This lime drizzle cake with a soft and light lime sponge and sharp and zesty lime drizzle is a great recipe for using up a glut of limes. Delicious for afternoon tea, picnics and bake sales, it also makes a delicious light summer dessert served with fresh raspberries.
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We love drizzle cakes! From the classic lemon drizzle cake, to chocolate orange drizzle cake I have been making them for years. That zesty citrus drizzle which makes the cake super moist in addition to adding an extra layer of zingy citrus flavour, make them one of my favourite types of cake to make.
Ingredients Notes And Substitutions
Please scroll down to the recipe card at the end of the post for ingredient quantities.
- Limes – try to buy unwaxed limes if you can, as you will be using the zest as well as the juice. If you have kaffir limes, you can use them in this cake too.
- Plain Flour – I use plain flour in this recipe, and add baking powder to make the cake rise.
- Butter – unsalted butter. Room temperature. If you only have salted butter then omit the pinch of salt.
- Granulated sugar – This cake recipe uses granulated sugar in both the cake and the lime drizzle. You can use caster sugar if you prefer.
- Eggs – use room temperature eggs for the best results. I use size large eggs, which weigh approx. 55g / 2 oz each.
How to make this recipe
For the full, detailed recipe see recipe card below.
- Place softened butter, sugar and lime zest in a bowl and beat until light and fluffy. Adding the lime zest at this stage allows the flavour to come out of the oils which are released as you beat it.
- Add one egg and stir then tip in half the flour and mix to combine.
- Add the other egg, mix lightly, then tip in the rest of the flour. Stir in the lime juice. The batter should have a soft consistency – it should drop off the spoon.
- Spoon the mixture in a loaf tin lined with baking paper and place in the preheated oven to bake. The cake is ready when a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
- While the cake is cooling, prepare the lime syrup: combine the lime zest, juice, and sugar in a small saucepan and heat over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved.
- Prick the cake all over with a fork or a skewer, and spoon the lime drizzle all over the top of the cake, taking extra care to get right to the edges.
FAQ
Can I make this cake by hand?
Yes! I used a stand mixer in these photos as my butter was a little hard, but I often make this cake by hand. You could use a food processor instead if you prefer.
Can I freeze drizzle cakes?
Yes you can. Wrap well and freeze for up to 2 months. You can also freeze individual slices of the cake.
My cake batter is really thick, can I thin it?
If your cake batter is really thick and not falling off your spoon, add a small splash of milk. Only add a little at a time and stir lightly to prevent over mixing your batter.
My Recipe Tips
- Make sure you preheat the oven before you place the cake in it.
- The best way to zest limes is to use a microplane zester.
- To get the moist juice out of a lime – roll the lime against the counter top, then use a juicer rather than your hands to squeeze the juice out of the lime.
- For mini lime drizzle cakes, use 2 mini loaf tins (15cm x 8.5cm / 6″ x 3″) and cook for 20-30 minutes.
- Wait a couple of minutes before you spoon the drizzle over the cake. If you do it when the cake is straight out of the oven, the lime syrup can burn on the hot metal tin.
Storage
- Room Temperature: in an airtight container for 3-4 days. I find any longer than this and the cake starts to go dry.
- Freezer: Wrap the cake well, and freeze for up to 2 months. I find the best way to freeze a lime (or lemon) drizzle cake is to slice it first and wrap the slices individually, then you can take out as many as you need at a time. And it takes less time to defrost.
More Easy Cake Recipes
Lime Drizzle Cake
Author: Robyn
This lime drizzle cake with a soft and light lime sponge and sharp and zesty lime drizzle is perfect for afternoon tea, picnics, and bake sales.
Equipment
- 21cm x 12cm (8" x 5" ) loaf tin
Ingredients
- 100 g butter softened
- 150 g granulated sugar
- 150 g plain flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- pinch salt
- 2 eggs
- 2 limes zest
- 2 tablespoons lime juice (approx 1 lime)
Lime Drizzle
- 1 lime zest
- 4 tablespoons lime juice (approx 2 limes)
- 100 g granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160˚C fan/ 180˚C/ 320˚F convection/ 356˚F
- Line a 21cm x 12cm (8" x 5" ) loaf tin with baking paper.
- Beat the butter, sugar and lime zest until light and fluffy.
- In another bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and salt together.
- Add 1 egg to the butter mixture, and stir before adding half the flour and mixing well.
- Add the other egg, the rest of the flour, the lime juice and mix to combine.
- Spoon into the baking tin and bake for 40 minutes, until light golden on top and a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
- Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes.
- While the cake is cooling, make the lime drizzle:
Lime Drizzle
- In a small saucepan, add the sugar, lime zest and lime juice, and place over a low heat.
- Gently heat, without boiling, until the sugar has dissolved.
- Once the sugar has dissolved, take off the heat.
- Prick the cake all over with a fork or a skewer, then spoon the drizzle all over the cake, taking care to cover the whole of the top of the cake.
- Leave for 5 minutes in the tin, then remove the cake from the tin to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
- Store at room temperature for 3-4 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
Notes
- Limes – try to buy unwaxed limes if you can, as you will be using the zest as well as the juice. If you have kaffir limes, you can use them in this cake too.
- Plain Flour – I use plain flour in this recipe, and add baking powder to make the cake rise.
- Butter – unsalted butter. Room temperature. If you only have salted butter then omit the pinch of salt.
- Granulated sugar – This cake recipe uses granulated sugar in both the cake and the lime drizzle. You can use caster sugar if you prefer.
- Eggs – use room temperature eggs for the best results. I use size large eggs, which weigh approx. 55g / 2 oz each.
- The best way to zest limes is to use a microplane zester.
- To get the moist juice out of a lime – roll the lime against the counter top, then use a juicer rather than your hands to squeeze the juice out of the lime.
- To make mini lime drizzle cakes, use 2 mini loaf tins (15cm x 8.5cm / 6″ x 3″) and cook for 20-30 minutes.
- Wait a couple of minutes before you spoon the drizzle over the cake. If you do it when the cake is straight out of the oven, the lime syrup can burn on the hot metal tin.
Nutrition
Calories: 204kcalCarbohydrates: 33gProtein: 2gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 45mgSodium: 142mgPotassium: 52mgFiber: 1gSugar: 21gVitamin A: 260IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 54mgIron: 1mg
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