Lovely Laura’s Lemon Loaf (try saying that a few times!) is a crowd pleaser that will never let you down, much like our lovely baker Laura. Full of zesty lemon and hints of thyme, this springy and jolly cake looks beautiful, drizzled in bright white icing and decorated with delicate sprigs of thyme.
SERVES 8–10
200g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
200g caster sugar
4 medium eggs
a handful of fresh thyme (about 10g on the stem), leaves picked, plus extra sprigs to decorate
200g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
a pinch of fine salt
finely grated zest of 2 lemons
For the icing
300g icing sugar
40ml lemon juice
Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/Gas Mark 4. Grease and line a 900g/2lb loaf tin (23 × 13 × 7cm) with 2 strips of baking paper overlapping on the base of the tin to line each side.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar for a couple of minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the eggs to the mixture, one at a time, thoroughly beating each one in before adding the next.
In a separate bowl, mix the thyme leaves with the flour, baking powder, salt and lemon zest. Add to the butter mixture and fold in until no floury patches remain.
Spoon the batter into the prepared tin, spreading it level with a spatula. Bake for 40–45 minutes, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Meanwhile, make a thick icing by mixing together the icing sugar and lemon juice.
While the cake is still warm, poke about 20 holes in the top using a skewer. Gently spoon the icing evenly over the top of the cake, letting it run down the sides in thick ribbons. Decorate with a few fresh thyme sprigs laid over the wet icing. Leave to cool completely so the icing sets before cutting into slices.