Sweets & Treats

Tray Bake Lemon Drizzle Cake

Lemon Drizzle Cake is one of my favourite Cakes…amongst many other cakes as you may have guessed. This cake has never disappointed me or anyone who has tasted it. It is moist with a crunchy topping that melts in the mouth, one bite and you would ask for more. To add more texture to the cake I have used a mixture of Semolina and flour in the mixture.

 Ingredients  Makes 30 squares   

Preparation time: about 10 minutes
Cooking time: about 35-40 minutes

·      225g (8 oz) butter, softened

·      225g (8 oz) caster sugar

·      175g (10 oz) self-raising flour

·      100Gg coarse polenta

·      2 teaspoons baking powder

·      4 eggs

·      4 tablespoons milk

·      finely grated rind of 1lemon (you can use ½ lemon and ½ lime)

Lemon Topping

·      175g (6 oz) granulated sugar

·      juice of 1 lemon or lime

Method

1. Cut a rectangle of non-stick baking parchment to fit the base and sides of a tray bake tin or roasting tin, 30 x 23 x 4 cm (12 x 9 x 1 ½ inches).
2. Grease the tin and then line with the paper, pushing it neatly into the corners of the tin. Pre-heat the oven to 160°C/325°F/Gas 3.
3. Sift the flour, semolina and baking powder together into a large bowl, leave aside.
4. Place the softened butter and sugar into a large bowl and beat well for about 2 minutes until light, (an electric mixer is best for this but if you do not have an electric mixer you can also beat by hand with a wooden spoon).
5. Add the egg one at a time into the mixture.
6. Gradually fold in the flour and semolina mixture followed by the lemon rind. Add the milk one tablespoon at a time until you get a cake mix consistency.
7. Turn the mixture into the prepared tin, level the top gently with the back of a spatula.
8. Bake in the middle of the pre-heated oven for about 35-40 minutes or until the cake a spring back when pressed lightly and is beginning to shrink away from the sides of the tin. Alternatively a skewer inserted into the middle of the cakes comes out clean.  
9. Allow the cake to cool in the tin for a few minutes then lift the cake out of the tin still in the lining paper. Carefully remove the paper and put the cake onto a wire rack placed over a tray (to catch drips of the topping).
10. To make the topping, mix the lemon juice and granulated sugar in a small bowl to give a runny consistency. Spoon this mixture evenly over the tray bake cake while it is still just warm. Cut into squares when cold.

 

Brinda’s Note:

The cake needs to be just warm when the topping is added so that it absorbs the lemon syrup easily, leaving the sugar on top. If the cake is too hot the syrup will tend to run straight through.