Go Back

Cake, Lemon

This lemon drizzle loaf cake is a French teatime favourite that Raymond Blanc has served at his restaurant for the past 25 years.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Servings: 8
Course: Snack
Cuisine: French

Ingredients
  

For the cake
  • 5 free-range eggs
  • 300 gr caster sugar 11oz
  • 140 ml double cream 5fl oz
  • 3 lemons zest only
  • tbsp dark rum
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 80 gr unsalted butter, melted 3oz
  • 240 gr plain flour 8½oz
  • ½ tsp baking powder
For the apricot jam glaze
  • 3 tbsp apricot jam warmed in a small saucepan
For the lemon glaze
  • 1 lemon zest and juice
  • 150 gr icing sugar 5oz

Equipment

  • 1 26cm x 9cm x 8cm loaf tin 10in x 3½in x 3in
  • greaseproof paper

Method
 

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
  2. Lightly butter the loaf tin and line it with greaseproof paper.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, cream, lemon zest, rum, salt and butter.
  4. Sift the flour and baking powder into a separate bowl then whisk it into the egg mixture until you have a smooth batter.
  5. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes, turning halfway through cooking. The cake is cooked when a knife blade inserted into the middle comes out clean.
  6. Remove the cake from the tin, turn onto a cooling rack and leave to cool for 10 minutes. This will allow the steam to escape before you glaze the cake. Leave the oven turned on.
  7. Brush the cake with the warmed apricot glaze and leave for five minutes while you make the lemon glaze.
  8. For the lemon glaze, mix together the lemon juice, zest and icing sugar.
  9. Heat the mixture in a small pan, or in the microwave, until the sugar has dissolved and you have syrup.
  10. Brush the lemon glaze all over the cake and leave for a few minutes to set.
  11. Place the glazed cake in the oven on a baking tray, turn off the heat and leave for 3-5 minutes to dry the glaze and turn it translucent.
  12. Remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool to room temperature before serving.

Notes