Lemon Drizzle Cake
Whether you're counting calories or following a diet plan like Weight Watchers, there's no need to miss out on cake with our slimming-friendly Lemon Drizzle Cake!
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NutritionPer Serving
- Calories73
- Carbs6g
- Protein5g
- Fat3g
- Saturates1g
- Sugars1g
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For the full list of ingredients and comprehensive instructions, please see the recipe card at the end of this post. Before you scroll, there’s important stuff to know in the blurb!
We’ve got loads of “loaf” cake recipes – why not try one of these too?
- Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips
- Chocolate and Beetroot Cake
- Chocolate and Orange Cake
- Banana Bread Pudding
What diets is this Lemon Drizzle Cake suitable for?
This recipe is suitable if you’re gluten free as long as you swap out the following ingredients for gluten free versions;
- Gluten free flour
You could also enjoy this Lemon Drizzle Cake if you’re dairy free.
Please make sure to double or triple check all of your ingredients if you’re cooking for people with allergies.
Do you need any special ingredients to make this Lemon Drizzle Cake?
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You can buy all of the ingredients for this recipe in a standard supermarket – there is nothing unusual in the recipe at all!
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‘Amazing taste for very few calories. Lovely with a cuppa or as a pudding with fat free yogurt and some berries.’
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You will need a small loaf tin to cook this in. You’ll be able to pick one up in most large supermarkets, or online from Amazon.
How many calories are in this Lemon Drizzle Cake?
There are 73 calories in each portion of our slimming friendly Lemon Drizzle Cake. This means it falls into our Everyday Light recipe category.
This recipe is perfect if you’re following a calorie controlled diet, and fits well with any one of the major diet plans such as Weight Watchers.
As a guide, an average man needs around 2,500kcal (10,500kJ) a day to maintain a healthy body weight. For an average woman, that figure is around 2,000kcal (8,400kJ) a day. Obviously, if your goal is to lose weight then you might want to adjust these slightly! You can read more about these recommendations on the NHS website.
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 180ºC and spray a 1lb loaf tin with Low Calorie Cooking Spray and line with baking parchment.
Step 2
Remove the zest from the lemons using a hand grater and separate the egg whites from the yolks.
Step 3
Mix together the flour, 2 1/2 tbsp of granulated sweetener, the lemon zest, juice of 1 lemon and 5 egg yolks.
Step 4
In another bowl whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks.
Step 5
Gently fold the egg whites into the flour and egg yolk mixture, until they are mixed evenly.
Step 6
Pour the mixture into the lined loaf tin.
Step 7
Bake for 25-30 minutes at 180ºC until golden brown or until the knife comes out clean. Don’t be tempted to check it before 25 minutes or the cake will sink!
Step 8
While the cake is cooking mix the remaining sweetener with the juice of the other lemon and heat on low in a sauce pan.
Step 9
When the cake is done (to check insert a knife and it should come out clean) remove it from the oven, turn the heat down to 100ºC then pour the lemon syrup over the top of the cake and put it back in for another 10 minutes.
Step 10
Leave to cool, and then cut into 8 equal slices.
Can you cook this Lemon Drizzle Cake another way?
This cake needs to be baked as per the instructions in the method below.
How do you know when this Lemon Drizzle Cake is cooked?
This Lemon Drizzle Cake is cooked when a skewer is pushed into the cake and is comes out clean. The cake should be golden brown.
This should take approx 25 minutes in the oven.
Standard advice here in the UK is to cook food until it has reached 70°C and stayed at that temperature for 2 minutes. This is to keep your family safe.
How long can you keep this Lemon Drizzle Cake for?
You should keep this Lemon Drizzle Cake in and airtight container.
It won’t last as long as normal cake because it doesn’t contain any fat, but it should keep for around 3 days.
Can I freeze Lemon Drizzle Cake?
Yes you can! This recipe can be frozen, but please remember to do the following;
- Freeze it as soon as it is cold enough.
- Use a container or bag that is suitable for freezing.
Don’t forget to add a label with what it is, and on what date you put it in the freezer!
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Lemon Drizzle Cake
Whether you’re counting calories or following a diet plan like Weight Watchers, there’s no need to miss out on cake with our slimming-friendly Lemon Drizzle Cake!
-
Prep Time
10 MINS
-
Cook Time
30 MINS
- KCals 73
- Carbs 6G
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC and spray a 1lb loaf tin with Low Calorie Cooking Spray and line with baking parchment.
