Lemon drizzle cake is a classic British cake recipe that dates to the 1960s. However, it’s thought to originate from the pound cake which was first baked in around 1700.
A classic lemon drizzle cake has a moist texture, a zesty lemon flavour and a delicious runny lemon drizzle icing.
Not being much of a baker, I was sceptical about making this cult classic, however, I knew that if anyone’s recipe was going to give me good results, it was Jamie Oliver’s.
Jamie’s recipe is gluten and dairy free which means it doesn’t include traditional flour, butter or milk.
It also includes a slight twist on the classic recipe – orange. This recipe, while described as a “gluten-free lemon cake” includes orange zest which gives the cake a deeper citrus flavour.
Making gluten and dairy-free cakes can be a real chore at times but Jamie’s recipe was surprisingly easy, tasted exactly like the real thing and tasted absolutely delicious with a cup of tea.
As well as gluten-free flour, bakers must remember to include xanthan gum for the cake’s texture and gluten-free baking powder.
Rather than a traditional loaf tin, Jamie’s recipe also calls for a 20cm square cake tin as well as greaseproof paper.
I largely followed all of Jamie’s recipe, however, I decided to include less icing sugar and more lemon juice to make the icing looser and to give it a tangier flavour.
How to make Jamie Oliver’s gluten-free lemon cake
Ingredients
- 300g dairy-free margarine (suitable for baking, at room temperature)
- 300g gluten-free plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- 300g golden caster sugar
- Four large free-range eggs
- Three lemons
- Two oranges
- Two teaspoons gluten-free baking powder
- Half teaspoon xanthan gum
- 100g icing sugar
Method
1. Preheat your oven to 180C/350F/gas 4 and grease a 20cm square cake tin with the margarine. Then, line the bottom of the tin with greaseproof paper and dust the sides with some of the flour. This will help the cake come out of the tin once it is baked.
2. Next, beat the margarine and sugar for around five minutes in a bowl. The consistency should be light and fluffy and the sugar should be almost completely dissolved.
3. Add the eggs and finely grate the zest from two lemons and one orange before mixing it all together.
4. Sieve in the flour, baking powder and xanthan gum into the bowl and then fold through. Add the juice of one lemon and half an orange until the cake has a smooth texture.
5. Pour the mixture into the cake tin being sure to smooth out the edges so it bakes evenly. Pop the cake on the middle shelf and cook it for around 35 minutes or until it is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Mine took around 40 minutes to bake.
6. Allow the cake to cool for five minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack. Leave it to cool completely and make the icing.
7. To make the icing, combine the icing sugar (I used 70g instead of 100g) and the juice of half a lemon and a quarter of an orange. Once the cake has cooled, pour over the icing and finish off with some grated orange and lemon zest for decoration.
