Moist Lemon or Orange Loaf Cake

This Moist Lemon or Orange Loaf Cake is guaranteed delicious. 

Bake it as a Bundt or Loaf, you choose! 

Once you've tried this recipe, 

you are sure to make it time and time again. 

You will need a loaf tin 30cm x 12cm, and 8cm deep. (12 inch pan) 

OR a Bundt tin measuring 22cm / 9 inches
The batter will also fit in a 9 inch loaf pan.

Depending on how much your cake has risen and what size pan you have used, make up the whole recipe for the syrup, but be prepared you may only need half of it. The smaller your cake, the less syrup you will need.

Ingredients:
For the Cake Batter:
175 g softened butter
175 ml milk
290g white sugar
3 eggs (lightly beaten)
zest of 1 lemon (or 1 orange)
juice of 1 lemon (or 1/2 orange)
226g  Plain flour (sieved)
7.5ml baking powder
2.5ml salt

For the Syrup:
15ml white sugar (or less if you don't want it too sweet)
22.5ml warm water
zest of 1 lemon (or 1 orange)
juice of 1 lemon (or 1/2 orange)

Method:
Heat oven to 160C. Grease and line your baking tin.
Please note, if using a Bundt tin, be sure to grease it very well as it can be hard to get the cake out of such a shaped tin. 
Get all your ingredients ready, i.e zest and juice the lemon / orange, sieve the flour, and add the salt and baking powder to the flour etc.

Start with making the cake batter by creaming the butter and sugar until a pale light colour. 

Slowly add the beaten eggs to the mixer, on a low speed setting, a bit at a time. If the mixture starts to curdle or split, add a spoonful of your sieved flour, keep on adding the eggs, and a bit of flour if necessary, until all the eggs are added. 

Add half the milk with half of the flour, keeping the mixer on a slow speed. Once combined, add the lemon / orange juice, and zest, the rest of the milk and flour.

Transfer the cake mixture to the greased and lined loaf tin. Drop it from a 3 cm height onto the work surface to level it out, then place in the oven for 1hr and 20 minutes. 
Please note, if using a Bundt tin, cook time is 1 Hour 10 minutes.
Now make the syrup by adding all the ingredients to a small saucepan, (or use a bowl and microwave for 1 -2 minutes) heat through until the sugar is dissolved. Put aside.

When the cake is done, take it out of the oven and leave in the cake tin until cool. Using a skewer, prick holes all over the top of the cake, pushing the skewer through to the bottom of the cake. Gently pour the syrup mixture all over the surface of the cake, distributing evenly. The liquid will be quickly absorbed by the cake. The syrup will keep the cake moist and also give it a nice glossy shine, with sprinklings of zest on the top.  If you think there is too much syrup for your cake, don't use all of it. Often it will depend on the size of your cake, how much it has risen, what size loaf pan you have used. I used a large loaf pan, so needed all the syrup.

Allow to cool. Store in an airtight container. This cake is best eaten the following day, although it doesn't usually last that long!