Delia Smith Lemon Drizzle Cake Recipes

LEMON ROULADE

Steps:

• Begin by making the lemon curd ahead of time, as this needs to be well chilled. Sit a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water, but don't let the bowl touch the water. Then place the eggs, sugar, lemon zest and juice in the bowl and whisk together. Now add the butter piece by piece and cook for about 15 minutes, giving it a good whisk from time to time, until the curd has become smooth and thickened. While you're keeping an eye on it, it's a good time to line the baking tin. When the curd is ready, remove the bowl and allow it to cool, then cover it with clingfilm pressed over the surface and chill it in the fridge. When you're ready to make the sponge base, place all the ingredients except the icing sugar in a large mixing bowl and whisk, preferably with an electric hand whisk, for about 1 minute, then add 2 tablespoons of hot water and whisk briefly again. Next divide the mixture between the prepared baking tins, smooth it out and bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes. You may need to swap the trays over, but don't open the oven door until 8 minutes have elapsed, or the sponges may sink. When the sponges are ready they should feel springy in the centre when lightly touched with your little finger. Then remove the sponges from the oven and let them cool in the tin for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, lay a sheet of silicone paper (parchment), 18 inches (45 cm) long for each sponge, on a flat surface, then dust them all over with a little icing sugar. Then, taking each sponge in turn, carefully turn them out on to the parchment and gently strip away the base lining paper. Cover them with a damp tea towel and leave for another 5 minutes (but no longer, as it should still be warm to make the rolling easy). Don't panic, this really is quite easy: just lift the paper along the shorter edge and fold it over, then gently roll the sponge up with the paper tucked inside as a lining. If cracks appear, don't worry - they can look very attractive. Now leave the roulades to get cold. When you're ready to fill them, carefully unroll them and spread each with a third of the lemon curd all over. Now whisk the mascarpone, fromage frais and sugar together and spread a third of that over each roulade. Then roll each roulade up carefully, but much more loosely. For the finishing touches, remove the zest of the 2 lemons with a zester so that you get nice curly strands, then place in a saucer and mix with about 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice. Next, in a bowl, mix the icing sugar with 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice to make a thin glaze. Drizzle this with a spoon, using sweeping movements back and forth, across the top of each cake. Then drain the lemon zest and scatter half over the icing on each cake. Combine the leftover mascarpone mixture and lemon curd and serve the roulade cut into slices with the extra lemon mascarpone cream handed round separately. The roulades can be made and decorated in advance, covered loosely with foil and kept in the refrigerator. Remove them ½-1 hour before serving.

BEST EVER LEMON DRIZZLE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Measure ingredients into bowls. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
• Combine 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar and butter in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until creamy and pale. Add 1 egg at a time, beating until the batter returns to a uniform pale color before adding the next. Sift in flour gradually. Fold with a wooden spoon to be sure flour is combined. Add baking powder and lemon zest.
• Pour batter into the prepared pan, being careful not to press it down.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Try not to open the oven door early to avoid collapsing the fluffy cake.
• Juice the zested lemon into a small bowl. Add the zest and juice of the second lemon. Stir in 7 tablespoons sugar until dissolved. Pour glaze over the warm cake and leave to cool in the pan; glaze will harden as the cake cools.

LIGHTER LEMON DRIZZLE CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Lightly oil a 20cm round x 5cm deep cake tin and line the base with baking parchment. For the cake, put the flour, baking powder, ground almonds and polenta in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the lemon zest and sugar, then make a dip in the centre. Beat the eggs in a bowl, then stir in the yogurt. Tip this mixture along with the oil into the dip (see step-by-step number 1), then briefly and gently stir with a large metal spoon so everything is just combined, without overmixing.
• Spoon the mixture into the tin and level the top (step 2). Bake for 40 mins or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Cover loosely with foil for the final 5-10 mins if it starts to brown too quickly.
• While the cake cooks, make the lemon syrup. Tip the caster sugar into a small saucepan with the lemon juice and 75ml water. Heat over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved. Raise the heat, boil for 4 mins until slightly reduced and syrupy, then remove from the heat.
• Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool briefly in the tin. While it is still warm, turn it out of the tin, peel off the lining paper and sit the cake on a wire rack set over a baking tray or similar. Use a skewer to make lots of small holes all over the top of the cake (step 3). Slowly spoon over half the lemon syrup (step 4) and let it soak in. Spoon over the rest in the same way, brushing the edges and sides of the cake too with the last of the syrup.

LEMON DRIZZLE CAKE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
• Beat together the butter and caster sugar until pale and creamy, then add the eggs, one at a time, slowly mixing through.
• Sift in the self-raising flour, then add the lemon zest and mix until well combined.
• Line a loaf tin (8 x 21cm) with greaseproof paper, then spoon in the mixture and level the top with a spoon.
• Bake for 45-50 mins until a thin skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
• While the cake is cooling in its tin, mix together the lemons juice and caster sugar to make the drizzle.
• Prick the warm cake all over with a skewer or fork, then pour over the drizzle - the juice will sink in and the sugar will form a lovely, crisp topping.
• Leave in the tin until completely cool, then remove and serve. Will keep in an airtight container for 3-4 days, or freeze for up to 1 month.