Pre-heat the oven to 150C Fan/325F/Gas Mark 3 and grease and line a 2lb loaf tin
Mix together the butter or baking spread and caster sugar until light and fluffy, ideally using an electric mixer
Add the eggs and whisk in until smooth
Mix in the flour gently until fully combined, then mix in the lemon zest
Pour the mixture into the loaf tin and bake for an hour, or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean
While the cake is baking, juice the lemons that you zested for the cake. Mix the juice with the granulated sugar and set aside.
When the cake is done, but still warm, poke it all over with a thin skewer or cocktail stick. Brush or spoon the lemon and sugar mixture over it. Then leave the cake to cool fully in the tin
To make the icing, mix the lemon juice and icing sugar together and drizzle or pipe it over the cake. Then add the lemon zest on top if you like
Store in an airtight container in a cool place and eat within 3 days. Or you can freeze it for up to 3 months
Video
Notes
Make sure all your ingredients (particularly the butter and eggs) are at room temperature before you start baking.
If you want to make the cake with plain or all purpose flour you will need to add baking powder. The general advice is to add 2 teaspoons baking powder (a measuring teaspoons, not the kind you stir coffee with) per every 200g plain or all purpose flour.
Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales*. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons* and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.