Lemon Drizzle Traybake – Mary Berry’s Baking Bible

I needed to make some cake for a picnic on a friends boat. It needed to be sufficient to serve a number of hungry teens & children and 3-4 adults and be individual cakes/pieces so we didn’t need a knife. A traybake was the obvious option and I knew Mary Berry’s Baking Bible had a whole chapter. I’ve never actually made a lemon drizzle cake before and I really don’t understand why not as it is very easy. I wasn’t sure which side up is best for the cake before pouring over the lemon sugar mix so I turned the cake over and poured the lemon sugar mix over the base. I suspect either side up is fine. This way the new ‘top’ of the cake was very even in colour and texture and the syrup soaked in well. The cake was delicious, melt in the mouth soft, moist crumb and a satisfyingly sweet & bitter crunch to the topping. The teens and children all liked the cake and my husband who hates icing also liked it so the ratio of juice to sugar for the topping is just right.

I’d like to know how well it keeps to the next day but that will have to be another batch another day.

Ingredients

• 225g softened butter
• 225g caster sugar
• 275g self raising flour
• 2 level teaspoons baking powder
• 4 large eggs
• 4 tablespoons milk
• Finley grated rind of 2 lemons

The crunchy topping

• 175g granulated sugar
• Juice of 2 lemons

Instructions

Prep: 15 mins    Cooking Time:  40mins    Makes: 25-30 squares

1. Lightly grease and line a traybake tin or roasting tin (30 x 23 x 4 cm) and preheat your oven to 160 oC.
2. Put all the ingredients for the traybake into a large bowl and beat well.  You can use an electric mixer but as long as your butter is soft it really is very easy to beat by hand.
3. Empty all of the mix into the tin and level the top with the back of a spoon or spatula.
4. Bake in the middle of the oven for 35-40 minutes, until golden, the sides have pulled away slightly and the sponge springs back when pressed lightly.
5. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for a few minutes then remove from the tin using the baking paper.  Carefully remove the paper and allow the cake to cool on a wire rack.
6. For the crunchy topping, mix the ingredients together in a measuring jug/small bowl then spoon it over the cake while it’s still just warm.
7. Cut into squares once completely cooled.

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