- Remove the zest from the lemons using a hand grater and separate the egg whites from the yolks
- Mix together the flour, 2 1/2 tbsp of granulated sweetener, the lemon zest, juice of 1 lemon and 5 egg yolks
- In another bowl whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks
- Gently fold the egg whites into the flour and egg yolk mixture, until they are mixed evenly
- Pour the mixture into the lined loaf tin.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes at 180ºC until golden brown or until the knife comes out clean. Don't be tempted to check it before 25 minutes or the cake will sink!
- While the cake is cooking mix the remaining sweetener with the juice of the other lemon and heat on low in a sauce pan
- When the cake is done (to check insert a knife and it should come out clean) remove it from the oven, turn the heat down to 100ºC then pour the lemon syrup over the top of the cake and put it back in for another 10 minutes
- Leave to cool, and then cut into 8 equal slices
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45 comments
See what others have to say
Laura WoodsThursday 2nd June 2022
Just made this for jubilee party tomorrow fingers crossed its a royal success 🙌 😊
HollyMonday 6th June 2022
Hi Laura, hope you enjoyed the Lemon Drizzle Cake!
HeidiSunday 13th March 2022
Hi. What would the temperature be for a fan oven please? My cakes in the oven right now, but it seems to be cooking quite quickly. Already golden brown at 10 mins. I’ve turned the heat down slightly.
HollyMonday 14th March 2022
Hey Heidi, here at Pinch of Nom we use electric fan oven temperatures in all of our recipes so the temperature on the recipe is correct for fan ovens. We have an article HEREwhich talks through oven temperature conversion which you may find helpful!
EmmaThursday 24th September 2020
Mine came out like a flat lemony Yorkshire pudding 😂
HollyFriday 25th September 2020
Hi Emma, so sorry the Lemon Drizzle Cake didn’t go to plan! You need to be careful when folding all the ingredients together so that you don’t knock out any air and make sure you whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Also try not to open the oven door until the cooking time is up as it can deflate if you open it too soon. Hope that helps!
Lorrillie HirtschTuesday 7th July 2020
Can you put the mixture into muffin cups instead of a loaf?
LisaWednesday 8th July 2020
Hi Lorrille, yes you can, but you would need to reduce the cooking time accordingly. You might also find that as the cake is so low in fat, it may stick to the paper cases. Hope this helps
CaroleSaturday 30th May 2020
How would you adapt the recipe if using gluten free self raising flour
LisaTuesday 2nd June 2020
Hi Carole. Gluten free flour is often more absorbent than normal wheat flour, so you may have to add some extra liquid. As brands do vary, we suggest you have a look on the packet for any instructions specific to your brand. Hope this helps.
CaroleFriday 5th June 2020
Thank you
KatieWednesday 1st April 2020
Mine tasted like a Yorkshire pudding ? any idea why ?
Holly LevellWednesday 20th May 2020
Hi Katie, you could try a different sweetener? We use Sukrin 1 which is an all-natural granulated stevia sweetener alternative to sugar with zero calories. It also shares the exact same sweetness and weight to sugar but some sweeteners have a totally different ratio so you may need to use more or less to get the same results. Hope that helps!
Abigail BarwellSaturday 13th July 2019
Hi
I love this cake as it tastes good and is so simple to make. However I can never stop it from sinking any idea how I can stop that? Rises brilliantly I turn the heat off but but don’t open the oven and it still sinks.
Holly LevellWednesday 20th May 2020
Hi Abigail, you need to be really careful not to over mix the mixture when you fold in the flour and egg yolks. Try to be as gently as possible hope that helps!
OliveSunday 26th May 2019
Can I use sukrin flour?
Emma TMonday 3rd June 2019
Hi Olive,
We’ve not tested this with different flours – almond and coconut flours tend to be very absorbent so require more wet ingredients. We have lots of cake recipes which use different flours here:
https://pinchofnom.com/?s=cake
Hope that helps!
Alax OsborneMonday 6th May 2019
Hello! Love your website! Made this today and it hardly raised at all! Not sure what I did wrong? 🙁
Emma TThursday 20th June 2019
Hi Alax,
You need to be careful when folding all the ingredients together that you don’t knock out any air, make sure you whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks, and be sure to use self raising flour and not plain flour. Try not to open the oven door until the cooking time is up as it can deflate if opened too soon ????
