Lemon drizzle cake recipe is ready in less than 15 minutes - no oven needed
Baking a cake from scratch doesn't have to be complicated when you can use a microwave to cook it.
Quick and easy recipes can still be crowd-pleasers and don't have to contain many ingredients. If you are hankering for a zesty lemon drizzle cake but have little willpower to make one, this recipe is a perfect solution.
Complete with the same delicious, soft sponge base as an oven-baked cake; this lemon drizzle is infused with lemon zest and topped with a citrusy sugar glaze. The BBC recipe notes suggest cooking the cake in a microwave rather than the oven.
The recipe notes state: "This lemon cake is ready in less than 15 minutes and requires very little equipment. Baking doesn't get easier than this." With just five ingredients for the cake and icing, you likely already have everything you need at home.
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Microwaves cook cakes by using electromagnetic waves that are absorbed by water, sugar, and fat molecules in the batter. This causes them to vibrate and generate heat, which cooks the cake from the inside out.
The recipe served eight and has earned eight four-star ratings from BBC Food fans.
Microwave lemon drizzle cake recipe
Ingredients
110g/4oz butter softened, plus extra for greasing
110g/4oz self-raising flour
110g/4oz caster sugar
Two free-range eggs, lightly beaten
One lemon, zest only
For the lemon icing
100g/3½oz icing sugar
½ lemon, juice only
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Method
You will need a microwave-safe bowl for this recipe, preferably 20cm x 14cm. Grease the bowl with butter, then make a start on the cake mixture.
In a separate bowl, add the butter, flour and sugar. Rub the butter into the dry ingredients using your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
Add the lightly beaten eggs and lemon zest and beat with a fork until you have a smooth batter. Next, pour the cake mixture into the greased bowl and cover with cling film.
Place in the microwave and cook on the highest power for four minutes or until cooked. To test whether it is cooked, peel back the cling film, pierce the cake with a skewer, and remove it.
If the skewer comes away clean, then the cake is ready. Set the cake aside to cool, ideally on a wire rack.
For the lemon icing, combine the icing sugar and lemon juice in a bowl and mix well until smooth. The icing should be thin enough to run off the back of a spoon. If your lemon isn't very juicy, you may need to add a little water to the bowl.
To serve, place the cooled cake on a serving plate with the neatest side facing upwards. Drizzle over the lemon icing using a spoon and enjoy the cake on the same day it's made.
