Recipe courtesy of Deliciously Vintage: 60 Beloved Cakes and Bakes That Stand the Test of Time by Victoria Glass

Yummmmmy! We reviewed this cake in Episode 45 and Andrea awarded it her Season One Blue Ribbon in Episode 52.

For the cake
110 g/7 T unsalted butter, softened
175 g/3/4 c. plus 2 T. caster (granulated) sugar
175 g/1-1/3 c. self-raising/rising flour
1 tsp. baking powder
a pinch of salt
2 large eggs
4 T. whole milk
finely grated zest of two lemons

For the topping
100 g/1/2 c. caster (granulated) sugar
juice of 2 lemons

2 lb. loaf pan lined with parchment paper

Preheat oven to 180C (350F), Gas Mark 4
Put all cake ingredients, except the lemon zest, into a large mixing bowl and, using an electric mixer, thoroughly combine until the mixture is creamy and has a dropping consistency. Fold through the lemon zest and pour the cake batter into the prepared loaf pan. Level the top with a palette knife (I think this is a butter knife???) and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.

In the meantime, stir the lemon juice and sugar together in a jug/pitcher to make the drizzle topping. Once the cake has baked, remove it from the oven and stab it all over with the skewer to create lots of fine holes for the syrup to soak through. Pour the lemon syrup over the hot cake and leave the cake to cool completely in its pan on top of the wire rack, before turning out.