Mary Berry's Moist Lemon Drizzle Cake Recipe, a classic British dessert that is so quick and easy to make, but overly indulgent. Made with a few simple ingredients, and a fantastic lemon kick, this cake is perfect for every occasion.
This lemon drizzle cake is the finest you can possibly get. It might not look as posh as other luscious cream cakes, but the flavour is definitely the winner here. Tangy, yet sweet, moist and gorgeously golden, this cake is pure heaven. Put the kettle on, it's time for a tea party!
British people adore their afternoon tea cream, and this is one recipe to impress all your guests. Homemade goodies can never be beaten, that's for sure. I like using lemon in most of my baking, whether it's just lemon extract, zest or juice. One can never go wrong with it. It gives a fresh zesty flavour even to the most boring food.
Not sure if it's because of its happy colour, but when l think of lemon, l can imagine lovely hot days. Can you tell that l'm already looking forward to Spring?
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Ingredients needed
And all you need for this lemon cake are a few simple ingredients that you already have around:
- flour - self-raising flour is the best for this cake, and I still like to add baking powder too, that ensures a fluffy and light sponge, rather than dense and rich.
- sugar - I used granulated sugar, but caster sugar is a good option too
- butter - make sure it's at room temperature, soft but not melted
- eggs -it's always best if the eggs are at room temperature when baking
- lemons
- milk - full-fat milk brings the best results, but semi-skimmed milk can be used too - I usually avoid skimmed milk in baking, as it's not rich enough.
- baking powder
STEP-BY-STEP photos and instructions
There are 2 golden rules if you want the achieve a perfectly moist lemon drizzle cake.
- pre-heat the oven before popping the cake in
- make sure all ingredients are at room temperature.
It is crucial that the butter is soft, but not melted. Cold ingredients mean that the cake will take longer to rise in the oven, which will result in uneven cake and not-that-fluffy cake. If helps if you have either a hand mixer, or a kitchen aid, so that the ingredients are mixed together to a smooth paste.
Mary Berry uses a regular rectangle tray for her lemon drizzle cake, but I decided to make my lemon drizzle cake round, so I used a regular round cake tin, and it looked and tasted amazing!
- beat the butter and sugar together
- add the eggs one by one and beat well after each addition
- add the sifted flour, baking powder, milk and lemon zest, and mix well to combine
- grease and flour a round cake tin, spread the batter evenly, then bake at 180 degrees Celsius (350 Fahrenheit) for 35-40 minutes or until golden and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean
How to make the drizzle
The drizzle is made of lemon juice and granulated sugar. It might sound too tangy, but trust me, it's the perfect drizzle for such cake. Once the cake is out of the oven, pour the drizzle over as soon as possible, so that the cake can soak up all that tangy drizzle.
Expert Tips
When I use the lemon zest in any baking, I usually buy the no-wax lemons, they are safer to consume than the waxed ones, no matter how much you wash the lemons. Otherwise, if you only use the lemon juice, I don't think I would go out of my way to buy no-wax ones. Same with oranges, if the peel is needed, I highly recommend the no-wax ones.
I won't go into the cliché that organic food is better, but I do appreciate that better ingredients make tastier cakes, so there is no brainer here. Also, do make sure the dairy products you use are full-fat, rather than skimmed or semi-skimmed, you will tell the difference straight away.
Recipe FAQs
Make sure that the cake tin you use is not too small. The batter should only cover maximum ⅔ of the tin, ideally half of the tin, to allow room for the cake to rise. If there is too much batter, the top will brown, while the middle is still raw, and it will evenly sink when out of the oven.
No, the cake does not need to go in the fridge, otherwise the sponge will harden. And while the taste will still be good, the sponge will not be moist anymore. Store it at room temperature.
The lemon drizzle cake should last for up to 4-5 days if stored correctly.
Other drizzle cake recipes
If you’ve liked my MOIST LEMON DRIZZLE CAKE or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’m getting up to.
Marry Berry's Moist Lemon Drizzle Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 225 g self-raising flour
- 175 g caster sugar (+75 g for the drizzle)
- 175 g unsalted butter (at room temperature)
- 3 medium eggs
- 2 tablespoon full-fat milk
- zest and juice from 2 large lemons
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Instructions
- Beat the butter and sugar together using a hand mixer.
- Add the eggs one by one mixing well after each addition.
- Sift in the flour, baking powder, add the lemon zest and milk, and mix again to a smooth, creamy consistency.
