Lemon Drizzle Cake

Steps

• Prep: Heat the oven to 175°C (350°F) and grease and line a loaf pan.
• Cake: Rub the sugar and lemon zest together with your fingertips until fragrant, then cream with the butter until pale and fluffy.
  ⏱ Start 4 min timer
• Cake: Beat in the eggs one at a time.
• Cake: Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together and fold in alternately with the milk, just until combined.
• Bake: Scrape into the pan and bake until golden and a skewer comes out clean.
  ⏱ Start 45 min timer
• Syrup: While the cake bakes, warm the lemon juice and sugar together just until the sugar dissolves — don't let it boil down further than that.
  ⏱ Start 2 min timer
• Soak: As soon as the cake comes out, poke holes all over the top with a skewer and pour the hot syrup over slowly, letting it soak in as you go.

  Tip: Both the cake and the syrup need to be hot for this to work — a cooled cake's crumb has already tightened up and can't absorb nearly as much liquid.

• Cool: Let cool completely in the pan — the crunchy top forms as the syrup's sugar recrystallises while it dries.
  ⏱ Start 60 min timer