Let Them Eat Cake!

The infamous line that wasn’t spoken by Marie Antoinette. But I will say it. Sometimes when I feel uninspired, fed up or just not in the mood for working in my studio, I bake. I find that it calms me down, relaxes me and gives me a feeling of satisfaction, especially since I can eat the yummy outcomes afterwards!

This is my Lemon Loaf cake, tweaked from a Delia Lemon Sandwich cake.

The Ingredients

• 1 lemon, zest only, grated
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 175g/6oz self-raising flour, sifted
• 1 level tsp baking powder
• 175g/6oz butter, at room temperature
• 175g/6oz caster sugar
• 3 eggs

Preheat the oven at Gas Mark 3/170 C/325 F

• Just put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix together so you get a thick cake mixture.
• Line a standard loaf tin with greaseproof paper/baking parchment, this makes it easier when trying to get the cake out afterwards.
• Pour mixture in and put on the middle shelf of the oven and bake for 45 mins. Keep checking the cake, and after 45 mins stick a knife/skewer in and pull out to see if there is any cake mixture still. If there is put back in for another 5 mins and check again. If it is clean then you’re done.

Let it cool down, then take out of loaf tin. I like to then cut it open and spread lemon curd on one side and sandwich it. Or you can keep it as a loaf cake, cut pieces off and spread lemon curd or jam on it with a nice cup of tea.

(Placemat in picture is the Ozborne Placemats, available from my Etsy Shop.)