Lemon Drizzle Loaf Recipe

AI summary

Bear baked the same lemon loaf three times because the first two were dense. The third was not. Jana shook his hand, then asked who was eating the other two.

A drill is not a challenge. There is no clock and no surprise. It is the same bake, repeated, changing one thing at a time until I understand why it works.

Loaf one was dense because the butter was too cold and never really creamed. Loaf two was better but I rushed the eggs and the batter split. Loaf three I creamed for a full five minutes, added the eggs a spoonful at a time, and folded the flour by hand.

The difference was not subtle. Same recipe, same oven, completely different cake.

Recipe by Garrett

Prep: 20 min
Bake: 50 min
Total: 1 hr 10 min
Makes: 10 slices
Level: easy

Makesslices

Ingredients

For the loaf

225 g unsalted butter, soft enough to dent with a finger
225 g caster sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
225 g self-raising flour
2 lemons, finely grated zest only

For the drizzle

60 ml lemon juice, from the zested lemons
85 g caster sugar

Equipment

900g (2lb) loaf tin
Baking paper
Skewer

Method

Prep. Heat the oven and line the loaf tin with baking paper. Oven: 180°C (160°C fan)
Cream. Beat the butter and sugar for a full five minutes until pale and fluffy. This is the whole drill. Do not cut it short.
Eggs. Add the eggs a little at a time, beating well between each addition. If it starts to split, add a spoonful of the flour.
Fold. Fold in the flour and lemon zest by hand until just combined.
Bake. Scrape into the tin, level, and bake for 45 to 50 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.
Drizzle. Mix the lemon juice and sugar. Prick the warm cake all over with the skewer and spoon the drizzle on slowly. Cool in the tin.

Baker's notes

The drizzle should go on while the cake is warm so the juice sinks in and the sugar stays on top as a crust.

ricottabear.com/demo-drill-lemon-drizzle · Metric

The judging

Jana's verdict

Handshake awarded

"That is the one. Do that every time."

Even crumb from edge to edge, no tunnels, no sinking. The crust crackles. It is sharp enough to make you notice and sweet enough that you keep going. I have nothing to fix, which is annoying.

Flavour: 9/10
Texture: 9/10
Appearance: 8/10

Reviews + questions

Nothing yet. Bake it and be the first to judge, or ask me anything about it.

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The recipe, what went wrong, and what Jana said. No spam, no daily emails.

Drill: Lemon Drizzle, Until the Crumb Behaves