Glazed Lemon Cake Recipe : The Perfect Cake for Afternoon Tea

Hey lovelies,

I'm sure I'm not the only one who embraced baking during lockdown, the world went Banana Bread crazy and sugar and flour were like gold-dust for a time. 

Eventually baking supplies became available and I was able to get back in the kitchen and indulge my love of baking. There's just something so comforting about home-baking and no family and friends gathering is complete with a freshly baked cake or a batch of cookies. Some recipes have become firm family favourites, requested again and again, so I thought I'd do a series of blog posts dedicated to those tried and tested crowd pleasers.

Enter the Glazed Lemon Cake.

This gorgeously fresh and light cake is a perfect accompaniment to summer afternoon tea. In fact...let's make it all-year round afternoon tea! The secret ingredient of Greek Yoghurt makes for a wonderfully moist cake, and the thick white lemon glaze looks fabulous and tastes incredible. A one bowl wonder, with minimal washing up and maximum wow factor!

I first made this cake from the wonderful Recipe Tin Eats original recipe, please check out Nagi's wonderful website with so many great recipes for savoury dishes, desserts, sweet treats and everything in between.

I have tweaked the recipe over the years, substituting SF flour for plain and and playing with quantities a little after having a couple of sunken results. I think I need a more robust mix that can cope with the occasional oven door opening....naughty! But essentially the recipe is the same and so all credit to Nagi for bringing this wonderful creation into our lives.

Ingredients:

165ml vegetable/canola oil *I use rapeseed oil (2/3 cup)

2 medium eggs

Grated rind of a lemon (no white pith)

Juice of a lemon

275g caster sugar

250g plain full fat Greek Yoghurt 

350g self raising flour

1 heaped tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

 

For the glaze: 

200g icing sugar

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp plain full fat Greek Yoghurt 

Lemon slices to decorate

Method:

1 - Mix the vegetable oil, eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice and sugar together.

2 - Add Greek yoghurt and mix thoroughly.

3 - Sieve the flour, baking powder and salt and fold gently.

4 - Grease a medium baking tin (mine is a 9inch diameter circular spring-form tin like this one)

5 - Pour the mix into the tin and bake in a medium oven (160C/320F fan oven, 180C/350F standard oven) for 50 mins*

*I check after 45 mins, the cake should not be 'singing'...put your ear near the cake (careful, it's hot!) and if the cake is hissing it needs a little longer, if the cake is silent, a golden brown colour and firm to the touch, then you're done. 

 

6 - Cool on a wire rack. When cool, decorate.

7 - Cut 2 slices from the middle of a lemon, use the remaining for the juice to make the glaze.

8 - Sieve the icing sugar into a bowl, add 1 tbsp of lemon juice. Add 1 tbsp Greek Yoghurt, mix thoroughly. Add more icing sugar if needed, the consistency should be fairly thick and with a bright white colour.

9 - Spread over the cooled cake, allow to drizzle down the sides. When the icing is set, decorate with twisted lemon slices**

**This cake should be kept in the fridge for up to 4 days... if you don't eat it in one go that is! 

Serve with a nice cuppa, for the perfect afternoon tea!