It’s so easy, when baking, to get caught up in creating the most unusual innovative bakes I can think of – always trying out new flavour combinations and ingredients, leaving the simplest of cakes and bakes to become overlooked. But recently, I have been getting back into using lemon as my chosen flavour for cakes. So whipping up a luscious lemon loaf for a tea party, birthday or picnic treat has come back into favour in our household.
Looking through my cook book collection recently, I came across a book I used to love baking from but haven’t used in years – “The Little Red Barn Baking Book”. The recipe I used to turn to time and again was the “Lemon tea bread”, a dreamy sponge with a light fluffy crumb that is down to the addition of using sour cream or creme fraiche.
My taste in cakes change on such a regular basis. There was a time when I wouldn’t look at any cake that didn’t contain some form of chocolate. Then I discovered the coffee walnut cake, still my absolute favourite, followed by the likes of carrot and banana cake. The one sponge I don’t often reach for is the classic Victoria. So when it comes to the simpler bakes life I guess I will always reach for the lemons…
Now feels like the right time to resurrect this recipe of old and re-create it here for you with a couple of tweaks. And if lemon is your thing then do check out some of the gorgeous bakes below for some extra citrus inspiration:
Mini lemon drizzle pound cakes
Lemon & cucumber cake with gin icing
Lemon & berry yoghurt loaf cake
Luscious Lemon Loaf
Ingredients
- 175 g golden caster sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 lemon zest only
- 1/2 lemon juice only
- 80 ml creme fraiche
- 160 g plain flour sifted
- 2 tsp baking powder sifted
- 55 g Stork margarine melted
- Icing sugar to dust the cake sifted
Instructions
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Pre heat the oven to 170 degrees and line a large loaf tin with baking paper
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In a bowl, whisk together the caster sugar, eggs, lemon zest and juice then fold in the creme fraiche, sifted flour and baking power. Finally pour in the melted margarine and mix well until combined
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Pour the b]cake batter into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 40 minutes (approx) or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean
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Once completely cooled, top with sifted icing sugar and serve with fresh raspberries and more creme fraiche.
Recipe Notes
This light, fluffy sponge cake is best served either on it's own or with a generous spoonful of creme fraiche and raspberries. It will keep for a couple of days wrapped in cling film or placed into a sealed container.
I love all things lemon, especially cakes and desserts. This lemon cake looks divine. So fluffy and appealing. I wish I could tuck in. I really must try it.
It’s such a light sponge Jac 🙂
I love lemon drizzle cake and I agree, sometimes it’s too easy to over complicate things. Simple can sometimes be best.
A lovely looking cake.
Yes so true Angela!
This looks incredible! I will have to make it this weekend.
I absolutely adore lemon cakes! Thank you so much for linking to my bundt cake too x
No problem, I also love bundt cakes!
Oh, this looks amazing. I adore citrus flavours sooo much, especially since I got my own miniature citrus tree. And thank you for sharing my cake recipe as well.
I would love to have a citrus tree, hope you get some fruits from it 🙂
I’m not much of cake person but the taste I will always go for is lemon. When I was “forced” to choose a slice of cake at the weekend (hubs said he wouldn’t get anything if I didn’t) it was lemon marmalade with marscapone. I do agree that as a blogger we can get caught up in being novel, but you really can’t beat the classics. And even as a health blogger I would leave something gorgeous like this as is, in all its creme fraiche enhanced glory 🙂
I love the sound of a lemon marmalade & mascarpone cake too Kellie. Citrus definitely gets my vote when it comes to cake too. I would also love to try out a grapefruit cake.
You have such similar taste to me – I adore chocolate cake, coffee walnut is a very dear favourite of mine, and I love both banana and lemon loafs. This looks so good.
Good taste we share!
It’s easy to get lost in the creative process and concoct something entire new and novel. That said, it’s the classics like this lemon loaf that people return to for good, old comfort. Looks fab!
So true Michelle!
This tastes just amazing! I have now used the recipe to make one tier of a wedding cake, the feedback was amazing! Thank you for sharing it. https://www.rosehipbakery.co.uk/wedding-cakes/
That is amazing news, so pleased!