Weekend baking

Hello everyone! How was your weekend? Did you do anything special? Bake anything yummy? 

After a long week, it's such a relief to get back to the kitchen at the weekend. A few hours by the hob can produce sensational smells and treats for the tastebuds. However, as much as I love baking, sometimes I want something simple and easy as opposed to a bake that requires careful watching and patience. So here's the solution: Lemon Drizzle Loaf. Loaf cakes automatically seem so much easier that round sponges - there's no filling to be made (though do feel free to add a lemon buttercream or icing), and the expectations are overall much lower. No-one will mind if your loaf cake isn't flat; in fact, it's almost better if it has that rustic appeal. 

So here's the plan:

Ingredients at the ready! 

Cream the butter and sugar together. 

You should end up with a pale and creamy mixture comme ça.

Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix!

Pour into a tin…..

….And bake!

Make the lemon sugar syrup. 

Stab holes in the cake and pour over the syrup.

Enjoy with a cup of tea and a good book. 

Ingredients:

Cake

75g unsalted butter, softened

125g caster sugar

150g self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

2 medium eggs

1 tbsp milk

2-3 dsp lemon juice (about half a lemon)

Zest of 1 lemon

Lemon syrup

Zest and juice of one lemon

2 tbsp granulated sugar

Plus a little more butter for greasing the tin.

1. Heat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Butter and line a 1kg loaf tin. 

2. Beat the butter and caster sugar together, by hand or using an electric beater, until the mixture is light and creamy. 

3. Add the flour, baking powder, eggs, lemon juice, zest and milk and beat until well combined. Add a little bit more flour if it starts to curdle. 

4. Pour into prepared loaf tin and bake for 40 - 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. 

5. Make the drizzle by combining the lemon juice and sugar. Poke holes in the cake using a cocktail stick or skewer and pour the syrup over the hot cake in the tin. Leave to cool, then serve. 

Recipe adapted from Paul Hollywood's "How to Bake" .