this house's most popular cake
(Lacking top icing in this shot!)

Here you go Granny Vicki!

This lemon drizzle cake is Isaac and his best friend's favourite cake.  Fortunately it is also quick and easy.  All care, no responsibility on this recipe.  I have read it a few times and expanded on the method (mine is literally a list of ingredients... and an oven temperature)

Cake Ingredients
145 grams unbleached flour
55 grams ground almonds
1 + 3/4 teaspoons of baking powder
pinch of salt
zest of one lemon
120 grams natural unsweetened full fat yoghurt (I always use greek set)
200 grams caster/super fine sugar
150 grams eggs (usually 3)
95 grams vegetable oil

Syrup
30 grams icing/powdered sugar
60 grams lemon juice (freshly squeezed usually just the one lemon from above)

Icing Glaze
110 grams icing/powdered sugar
45 grams lemon juice (freshly squeezed)

Bonus optional points - Lemon Curd Mascarpone Filling

250 grams mascarpone cheese
70 grams of lemon curd

Line the base of a 9 inch cake tin with parchment/baking paper and preheat the oven to 175 degrees celsius.

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, almonds, baking powder, salt and lemon zest.

In another bowl (or stand mixer if you are feeling energetic enough to get your stand mixer out, but not energetic enough to whisk by hand) mix together the yoghurt, sugar, eggs and vegetable oil until it comes together in a homogenous mix.  Basically mix until the oil is no longer sitting on the surface.

Fold the flour mix into the wet ingredients until it is blended (about 30 seconds with a stand mixer, about two minutes by hand) - it won't be totally smooth, but nor should you have any big lumps or dry bits.

Bake in a 9 inch cake pan for 15 minutes, turn the pan and then bake for a further 10 - 15 minutes.  It will be baked when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out dry.

Allow to stand in the tin for 10 minutes, and make the syrup.

Bring the lemon juice and the icing sugar to the boil and stir until the sugar has dissolved.  Remove from the heat.

Remove the cake from the tin to a cake rack.  Poke the top and the bottom with the toothpick, this will allow the syrup to penetrate more deeply in the cake.  Divide the syrup in half and brush half on the bottom of the cake and half on the top of the cake.  It pays to do the bottom first and then flip the cake to do the top.  Once the syrup is applied the surface becomes a sticky and sometimes adheres to the cake rack.

Make the icing glaze.  Sift the icing sugar into a bowl.  Make a well in the centre and add the lemon juice.  Mix until you have a smooth consistency.

Finally ice the top of the cake.  Pour onto the cake - I usually just tip and angle the cake to let gravity complete the job.

If you have made two cakes or you want to serve the cake with more calories, then you can fill it with the Lemon Mascarpone filling, or just serve the cream on the side.  To make the filling, fold the lemon curd into the mascarpone cheese - it is easier to do this if the mascarpone isn't straight from the fridge - 30 minutes is usually enough.  Definitely do not use the stand mixer to mix this - I found to my peril that beating mascarpone cheese will end in tears.   Taste the mix and add more depending on your lemon curd and personal taste.

And can you please text me with your address so I can send Isaac around to yours...