Lemon Loveliness

I mentioned in my post last week, a certain lemon drizzle cake that is delicious with a cup of tea. I thought I'd share this foolproof recipe, with all credit to Nigella Lawson.

For the cake:
125 g unsalted butter
175g caster sugar
2 eggs
zest 1 lemon
175g self-raising flour
pinch salt
4 tablespoons milk
23x13x7cm loaf tin, buttered and lined

For the syrup:
juice of 1.5 lemons (4 tbsp)
100g icing sugar

Preheat oven to 180 oC/gas mark 4 and butter and line you loaf tin well.
Cream together butter and sugar, add eggs and lemon zest, beating well.
Add flour and salt, folding in gently but thoroughly, and then the milk.
Spoon into prepared loaf tin and put in oven. While the cake is cooking, make the syrup by putting lemon juice and sugar into a small saucepan and heat gently so that the sugar dissolves.
Bake the cake for 45 mins, or until golden, risen in the middle and an inserted cake-tester comes out clean. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, puncture the top of the loaf all over with cake-tester. Pour over the syrup, trying to let the middle absorb as well as the sides, then leave to soak up the rest. Don't try and take the cake out of the tin until it is completely cold, as it will be sodden with syrup and might crumble.

Now sit down with a cup of Twining's Afternoon Tea and enjoy.