JayneTuesday 12th March 2019
Hi Kate – doesn’t this recipe need baking powder? I baked the banana loaf with chocolate chips on Sunday (delicious!) which was a similar recipe – doesn’t it help it to rise?
SarahMonday 4th February 2019
Just made this. The texture is lovely. But it’s not very sweet. It’s quite savoury. I used sucralose granulated sweetener it’s fluffy like candarel. It just disappeared into the mixture. Is that my mistake? Should I be using more? Or something else?
Susan PolonisFriday 3rd May 2019
I’ve just made the lemon cake. But there was a think layer on the bottom of the cake what went wrong top tasted lovely
Emma TMonday 3rd June 2019
Hi Sarah,
You need to make sure that the cake is mixed thoroughly before baking. It can also help to turn it upside down to cool ????
NaomiTuesday 19th June 2018
Is this recipe for 1lb or 2lb loaf tin? Amazon prime delivering sukrin 1 tomorrow, Can’t wait to try this!
NaomiWednesday 20th June 2018
Hooray! That’s the only size I have.????
Tina DensleySunday 22nd April 2018
I have made lemon drizzle cake several times, this is the best recipe so far, it tastes lovely and no issues with consistency, etc. It looks exactly like the picture, however, if you do not whisk using an electric whisk, it does affect the consistency a lot, as it’s very dufficult to get the egg whites stiff enough by hand.
Emma BarkerSunday 11th March 2018
Do these need to go in the fridge? I’ve devided mine into muffin tins and added a little orange zest and juice too they’re springy and yummy but I’m worried with that much egg they need storing properly but then read post above about them going mouldy in a tub! Help!
LauraMonday 29th January 2018
Just wondering would you count this as a tweak given it needing 5 eggs?
Thanks in advance.
LindaFriday 19th January 2018
Lovely will do more ????
LindaFriday 19th January 2018
I am making it now 10 more minutes before I put the drizzle on and return to the oven looks good in the oven ????
Christina TindallSunday 2nd April 2023
Yea I’m making mine now plus 1 for Mum and 1 for a friend, 5 mins to go then drizzle over with made up syrup, can’t wait to try.
KieraThursday 18th January 2018
Hi, how many grams are in a table spoon of sukrin please?
Also i have canderal sugarly do you know if its same measurments of sukrin. Thanks
HelenWednesday 17th January 2018
I have just made this cake today and I didn’t like it, it’s very eggy did I do something wrong? But I did make the raspberry and white chocolate muffins and they are delicious ????
LuluTuesday 9th January 2018
I’ve made this today and had to whisk the egg white by hand. I’m not sure if I’ve done it right – I doesn’t really taste like a ‘cake’…
I’ll try again but buy an electric whisk I think ????
JeanWednesday 13th December 2017
Is it a small bread tin or large one plz
ChristineSunday 22nd October 2017
Made this today. I liked it husband didn’t.
I will make it again for me.
I ate it with some thawed frozen fruit and vanilla yogurt….lovely
Cathy wilsonTuesday 17th October 2017
Made this tonight for me and a friend she says it very eggy tasting!! And i never done it right as no margy or not enough flour whos right ? Should it taste eggy?
Rosalie LahorgueThursday 28th September 2017
Had it last night in class for McMillan nurses charity. We all raved about it …
HannahTuesday 28th March 2017
How do you ladies store this please? Last time I made it I stored in a tub and it started going mouldy after 2 days 🙁
KateFriday 31st March 2017
Hi Hannah
Generally, it doesn’t last that long in our house! You may want to try keeping it in the fridge, especially if your kitchen is on the warmer side
EmmaSunday 15th January 2017
The ingredients list 3 tbsp of sukrin but the instructions list 30g?
KateMonday 16th January 2017
Hi Emma,
Step 2 should be 2 and a half tbsp of Sukrin, as you need to reserve some for the drizzle. This has been changed in the instructions
Sarah DixonTuesday 5th July 2016
I made this cake full of optimism, however it came out rather soggy and very much like eggy bread? What did I do wrong? Im desperate to try the chocolate and orange one. Thank You 🙂
GlynnisSunday 5th June 2016
Sounds fantastic! Would it work with another type of artifical sweetener? I’ve got Hermesetas in the cupboard x
KaySunday 5th June 2016
Hi Glynnis – you might need to whizz it up in a food processor to make it nice and fine. Otherwise it might be a bit grainy.
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