Lemon Drizzle

[bananaskin123]

Just need some advice please. Don't do as much baking as I used to but lemon drizzle cake is my go to. After the cake, sometimes round, sometimes loaf tin shape, comes out of the oven I use a knitting needle to insert the melted sugar and lemon juice. I finally add some basic icing made with icing sugar and lemon juice. My problem is there are quite large "holes" after the icing has set because of using the knitting needle. I'll probably grate a lemon before serving to try and hide them but are there any tips and methods you use to avoid the "holey" look.

I tend to just use a wooden skewer as it’s not as wide. The icing should fill the holes though then with topping you won’t see them

I use a cocktail stick but I also leave it on the tin when I drizzle it, so that the syrup just sleeps through the top of the entire cake anyway.

What do people consider to be the superior lemon drizzle recipe? I've used a yoghurt and oil loaf one for years but am getting a bit sick of it - i think I need butter, and a crunchy sugar top...

Your knitting needle is too big. Use something with a smaller bore, like a cocktail stick or a skewer used to test whether the cake is done (the latter is what I use, and I've never had any issues with large visible holes.)

Mary Berry’s Lemon Drizzle Traybake is what I always make. It has never let me down. Very lemony with just the right amount of crunch on top. And it uses butter. Absolutely love it.

I just use the Mary Berry one - it’s pretty foolproof (just as well as I’m not a baker):

maryberryrecipe.co.uk/mary-berry-lemon-drizzle-cake-recipe/

@SabrinaThwaite , I remember making that in the 1990s.

Another vote for Mary Berry, I think the butter really makes a superior cake here. Use a smaller implement to avoid obvious holes.

And it still comes out perfect every time.

Mary Berry’s is a decent recipe but I still double the amount of lemon in it 😬

I always use far more lemon than is prescribed in any lemon cake recipe. And I add a drop of lemon essence, too. If it's not properly zingy, as well as sweet, it's missing the point of a good lemon cake.

Turn the cake over and poke the holes in the bottom but make sure you don't poke them all the way through the crust.

Cocktail stick or skewer.

If I'm making a traybake, I use Mary Berry's recipe. If I'm making a loaf, I use the Felicity Cloake recipe in the Guardian, but using the topping (halving the quantity) from the Mary Berry recipe. It is an incredibly moist and delicious loaf.