When should your lemon drizzle get its drizzle?

[SinkGirl]

I’m making my third lemon drizzle of lockdown (blame DH who keeps eating it all). Cake always comes out great but I need drizzle help!

I know that if you put it on when it’s too hot the syrup will run through the cake (that’s happened once) and if it’s not hot enough the syrup won’t penetrate properly (had that happen too).

So how long do you let yours cool for optimum syrupy goodness / sugar crust top?

Mary Berry’s crunchy lemon top cake says put it on as soon as it’s out of the oven. It doesn’t seem to penetrate much but does give a lovely crunchy top when it’s cool

www.recipecircus.com/recipes/gilly/CAKESandPIES/Crunchy_Top_Lemon_Cake.html

I thought you're supposed to prick it a few times with a knitting needle and then it runs through.
It sometimes seems that there is too much syrup for the cake but somehow it all gets soaked up.

Interesting - that has a higher proportion of sugar to lemon juice than the recipe I’m using so maybe I need a thicker paste... still wary of putting it on that early though as I have had syrup run through before when hot

forgot to say as soon as the cake is out of the oven

But the syrup should run through, that's the point isn't it? A lovely moist cake with syrupy loveliness hiding inside, and the crusty residue on top

I out on as soon as out of the oven, and I don't use a recipe for the syrup, I just put in enough sugar so that it goes just past the point where it can dissolve.

Yes I do stab it with a skewer so it gets further in.

But here good old Mary (who I always believe) contradicts the advice above so now I’m totally lost 😂

do you boil the sugar with the water and lemon juice?

Heat the water and sugar and simmer until the sugar is dissolved. Add the lemon juice and simmer till a runny syrup

But the syrup should run through, that's the point isn't it? A lovely moist cake with syrupy loveliness hiding inside, and the crusty residue on top

Sorry I mean it runs out of the bottom of the cake, if it was staying in the cake that would be perfect :)

do you boil the sugar with the water and lemon juice?

No I just dissolve it in the lemon juice as I find you get more crunch then.

As soon as it comes out! It's fab if it runs all the way through, super moist cake top to bottom!

No, no, no @pusspuss9

You mix the lemon juice with granulated sugar to get the crunchy topping. You don't boil anything. And you don't add any water.

Wash your mouth out with soap and water

@ginfordinner

should I boil the soap and water before I wash my mouth out or just grate the soap in the cold water (wink)

As soon as it comes out! Poke holes, pour in. It always seems like there's too much but when it's time for eating it's all magically disappeared.

I like to stab mine when warm and top with lemon syrup, then put the icing on when it's cooled down.

Okay, think I’ve nailed the drizzle - more sugar and straight on out of the oven. There’s a lot of drizzle.

Unfortunately the cake hasn’t come out as well as last time - last time it rose too fast and cracked (Oven too hot), this time I tried out the oven’s cake setting and it’s dipped in the middle. Need a happy medium! Cannot get this new oven right.

I do Tana Ramsey’s cake. Through trial and error, I poke mine with a skewer and pour over the drizzle when hot from the oven, then I leave it to go a lot cooler, then I pour the rest over it. I add more sugar also now and that gives the crunchy topping.

That’s the one I use too. I used a lot more sugar this time and the topping looks much better but thanks to my stupid oven it has a big hole in the middle. Sigh. Never using the cake setting again!

Will try that next time - two step drizzling!

I do Tana Ramsey recipe too but add granulated sugar, seems to give a lovely raunchy topping. Leave in tin (with topping) until completely cold.

^ CRUNCHY topping !!