Lemon Cake from Scratch – Lemon Drizzle Cake

Last Updated on November 6, 2022 by Ellen Christian

You are going to love this lemon cake from scratch! I love baking and am always searching for “from scratch” recipes.   I am not a big fan of chocolate, so when I want cake, I usually make a carrot cake, spice cake, or this lemon drizzle cake.  

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lemon cake from scratch

Lemon Cake from Scratch

I’m also not a big fan of frosting and either eat the cake without frosting or add a dusting of confectioner’s sugar to the top.  When I saw this Lemon Drizzle Cake recipe in The Ladies Book of Baking from Parragon Book’s Love Food line, I knew that was exactly the type of cake that I would enjoy.

lemons on a cutting board

If you love lemon, seriously, this is the best ever lemon cake! It’s moist and delicious and not overpoweringly sweet. It would be perfect for Easter or Mother’s Day. 

Buttermilk Lemon Pound Cake Loaf Recipe

Southern lemon cake recipe

If you’re looking for a southern lemon cake recipe, you are probably looking for a pound cake. This buttermilk lemon pound cake is exactly what you’re looking for.

This recipe is a super moist lemon cake recipe but is not as dense as pound cake.

lemon coffee cake and lemons

Lemon cake recipes with cake mix

When I’m short on time, making lemon cake recipes with cake mix is an easy baking hack. There’s no measuring or sifting involved. And the cake comes out perfectly every time.

This is one of my favorite lemon cake mix recipes.

Lemon Cake from Scratch - Lemon Drizzle Cake

To make this lemon cake from scratch, you’ll need a lemon zester and a confectioner sugar sifter. Please start with organic lemons since you’re using zest.

Lemon Cake from Scratch - Lemon Drizzle Cake

You’ll notice that my lemon drizzle cake calls for either granulated or superfine sugar. I prefer the way it comes out with superfine sugar.

But, if you cannot find superfine sugar in your area, you can use granulated sugar instead. Or, you can buy superfine sugar on Amazon if you want to try it that way. You may have also seen it referred to as caster sugar.

lemon cake from scratch

More cake recipes

Yield: 12

Lemon Drizzle Cake

Lemon Drizzle Cake

You are going to love this lemon cake from scratch! I absolutely love baking and am always searching for from scratch recipes.   I am not a big fan of chocolate so when I want cake, I usually make a carrot cake, spice cake or this lemon drizzle cake.  

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 eggs
  • 3/4 superfine sugar or granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup soft margarine, plus extra for greasing
  • 1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • confectioners' sugar for dusting
  • finely grated rind of 1 lemon
  • SYRUP
  • 1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 7 inch square cake pan and line with parchment paper.
  2. Put the eggs, sugar and margarine in a mixing bowl and beat well until smooth and fluffy. Stir in the lemon rind, then fold in the flour and baking powder lightly and evenly. Stir in the milk, mixing evenly, then spoon the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth out the top.
  3. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until golden brown and firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and stand the cake pan on a wire rack.
  4. To make the syrup, put the confectioners sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan and heat gently until the sugar dissolves. Do not boil.
  5. Prick the warm cake all over with a toothpick and spoon the hot syrup evenly over the top allowing it to be absorbed.
  6. Let cool completely in the cake pan, then turn out the cake, cut into 12 pieces, and dust with a little confectioners' sugar before serving.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

12 pieces of pie

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 276Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 2gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 32mgSodium: 73mgCarbohydrates: 39gFiber: 1gSugar: 25gProtein: 3g

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27 thoughts on “Lemon Cake from Scratch – Lemon Drizzle Cake”

  1. Husband loves, loves, LOVES lemon cake and I'm definitely going to surprise him with this sweet treat really soon. He's been working some long hours, so I know he'll appreciate it. I have a dairy allergy so I make almost everything from scratch .... thanks for sharing!!!!!!
    Reply
  2. looks delish and I'm a gonna make it- question though.  do we really need to line w/parchment paper?  we can't just pam the things to death?
    Reply
    • It is a dense (heavy) cake so the parchment paper helps lift it out too. You can certainly use Pam to make it not stuck but you may not be able to lift the whole thing out of the pan without it breaking without parchment paper.
      Reply
  3. I feel like this recipe was created just for me ... I love all things lemon! And - I honestly LOVE making foods from scratch. I don't like all the preservatives in boxed mixes - homemade is the way to go!!
    Reply
  4. This recipe looks so good! I love lemon flavor and this cake looks like it would be easy to make too.I can't wait to try this recipe.Thanks for sharing.
    Reply
  5. My son grew up wanting to be a chef and though that dream changed he still loves to cook and bake.  He just made his first from scratch carrot cake with cream cheese icing this weekend and it was delicious!  This looks like just the kind of recipe he loves to make and we love to eat!  I cannot wait to print it out and give it to him.  Thank you so much for sharing!
    Reply
  6. I know “from scratch” recipes do take a bit longer to make.  But the results are wonderful.  I really love anything lemon and I know I would enjoy trying this lemon cake, it looks wonderful.
    Reply
  7. Yum! I have never made lemon cake, and I maybe have only made cake once from scratch. I love that you don't use icing. I do that on brownies. (use powder sugar). It adds just a touch of sweet without taking over.
    Reply
  8. I love lemon, especially lemon cake. I made something similar last year, I made lemon bars from scratch. I want to make this now, thanks for sharing, looks really yummy.
    Reply

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