Lemon drizzle is a nostalgic cake for many of us, and reminds us of our childhood. And who made all those cakes, and all those memories? I used to think that cakes somehow just “appeared” almost out of thin air but, of course, there’s no such thing. A child’s day is made sweet by a whole lot of planning and stirring and baking. Why not turn the tables this year and make your mother a lemon drizzle cake? And, after all these years, it’s her turn to lick the bowl, OK?
Mother’s Day lemon drizzle with poppy seed brittle (pictured top)
The star of this cake is the toasted poppy seed brittle that can be made up to a week in advance. The quantities given will make more brittle than you need here, but that makes for a double Mother’s Day win. Just pop the excess in a sealed container, then wrap it in ribbon and attach a note saying: “This keeps well for a week – it’s lovely crumbled over yoghurt or porridge, or blitzed to a paste for spreading on toast.” Cake and present. Job done!
Prep 30 min
Cook 1 hr 10 min
Cool 1 hr+
Serves 8
For the cake batter
200g caster sugar
140g softened unsalted butter, cut into rough cubes
2 lemons, zest finely grated to get 2 tsp, and juiced, to get 2 tbsp
3 eggs
200g self-raising flour
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp fine sea salt
For the lemon drizzle
120g caster sugar
3 lemons, 6-8 strips of zest pared off with a peeler, plus 1 tsp finely grated zest, and juiced, to get 120ml
For the poppy seed brittle
60g poppy seeds
50g caster sugar
50g liquid glucose
25g softened unsalted butter
⅛ tsp flaked sea salt
For the icing
200g mascarpone
100ml double cream
30g icing sugar
Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6, and line the base and sides of a 21cm round cake tin with greaseproof paper.
First, make the batter. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or using a handheld electric whisk), cream the caster sugar, butter and lemon zest on a medium-high speed for a minute or two, until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one by one, fully incorporating each one until adding the next, then use a spatula to fold in the flour and baking powder, scraping down the sides of the bowl as you do so. Add the lemon juice and mix to combine.
Scrape the batter into the lined tin, smooth out the top and bake in the middle of the oven for 35 minutes, until the top is evenly golden brown and a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the cake in its tin to a rack.
Meanwhile, make the drizzle. Put the sugar, lemon strips and 50ml cold water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Take off the heat and stir in the lemon juice.
Use a skewer to poke the warm cake all over and all the way from the top to the bottom, making as many holes as you can. Spoon over the warm drizzle, but saving two tablespoons of it and all the lemon strips for later. Leave the cake to cool completely in its tin for at least an hour.
Turn on the oven to 190C (170C fan)/375F/gas 5. Put the poppy seeds on a baking tray, toast in the hot oven for 10 minutes, gently shaking the tray once halfway, then remove and set aside.
Cut out two pieces of greaseproof paper the same size as your baking tray. Put the sugar, glucose, butter and salt in a small saucepan on a high heat, stir to combine, then bring to a boil. Take off the heat and stir in the toasted seeds. Put one sheet of the paper on a heatproof surface, pour the poppy seed mixture on top and cover with the second sheet of paper. Using a rolling pin, roll out the brittle under the second sheet until it’s 2mm thick, then slide the paper and brittle on to the baking tray. Lift off the top layer of paper, bake for 20 minutes, then take out of the oven and leave to cool completely.
To make the icing, whisk the mascarpone, double cream and icing sugar in a large bowl for 30 seconds to a minute, until they form stiff peaks, then refrigerate until needed.
To assemble, lift the cake from its tin and peel off and discard the paper lining. Put the cake on a serving plate, spoon all the icing on top in the very centre, then use a palette knife to spread it out to cover the cake – keep the icing uneven and textured. Sprinkle over the remaining teaspoon of finely grated lemon zest. Smash a third of the brittle into small shards and scatter these on top (save the rest of the brittle for another use). Drizzle over the reserved syrup and lemon peel, so it pools in the little pockets on the icing, then slice and serve.
Sesame, pecan and date cookies
These take their inspiration from maamoul, a date and nut-stuffed butter cookie popular throughout the Middle East. Swap the pecans for any other nuts you have to hand and the fennel seeds for the same amount of anise or half the amount of cardamom. Once baked, the cookies will keep well in a sealed container for up to five days, so they’re perfect for making ahead.
Prep 20 min
Cook 25 min
Cool 15 min
Makes 14
100g fine semolina
100g plain flour, and extra for dusting
30g caster sugar
90g unsalted, room-temperature butter, cut into cubes
Fine sea salt
½ tsp vanilla extract
1 lemon, zested, to get 1 tsp, and juiced, to get 2 tsp
100g toasted pecans
3 tbsp toasted sesame seeds, plus 1 ½ tsp extra for sprinkling
10 medjool dates, stones removed (160g net)
2 tsp fennel seeds, toasted and finely ground in a mortar
2 tbsp orange juice
Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas mark 4. Put the semolina, flour, sugar and butter in a large bowl with an eighth of a teaspoon of salt. Using the tips of your fingers, rub the mixture to a breadcrumb consistency. Add the vanilla, lemon juice and a teaspoon of water, mix into a pliable dough and set aside.
Put the pecans, sesame seeds, dates, fennel, lemon zest and orange juice in a food processor and blitz to a thick, almost smooth paste.
Put the dough between two sheets of baking paper, then roll it out into a roughly 34cm x 22cm rectangle that’s about 3mm thick. Using a spatula, carefully spread the date paste evenly over the dough, then, using the paper to help you, roll it into a log about 6-7cm in diameter.
Brush the top of the log with a little water, scatter on the remaining sesame seeds and use the paper to press the seeds into the top of the dough. Cut the log at an angle into 2cm-thick slices.
Arrange the slices seam side down on a lined baking sheet and with sesame-studded side facing up. Bake for 20-25 minutes, , rotating the cookies once halfway, until slightly golden on top, then remove and leave to cool.