- Flour and grease a round cake tin (mine is a 19x7 cm with loose base), then spread the batter evenly.
- Bake in the preheated oven on the middle rack at 180 degrees C (350 degrees F) for 35-40 minutes, keeping an eye on it- the cake is done when the top is golden and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- To make the syrup, mix the lemon juice with 75 g of sugar.
- Once the cake is out of the oven, remove it from the tin, pour over the lemon syrup, then leave it to cool down completely.
Video
Notes
- Click on the US Customary link to see the measurements displayed in cups and ounces.
- The servings can be adjusted by clicking the number next to Servings.
- Mary Berry uses a regular rectangle tray for her lemon drizzle cake, but I decided to make my lemon drizzle cake round, so I used a regular round cake tin, and it looked and tasted amazing!
- It is crucial that the butter is soft, but not melted. Cold ingredients mean that the cake will take longer to rise in the oven, which will result in uneven cake and not-that-fluffy cake. If helps if you have either a hand mixer, or a kitchen aid, so that the ingredients are mixed together to a smooth paste.
Nutrition
Lina
The cake looks so divine! And I love anything lemon!
Daniela Anderson
Thank you, Lina! I love lemons too, such a great flavour!
youthfoodblog
Fun looking and easy to make!
Daniela Anderson
Thank you!
Elizabeth Grayton
This recipe doesn’t work.
It would be better to cream the fat and sugar, add the egg and then add the flour and milk after beating the eggs into the sugar and butter mixture until light and fluffy!
I’m a good cook and my cake didn’t rise properly and I think it’s because there wasn’t enough air in the mixture. You also forgot to add the milk. I added that when I added the flour.
Sorry to not seem supportive but it’s a waste of ingredients and time if it doesn’t work
Daniela Anderson
I’m sorry that the recipe did not work for you. I’ve made it times and times again, with excellent results. And as l mentioned, this is Mary Berry’s recipe, the famous British cook with years of experience in baking.
There can be a few reasons why your cake did not rise the way you expected: quality of ingredients (full-fat ingredients are best), oven temperature, ingredients used at room temperature rather than cold, overmixing. The last one is particularly important, overmixing tends to make the cake quite dense (the same principle applies to muffins and cupcakes). Indeed l forgot to mention adding the milk, l edited the recipe.
Dee,lac
Cake worked fabulously , the butter and sugar were creamed, the milk was put in,a lovely moist cake tasted fab
Daniela Apostol
I am glad you liked it!
REBECCA KING
It worked perfectly for me! Not sure what you did wrong but maybe it wasn't the recipe, maybe it was user error!
Vishnupriya Ronald rex
It's a delicious cake, perfectly balanced. It's a foolproof recipe
Daniela Apostol
Thank you!
John Wattie
What Mary Berry's cookery book is her receipt for Marry Berry's Lemon Drizzle Cake?
Daniela Anderson
Hello! Thank you for your comment! I am not sure which cookery book she has this recipe on, I saw this recipe on TV, there was a program called Mary Berry's Absolute Favourites, it was a great show with a few episodes. You will be able to watch it on Youtube perhaps. I hope this helps!
Martin Stables
Hi Daniella,
Please clarify how much sugar to put in the mixture. In the list of ingredients you specify150gms,and in the method you say 100gms.
I am just a novice so I am a little confused.I tried the recipe with 150 gsm of sugar and it turned out ok. Help please !
Martin.
Daniela Anderson
Hi Martin, l used 100g for the batter, and 50g for the drizzle (sugar mixed with lemon juice). However, you can add more sugar if you like, l don't like my desserts too sweet, so l tend to cut down on the amount of sugar, but it’s up to you, you can add 150g to the batter, and 50g for the drizzle if you like it sweeter.
Neha Patel
Quite a poorly written recipe.
Says 180 degrees but is this fan, gas or what.
Daniela Apostol
It says 180 degrees C or 350 F. I believe it’s pretty easy to figure out that C is Celsius and F is Fahrenheit.
Laurence
if you have a fan oven I am sure you know what to do get 180 degrees? I put mine at around 165...
Daniela Apostol
I am afraid I do not have a fan oven, so I can't advise on the temperature on that.
Stacie Albon
Hello, can you please help me?
I want to use this recipe to make an 8” 2-tier birthday cake.
Do you think I’ll be ok going off the ingredients for 12 people and splitting between the two tins?
