Lemon Drizzle Cake with Candied Lemon Peel

A British classic.

There are three parts to this recipe, each with it’s own list of ingredients.

Hardware

Candied Lemon Peel

3   organic, unwaxed lemons
900 ml   water
600 g   granulated sugar
300 g   caster sugar

Procedure

  1. Score each lemon, tip to stem, into four or eight sections.

  2. Using the dull edge of a table knife, remove the peel from the lemons; reserve the lemons for the drizzle (below).

  3. If the peels are thick, shave off the back of the peel until the pieces are roughly 4 mm thick.

  4. Cut each section into thin strips, roughly 32 strips per lemon (thinner strips are better).

  5. In the sauce pan, combine the water and the granulated sugar; heat over high heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved.

  6. Add the strips of lemon peel, reduce to a simmer, and cook (uncovered) 30 to 45 minutes, until the peels are soft and turning translucent.

  7. Drain and spread out on a wire rack to cool.

  8. Heat the oven to 230F.

  9. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, spread out the strips of peel, and cover with the caster sugar. Bake about 1 hour, until the strips are dry and the sugar is crunchy.

  10. While the peel is baking, measure and cut the parchment paper for the cake (below). Also, measure and sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

  11. Remove the peel to a wire rack and allow to cool; reserve the sugar for the cake (below).

  12. When cool, store the candied peel in an air-tight container.

Lemon Cake

175 g   butter, softened
175 g   caster sugar (see procedure)
4   organic, unwaxed lemons, zest only
3   eggs (at room temperature)
175 g   cake flour
2½ tsp   baking powder
1 pinch   table salt
125 ml   whole milk (see procedure)

Procedure

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 350F.

  2. If you haven’t done it already, cut parchment paper to fit the loaf pan; be sure it extends over the long sides.

  3. Spray or grease the pan, line with the parchment paper, then spray or grease the paper.

  4. Zest the lemons into a small bowl.

  5. Places the softened butter in a mixing bowl; add the caster sugar, starting with the reserved sugar from the candied peel (above); cream together with the mixer until light and fluffy.

  6. Add one egg at a time, beating well after each egg has been added.

  7. Add the dry ingredients and by hand, incorporate them into the mixture.

  8. In 15 ml increments, add enough milk – beating well after each addition – until the mixture is a soft dropping consistency (but not runny).

  9. Pour the mixture into the loaf pan and level the top.

  10. Bake at 350F for 40 to 50 minutes, until a tester comes out clean.

Lemon Drizzle

75 g   granulated sugar
2   lemons, juice only (about ## ml)
50 g   granulated sugar (yes, more sugar)
  1. About 15 minutes after the cake comes out of the oven, juice 2 of the zested lemons, saved from the cake (above); strain the juice into a small bowl or cup.

  2. Pour 75 grams of sugar into a separate small measuring cup.

  3. Poke the cake all over with a small bamboo skewer; make sure the holes go all the way to the bottom of the cake.

  4. Slowly pour the lemon juice into the cup with the sugar, stirring as you go; the mixture should be thick but pourable; the sugar should not be fully dissolved.

  5. Slowly pour the drizzle over the warm cake, trying to spread it as evenly as possible; if necessary, stop pouring to stir up the sugar. Spread any remaining sugar over the top of the cake.

  6. One small spoonful at a time, sprinkle the remaining 50 grams of sugar over the top of the cake, until the top is thoroughly covered in sugar.

  7. Allow the cake to cool for a total of 3 hours.

  8. When fully cooled, use the parchment paper to remove the cake from the pan. Slice and garnish with the candied lemon peel.

Notes

The original recipe used all-purpose flour but I find cake flour yields better results.

Yes, I give the weights of most ingredients in grams but specify temperatures in Fahrenheit and the size of the loaf pan in inches. Deal with it.

No, I don’t have volume measurements for the ingredients. Why would I do that?

You might think you could substitute limes for lemons, but the results just aren’t as good. Go figure.

Rating

Difficulty:   Moderate
Time:   Total time: 6 hours 45 minutes, as follows:
     Candied lemon peel: 2½ hours
     Lemon cake: 1¼ hours, plus 3 hours to cool
     Drizzle: 15 minutes
The drizzle is made while the cake is cooling so isn’t counted in the total time.
Precision:   5

Source

Adapted from BAKE: My Best Ever Recipes for the Classics, by Paul Hollywood
and from Mary Berry’s recipe, as given in a "Masterclass" episode of The Great British Bake Off.
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