Mary Berry Lime Drizzle Cake Recipes

LIME DRIZZLE CAKE

Steps:

• Butter: Take it out of the fridge a few hours before baking, so that it has time to soften.
• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius/ 360 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Prepare a loaf cake pan of about 30x12 cm/ 12 x5 inches. Butter it all over, sprinkle with a little flour, and shake the tin to distribute the flour all over the tin. Turn the tin upside over the sink and pat it on the back and the sides to remove the excess flour. Set aside.
• Zest 2 of the limes. Zest one lime by cutting the green skin very thinly and then cutting these pieces into very fine strips. You will need these for decorating the lime drizzle cake. Set aside.Zest the second lime by grating the green skin on the fine grater. Set aside.
• Juice the limes, you will need 100 ml/3.4 fl. oz/scant ½ cup lime juice. Set aside.
• Wet ingredients: Beat the soft butter and the sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs to the batter, one by one, mixing well in between.
• Add dry ingredients: Sift in the flour and the baking powder, add the finely grated lime zest and mix until combined.
• Bake: Transfer the batter into the prepared tin. Bake for 60-65 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.
• Leave the cake to rest in the pan for 10 minutes. Make the lime drizzle in the meantime.
• Combine: Sieve the icing sugar into a small bowl. Add the lime juice and stir well.
• Drizzle the cake: Prick the lime loaf cake with a skewer (or toothpick) all over. Pour the lime drizzle all over.
• Let cool completely in the tin.
• Decorate: Turn the cake onto a serving platter, sprinkle with icing sugar, and top with the reserved lime strips.

RASPBERRY & BLUEBERRY LIME DRIZZLE CAKE

Steps:

• Line the base and sides of a 20cm/8in square cake tin (not loose-based) with greaseproof paper and butter the paper. Set oven to 180C/Gas 4/fan oven 160C.
• Cream the butter and sugar together until light. Gradually beat in the eggs, adding a little flour towards the end to prevent curdling. Beat in the lime zest, then fold in the flour and almonds. Fold in enough lime juice - about 3 tablespoons - to give you a good dropping consistency (the mixture should drop easily from the spoon when tapped).
• Fold in three quarters of the blueberries and raspberries and turn into the prepared tin. Smooth the surface, then scatter the remaining fruit on top - it will sink as the cake rises.
• Bake for about 1 hour (cover with foil if beginning to brown too much), or until firm to a gentle prod in the centre. A skewer pushed into the centre should be clean when removed.
• Meanwhile make the syrup: put the lime juice, zest and sugar in a small saucepan. Put over a gentle heat and stir, without allowing to bubble. The sugar should dissolve a little. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, prick all over with a skewer then spoon the syrup over it. To store, cool before wrapping in paper and/or foil.
• Carefully remove the cake from the tin, discard the lining paper and cut into 12 pieces to serve.

LEMON DRIZZLE CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325 degrees and place a rack in the center. Grease a 9-by-12-inch baking pan and line with parchment paper, allowing a 2-inch overhang on the long sides.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and lemon zest.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together butter and half of the sugar (225 grams/1 cup plus 2 tablespoons) until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until incorporated, then beat in milk, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary (mixture will look curdled, and that's O.K.). Mix in flour mixture until combined, then scrape into prepared baking pan, smoothing the top.
• Bake until golden brown and springy, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes, then use the paper overhang to lift the cake out of the pan; transfer to wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet and carefully remove paper.
• While cake bakes, in a small bowl mix together remaining half of the sugar (225 grams/1 cup plus 2 tablespoons) and enough lemon juice to make a runny mixture. While cake is still warm, spoon the sugar mixture evenly over the top. (The cake has to be cooled slightly to prevent topping from melting, but warm enough that it soaks into the cake, leaving a crunchy sugar coat on top.) Let cool, then cut into squares.