Really Easy Light Lemon Cake Recipe

This lemon cake is ideal for kids, students or people who want instant results. It's light, yet has a great sticky lemon topping. The topping is optional. Most of the ingredients you've probably already got in your store cupboard. This is a fabulously refreshing and easy cake to make.

• 2 eggs
• 175g plain flour (sieved)*
• 175g caster sugar
• 150ml mlik
• 100g butter
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• The zest of one lemon
• A pinch of salt

To Make the Sticky Lemon Topping:

• 6 tablespoons icing sugar
• The juice and zest of 2 lemons

 It's easier to work the ingredients if they're already at room temperature, the butter will be soft, so easy to use as it is.

Prepare your baking/cake tin by greasing it and lining it with greaseproof paper.  This makes sure your cake doesn't stick. You can use any size/shape you want really.  Sometimes I use a 1 pound loaf tin, sometimes a 9" square tin.  For a Sunday Teatime Cake, I prefer a loaf tin and I slice the cake like a loaf, for a less formal Sunday picnic tea I prefer a cake tin and I cut the cake into squares.

Although I call them tins, I actually always use silicone loaf tins and silicone cake pans because they don't need any greasing and the cakes just come straight out! 

Preheat your oven to 160°C

1. Combine all the cake ingredients - you can do this by hand, but if you have a mixer then feel free to use it Don't overwork the mixture, as soon as everything's combined, you're done!
2. Pour your mixture into your tin. Ensure it's level and try to avoiding splashing any onto the paper.
3. Place the cake in your oven and cook at 160°C for 50-55 minutes.
4. Remove the cake from the oven and you're ready to top it. Leave it IN the cake tin for now .

1. Sift your icing sugar into a small saucepan, then combine it with the lemon juice.
2. Bring the mix to the boil, stirring continuously.
3. Continue boiling for a couple of minutes - until it forms a syrup.
4. Immediately pour your syrup over the top of the cake. Let the cake absorb the syrup for about 15 minutes before removing the cake from the dish and letting it cool on a wire rack.

Alternative Topping:

Simply mix up icing sugar with the lemon juice as it is and drizzle it over the top so it sets.