A loaf cake is just one of those things that is good to have around. It makes a great dessert, but it’s also wonderful with a coffee or a cup of tea. We used to eat a slice of something similar to this for breakfast when I was a kid and it was such a treat. Loaf cakes can be very versatile in terms of when and how to eat them and if you might have guests or unexpected pop-ins, it’s nice to have something like this on the counter to offer. It’s also not difficult to make so it’s a win-win!
If you don’t have a loaf tin, I highly recommend investing in one or two. They are a necessity for baking a lot of bread varieties, loaf cakes, many sweet bread recipes like banana bread and lots of quick breads too such as soda bread. The little liners that fit inside are also super handy to have as they make removing the cake effortless with no issues – for me this is a convenience I can get on board with. I say one or two because many recipes will yield enough for two loaves, so if you’re buying one you might as well get a spare.
As warmer weather approaches, this is the cake recipe I think I’ll be making quite a bit. Lemons taste good anytime, but they scream summer and this cake has a lightness to it. I can’t wait to cut a slice to enjoy in the garden with an iced coffee in the sunshine. Let’s bake!
Serves 6
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 180g unsalted butter at room temperature
- 180g white caster sugar
- 90g self-raising flour
- 90g ground almonds
- 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 lemon
- Leaves from 2 to 3 sprigs of thyme
For the drizzle:
- 3 lemons
- 4 tablespoons white caster sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- Leaves from 4 to 5 sprigs of thyme
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/160° Fan/350°F. Prepare your loaf tin by inserting a loaf tin liner and set aside.
- In a mixing bowl add the flour and ground almonds. Mix together with a wire whisk. Add the thyme leaves and the zest of the lemon (keep the rest of the lemon for making the drizzle later) and whisk again.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or in another mixing bowl with a hand mixer, cream the butter with the caster sugar until it’s a pale primrose colour and fluffy. Add 1/3 of the beaten eggs at a time to the bowl, beating until thoroughly mixed each time before adding the next 1/3.
- Add the flour mixture to the egg & butter mixture a little at a time, beating as you go until it’s all combined.
- Scrape the batter out of the bowl into the lined loaf tin. Don’t worry about whether it’s flat or lumpy at the top, but do try to get it evenly distributed across the pan as best you can. Bake in the oven for 50 minutes or until it’s golden on top and a cake tester, toothpic or skewer comes out clean when inserted.
- While the cake is baking you can get on with making the drizzle to go on top. Put a saucepan over medium heat with the sugar, the juice of the 3 lemons plus the one you zested earlier (4 total) and the water. Cook while stirring until everything dissolves and then add the thyme leaves. Give it a stir and remove from the heat.
- As soon as the cake is out of the oven, poke holes in it all over with a skewer or a fork. Drizzle the lemony syrup over the whole cake and leave to cool for at least 15 minutes before serving if you can stand to wait that long.
