Lemon, lime and bitters drizzle cake

Lemon lime and bitters is such a great flavour combination and it works especially well with this twist on the classic lemon drizzle cake.

Credit: Danielle Abou Karam

• serves

  8

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  1 hour

• difficulty

  Mid

This recipe also works in a 24 cm bundt pan or you could make two 20 cm cakes for an impressive layer cake.

Ingredients

• 3 lemons
• 3 limes
• 330 g (1½ cups) caster sugar
• 225 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 tsp sea salt flakes, plus extra to scatter
• 2 tbsp Angostura bitters
• 4 eggs, at room temperature
• 350 g (2⅓ cups) self - raising flour
• 170 ml (⅔ cup) buttermilk or yoghurt
• 200 g icing sugar, sifted
• double cream, to serve

Resting time: 1 hour

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Grease a 23-cm round cake tin and line the base and side with baking paper, so that the baking paper comes 2-3 cm above the sides.
2. Zest 2 of the lemons and limes and place in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Add the sugar, butter, salt and 1 tablespoon of the bitters. Beat on medium-high speed for 3-4 minutes or until pale and fluffy.
3. Add the eggs, one at a time until well combined. Stop the mixer, add the flour and gently fold through the mixture with the buttermilk. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 1 hour or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the centre.
4. Zest the remaining lemon and lime and set aside. Juice all of the zested lemons, then combine the juice with the remaining tablespoon of bitters. Set 50 ml of this mixture aside for the icing.
5. While the cake is still warm, poke a few holes in it using a skewer, then pour in half the lemon lime bitters mixture to soak. Once the cake has cooled completely, invert onto a wire rack and pour over the other half. Cool completely.
6. Place the reserved 50 ml liquid and the icing sugar in a bowl until smooth. Drizzle over the cake, then scatter with a little flaked sea salt and the reserved zest. Serve with double cream.

 

Photography by Danielle Abou Karam.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

This recipe also works in a 24 cm bundt pan or you could make two 20 cm cakes for an impressive layer cake.