One of the many things we learned in 2020 is that lockdown brings out the aspiring baker in every New Zealander. Stuck at home once again, it’s safe to say most of us are finding ourselves with the opportunity to spend a little more time in the kitchen. And, odds are, you still have some of that flour you bought in bulk last year. Wondering what to bake next?
Our friends at have gifted us the recipe for one of their most popular desserts. This epic Lemon Drizzle Cake is adorned with white chocolate ganache and a crunchy coconut-almond topping—it’s a little fancier than your average lockdown banana bread—so it’s ideal for flexing your culinary skills and impressing your bubble. Better yet, it comes together easily and deliciously in just about an hour. So what are you waiting for? Let’s dive in.
Ingredients
For the cake
For the ganache
For the crunch
Utensils
21cm x 11cm loaf tin, kitchen scales, electric beaters, small saucepan, medium frying pan
Method
Step One: Get prepped
Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Grease and line the loaf tin with baking paper. Set butter aside at room temperature to soften. Zest the lemons and juice (you should get about 1/4 cup juice).
Step Two: Make & bake the cake
In a large bowl, place the caster sugar and softened butter. Beat with electric beaters until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs and beat until smooth, 1-2 minutes. Using a spoon, fold in the self-raising flour, baking powder, salt, lemon zest and milk until just combined. Transfer the cake batter to the lined loaf tin. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until golden and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Tip: softened butter is easier to beat and helps your cake have a light texture!
Step Three: Make the ganache
While the cake is baking, place the white chocolate chips in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan, heat the long life cream over medium heat until just steaming, 1-2 minutes. Pour the cream over the chocolate, then stir until melted and combined. Refrigerate until thickened, 20-30 minutes.
Tip: you want the cream steaming but not boiling.
Step Four: Make the syrup
When the cake has 10 minutes of bake time remaining, wash out the saucepan. Add the lemon juice and the icing sugar to the pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar is dissolved and starting to simmer, 3-4 minutes.
Step Five: Syrup the cake
When the cake is finished baking and still hot, poke a few holes into the cake, then slowly pour the lemon syrup over the whole cake. Set aside to cool completely in the tin. Meanwhile, heat a medium frying pan over medium-high heat. Toast the slivered almonds until golden, 3-4 minutes. In a small bowl, combine the toasted almonds and shredded coconut.
Step Six: Serve up
Transfer the cake to a serving plate and spread with the ganache. Top with the coconut almond crunch. Slice and eat! Serves a group of 8 or more.
Tip: it tastes great served with lemon curd!
Need some more baking inspo? Try these moreish Whittaker's Hokey Pokey Crunch Biscuits.
Image credit: HelloFresh