Thank you in advance:)
Daniela Apostol
Yes, if you double the ingredients it should be enough. Let me know how it goes!
Martin A
I added the 150g of sugar to the cake mix and the zest AND juice of the lemon ... So its in the oven now - I'm worried its not going to rise as too much juice! I will make the drizzle from antoher 50g of sugar and the juice of a single lemon ... I'll let you know hat happens ...
Daniela Apostol
It should be fine, let me know how it goes.
Martin A
ok - went well - lovely tangy cake - although rather small and didn't rise much - so I'm thinking to double ingredients next time.. I'm a new Lockdown cook - this was my first ever Cake!
Daniela Apostol
I am glad it went well!
mags
This has happened to me too and a friend told me I shouldn't have added lemon juice to the batter, as it 'attacks' the baking powder and makes the cake not rise! that's why most lemon cake recipes only add zest and then the juice by a drizzle after it's baked. maybe that was the problem with your cake too?
Peter
Delicious and so quick and easy to make - all the ingredients (apart from the topping!) go in together. Delicious with Greek yoghurt!!
Tamsie
Can I use a 9in loaf tin.?
Daniela Apostol
You can, you will probably have to double the ingredients used though.
Bevie
When i got cake out of oven and poured the lemon juice over it i thought i had ruined it... but let it cool... OMG beautiful the tastes is amazing ..we are having it with vanilla ice cream this evening ... Thanks Daniella
Daniela Apostol
I am glad you liked it, it’s such a delicious cake!
Barbara Wood
Terrible instructions. Not at all clear. Took ages to work out what was what and I had to guess the quantity of lemon juice for the drizzle. Fewer adverts and better instructions, please.
Daniela Apostol
I am sorry you were not happy with the instructions - although in the recipe card it states clearly that that for the recipe you need lemon zest and lemon juice from 2 lemons- the zest goes into the cake, while the juice into the drizzle, so I am unsure that was confusing.
Bryan
I am addicted to watching the Great British Bake off on Netflix and recently saw an episode featuring a drizzle cake challenge. I am not a baker at all but this cake looked so delicious I decided I wanted to give it a try. I actually was looking for a Orange Drizzle Cake recipe but my wife found this one and decided to try this because it is Mary Berry's. It turned out pretty good. The flavor was great, however I used a Bundt pan and doubled the recipe. The drizzle didn't make it into the middle of the cake so next time I may use a round or square pan. Also I wonder if I can just swap orange in place of lemon? I loved this recipe because it was simple enough for a beginner like me, but still had a great flavor!
Daniela Apostol
I am glad you liked the recipe, it’s one of my favourite cakes. I actually made an orange drizzle cake too, here is my recipe: https://www.mygorgeousrecipes.com/orange-drizzle-cake/
It’s similar to the lemon drizzle cake. If you use a bigger pan and double up the ingredients for the sponge, more drizzle is also necessary. I hope you enjoy it!
Stephen from England
Hi Daniela,
I am so glad I found your recipe for the moist lemon drizzle cake it is fab and works so well.
I am far from a natural baker and I have had so many fails, yet this recipe gives great results.
Thank you so much for posting it on your site.
This is perfect for a british afternoon tea!!!
Best wishes to you.
Stephen from England
Lorraine
Hi, can you tell me please what size cake tin I need for 8 people?
Planning on making it tomorrow!
Thank you
Daniela Apostol
Hi! I would use a 20cm baking tin, and double up the ingredients. The baking time might change slightly, so do keep an eye on it. Let me know how it goes!
Laurence
Have just made this and was expecting it to come out more or less flat, but it is fairly well domed! I brushed the drizzle in having made lots of holes with a skewer so hopefully it will be ok...it's for Easter Day so I hope so!
Rochelle
If you only have all purpose flour, how can you adapt for self-raising? I know it involves baking powder and possibly baking soda but since the metric measurements are very precise, I’m uncertain the best method. Thank you.
Daniela Apostol
You can use 2 teaspoons of baking powder, that should work too.
L
Hello, is their a way of substituting the milk for another ingredient to make the recipe dairy free e,g. sunflower oil? Has anyone tried?
Thanks
Daniela Apostol
The milk can be replaced with plant-based milk, but I am unsure if the butter can be successfully replaced with margarine, it should.
marcia leven
its just stunning wouldn't make any other recipe
Patience
Absolutely delicious! Easy to follow recipe and the cake was amazing! Thank you!