Most people love a lemon drizzle cake and here’s an equally light, lovely and luscious version. It’s a tray bake, so really easy to cut into pieces to share (or not).
Makes: 16 pieces
Level: Easy
Time: About 60 minutes + cooling time. Another 10 minutes if adding orange segments before baking
Need: A 20cm/8” square baking tin
Ingredients
- 200g/7oz butter, or baking spread* softened, plus extra for greasing
- 300g/10oz golden caster sugar
- 3 eggs
- 200g/7oz self-raising flour
- 50g/1¾oz ground almonds
- 1 tsp orange extract (optional)
- Zest and juice from half a large orange (keep other half for the syrup)
- ½ tsp baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- Segments from half of a second orange (keep other half for the syrup)
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 190°C / 170°C Fan / 375°F / Gas 4. Butter and line the base and sides of the tin with baking paper.
2. Beat the butter or spread until light and fluffy. Add 200g/7oz sugar and beat some more.
3. Add in the eggs one at a time with a tsp of the flour, beating after each addition. Add the almonds, orange extract (if using), orange zest and orange juice and beat a little more.
4. Sift then fold in the flour, baking powder and salt.
5. Spoon the cake batter into the prepared tin and level the surface.
6. (Optional extra) Peel the second orange and clean the white pith from the segments. Cut them in half and push into the mixture before baking. (Either randomly, or in a pattern to ensure that when cut there will one in each piece.)
7. Bake in the centre of the oven for about 35 minutes, or until well-risen, firm and golden-brown.
8. While it’s baking, make the syrup. Use the juice from the unused orange halves + the remaining 100g/3½oz sugar. Combine & stir to dissolve the sugar.
9. Remove from the oven and prick all over with a fork. (Don’t go right to the bottom of the cake) Brush the syrup all over while the cake is still hot or warm. Leave to cool fully then remove and cut into pieces.
Gallery showing some of the process
The bake as a “slab” 
Cocktail sticks to mark for cutting + choice of “tools” 
16 pieces – I decided to use the knife
I hope you give this lovely, easy bake a try. I’m sure you’ll enjoy making it almost as much as you’ll enjoy eating it.
Click this link for more tasty traybake recipes. Two of my special favourites that I’m sure you’ll love too are these: Coffee and Cream Brownies and Lemon Millionaires Shortbread – as shown below.
Or have a look at my site for lots of other great recipes. If you’d like to make a comment or ask a question please do, via the contact page.
Moist and crumbly squares 
I actually pushed satsuma half segments into the mix
Retired Bloke on Food n stuff 