Citrus drizzle cake

This is an upgrade to the regular 4/4/4/2 cake ratio I normally do. I added soured milk to the batter to create a more tender texture, and I have to say that I achieved what I set out to do. The sourness also adds to the citrus flavour of the cake, so it’s a win-win!

Why does soured milk create this tender, soft cake texture? Well, increasing the acidity of the milk therefore adds more acidity into the batter. The acid helps to break down gluten in the flour and helps starch retain more moisture, hence you end up with a moist, tender cake.

Ingredients

For the cake:

200g caster sugar

200g butter

200g plain flour

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

4 eggs

100ml milk

1 tsp white wine vinegar/lemon juice

Zest of 1 orange, 1 lemon and 1 lime (Use the fruit in the drizzle syrup and icing!)

For the drizzle syrup:

Juice of the zested fruit

50g caster sugar

For the glacé icing:

50g icing sugar

1 tsp lemon juice (or whatever citrus juice you have leftover)

Water

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 175C. Put the milk in a bowl and add the vinegar or lemon juice. Stir. Leave to curdle. 
2. Make the cake: Cream the butter and sugar together. Add in citrus zest and mix through.
3. Put flour and baking powder in one bowl and eggs in another. Beat the eggs.
4. Add a bit of the flour mixture into the sugar and butter. Follow with some of the eggs and some of the soured milk. Mix. Repeat until all the ingredients are mixed in and you have a smooth cake batter.
5. Bake in a lined loaf tin for 30-40 minutes or until it springs back to the touch or a skewer comes out clean.
6. Make the drizzle syrup: While the cake is baking, squeeze the juice from the zested fruit into a saucepan. Add in the sugar and mix into the liquid. Heat on low, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar – once you reach this point, take the syrup off the heat.
7. Take the cake out of the oven once baked and immediately poke holes in it with a skewer or a small knife. Pour over the drizzle syrup and sprinkle over some sugar for added crunch if you wish. Allow to cool.
8. For the glacé icing: Sieve the icing sugar into a medium bowl. Add in the lemon juice and a few drops of water. Stir. Keep adding more water until you have a runny but slightly thick texture. Now, drizzle the icing over the cake of your dreams.