Summery Lemon & Rosemary Drizzle Cake Recipe
A light and fluffy lemon drizzle cake infused with fresh rosemary. An unusual and delicious flavor combination perfect for summery cakes and cupcakes.
On a recent trip to Dublin, my friend and I visited a lovely little eatery on the River Liffey. After an afternoon exploring the city, we were reeled in by their display of cakes that peeped out at us through bright windows. Sticky buns, blueberry & coffee muffins, chocolate slices of heaven, and other divine slices of heaven begging to be enjoyed. But of all the items on display, it was one in particular that caught my eye: Lemon and Rosemary Drizzle Cake. It was so delicious that I’ve just not been able to get it out of my mind.
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Shortly after getting back home I broke out my cookbook, put on my thinking cap, and created my own lemon and rosemary drizzle cake. It blends a traditional lemon drizzle cake with rosemary-infused butter and glaze. It’s simple to make and oh so much more grown-up than a standard lemon cake. Enjoy and you’re welcome.
Lemon & Rosemary Cake Recipe
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- Lemon zester
- Whisk
- Saucepans
- Cupcake tin
- Wooden skewer
Ingredients
For the cake
- 225 g self-raising flour (1½ cup)
- 225 g white sugar (1 cup)
- 225 g unsalted butter (softened – 8 oz / 2 sticks)
- 4 eggs
- zest of one lemon (unwaxed)
- juice of one lemon
- 1 tsp chopped rosemary (fresh)
- 1¼ tsp baking powder
For the glaze
- 1/4 cup lemon juice (typically the juice from one lemon)
- 1/2 cup rosemary infusion (You will need 1/2 cup water and 1 TBSP rosemary)
- 95 g confectioners sugar / powdered sugar (3/4 cup)
To decorate
- sprigs of rosemary
Instructions
Preparation
- Pre-heat the oven to 350°F / 180°C / 160°C fan
- Grease the tin(s) and line the bottoms with baking paper
- Zest and juice the lemons, and chop the rosemary
- Make the rosemary infusion by infusing 4 tsp of chopped Rosemary in 1/2 cup of scalding water. Allow to steep for at least ten minutes before straining and reserving the liquid.
Make the Cake
- Melt the butter on the hob in a double-boiler. Basically, a saucepan that sits inside another pan of boiling water. Add the rosemary and allow it to infuse through the butter for fifteen minutes. Strain the butter through a mesh and discard the herb. Allow the butter to cool for about ten minutes.
- By hand or with a mixer, blend the sugar and infused butter. Add in the eggs and lemon zest and blend well.
- Gradually add the sifted flour and baking powder into the mix and continue mixing until the batter is creamy with no visible lumps, bumps, or chunks.
- Spoon the mixture into your desired pan, making sure to only fill halfway. Bake ordinary-sized cupcakes for 25 minutes, large cupcakes for 35 minutes, and a loaf tin for 40-45 minutes.
Make the Glaze
- Sift the powdered sugar into a bowl with the just-warm rosemary infusion and lemon juice. Whisk to a smooth consistency.
Glaze the Lemon & Rosemary Cupcakes
- When the cake(s) are finished baking, take them out of the oven, and allow them to cool for five minutes. Next, remove the cake(s) from the tin and set them on a layer of greaseproof paper. Prick them all repeatedly with the wooden skewer, poking half-way through the cakes or even a little deeper.
- Spoon the glaze slowly and evenly over the cake(s). You want it to steep down the holes you've just made in the cake and infuse the sponge with glaze.
- Leave to cool completely before serving. Store in an airtight container at room temperature and consume within five days.
After following the recipe exactly and cooking for 35min at 160c the cake was soggy and uncooked even though the top was brown. It sunk badly in the middle.
I cooked for a further 15min but was barely cooked through.
I cooled it and turned it out. It looked a mess. It went straight into the bin What a waste!!
The baking powder should be listed in the ingredients
When were you supposed to add the juice of half a lemon that is listed in the batter ingredients? I added it to the other wet ingredients, before the flour. It's in the oven now, so I hope that was right! It's a very dense batter, so it was good to get the lemon juice in there.
Half of the lemon juice should go in the batter and half should be reserved to create the drizzle topping. A drizzle cake is one that is poked with loads of tiny holes at the end (with a a toothpick) and then a liquidy glaze poured over :)
Yummy, my favorite…Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Simon
Tanya, I'm looking forward to trying this recipe. When you refer to adding flour and baking powder is that the self rising flour you listed in the recipe or is extra baking powder called for? Thanks.
Hiya! You'll need 1 tsp Baking Powder along with the Self-raising flour. Good luck with the recipe!