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a piece of lemon syrup cake with a glaze and rosemary
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4.60 from 5 votes

Lemon Syrup Cake

This bright and zesty lemon syrup cake is rich, buttery and bursting with fresh lemon flavour. Light and fluffy in the middle, it is drizzled with a tangy lemon syrup to make it extra moist and citrusy and topped with a crackly lemon glaze. Serve warm, with double cream on the side for the perfect afternoon tea.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
0 minutes
Total Time55 minutes
Course: cakes, Dessert
Cuisine: Australian
Servings: 10
Calories: 468kcal

Ingredients

For the cake

  • 250 grams butter softened at room temperature
  • 1 ⅓ cup caster sugar
  • zest of 2 lemons
  • 3 large eggs at room temperature
  • 240 grams self raising flour 1 ¾ cups
  • ¼ cup sour cream or Greek yoghurt
  • ¼ cup lemon juice fresh

For the lemon syrup

  • zest of 2 lemons
  • ¾ cup fresh lemon juice approx. 4-5 lemons
  • ¾ cup caster sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla vanilla bean paste or essence
  • ½ cup water

For the lemon glaze

  • 1 ½ cups icing sugar confectioners sugar
  • lemon juice to desired thickness around 3-5 tbsp

Instructions

For the cake

  • Pre-heat oven to 180 °C (356 F). Grease a non-stick 21cm bundt cake tin with butter. You can also line it with baking paper, to prevent sticking.
  • Beat the softened butter and sugar together with the lemon zest until pale and soft. Add the eggs, one at a time, stirring to combine between each addition.
  • Fold in half of the flour, until just combined. Add the sour cream and lemon juice and stir to combine.
  • Add the remaining flour and fold until combined.
  • Add the mixture to the prepared cake tin and gently smooth the top.
  • Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the cake is completely cooked through. You can test the cake by inserting a wooden skewer into the middle. If it comes out clean, the cake is ready.
  • Allow the cake to sit in the pan for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.

For the syrup

  • When the cake is almost cooked (or just out of the oven), add all of the syrup ingredients to a small saucepan and simmer over low heat until the sugar dissolves, the syrup reduces and thickens to a maple syrup-like consistency. This should take around 10 minutes.
    *Keep an eye on the syrup, it will thicken slightly and become lightly golden in colour, however you don't want to reduce the syrup too much or it will become too thick and slightly bitter.
  • Remove the syrup from the heat.
  • Using a wooden skewer, poke holes in the top of the cake. **The more holes, the more the cake will soak up the syrup.
  • Place a tray with sides under the wire cooling rack, directly underneath the cake. While the cake is still warm, slowly pour the hot syrup over the top of the cake. The tray will catch any residual syrup. Depending on the lemon flavour you want, you can re-use this syrup to soak into the cake again, if desired.

For the lemon glaze

  • Combine the icing sugar and lemon juice and stir until combined. Add a little more lemon juice or icing sugar, if needed, to achieve desired consistency.
  • Pour or spread the icing over the cake and let the icing slowly run down the sides of the cake. Allow to set. Serve on its own, or with a dollop of cream or yoghurt.

Notes

  1. Add the hot lemon syrup when the cake is still hot. It will absorb into the cake much better this way.
  2. Store the cake in a container at room temperature, rather than in the fridge. Due to its butter content, the cake will harden in the fridge. It's best eaten soft at room temp or warmed.
  3. You can swap the sour cream for a good quality, full-fat Greek yoghurt. Use the same quantities.
  4. Don’t overmix the batter! Overmixing will result in a dense cake, rather than a fluffy and moist cake.
  5. If the syrup is too thin and watery, it will make the cake soggy by soaking too far into the top of the cake. Make sure it has reduced to a maple syrup-like consistency.
  6. Be careful not to over-reduce the syrup. It should simmer over low heat for around 10 minutes, until it thickens to a maple syrup-like consistency and becomes a light-golden colour. Overcooking will result in the syrup becoming too thick, which will cause it to taste bitter and not soak nicely into the cake.
  7. In citrus season, you can swap the lemons for any citrus fruit you like. Try limes or oranges for a fun twist. Or try this orange drizzle cake!
  8. Use room temperature eggs and butter. The butter needs to be soft before creaming to avoid lumps and the eggs will incorporate into the mixture more easily at room temperature.
  9. Use fresh lemons, where possible. I have made this cake using both fresh lemons and bottled lemon juice and the flavour of fresh lemons wins, every time.
  10. Try adding some fresh rosemary or thyme to the syrup while it is simmering, to infuse a subtle herb flavour. You can also try a few leaves of mint, or basil.
  11. Zest and juice the lemons for both the cake and the syrup at the same time, to make prepping easier.
  12. If using a bundt tin, grease it well with a generous amount of butter and let the cake sit in the tin for 10 minutes, before attempting to remove it. Use a blunt knife to run along the edges before gently turning the tin onto a wire rack. Alternatively, a cake tin with a removable bottom can be used.
  13. Place a tray underneath the cake when pouring the syrup over the top, to catch the excess syrup. The syrup that ends up in the tray can be poured back over the cake!
  14. I used a 21cm bundt tin for this recipe. Due to the hole in the middle, the cooking time is around 35-40 minutes. You can use a regular cake tin rather than a bundt tin, but the cooking times will vary.
  15. Freezing; Wrap the cooled cake (or any leftover pieces) and place into an airtight container or freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Let it thaw fully at room temperature before serving.
  16. Storage; this cake is best eaten in the first 1-2 days of being made, but will keep in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
  17. Please note that the nutrition information is based on this cake being sliced into 10 pieces, with each slice being one serve. The nutritional information is an estimate only and does not take into account any cream or other sides served with the cake.
  18. This recipe is made using Australian cups and spoon measurements. Due to cup sizes varying from country to country, I advise adjusting if necessary.

Nutrition

Calories: 468kcal | Carbohydrates: 78g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 78mg | Sodium: 34mg | Potassium: 97mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 60g | Vitamin A: 523IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 1mg