Shamelessly lifted from Mary Berry’s lemon drizzle traybake, just tipped into a loaf tin and given a lime accent: lime zest in the sponge, and a squeeze of lime in the drizzle alongside the lemons.

This is an all-in-one cake: everything into the bowl, beat for a couple of minutes, level it off and forget about it for an hour or so. The crunchy topping is what makes it Mary’s — more sugar than seems sensible, spooned over the warm loaf so it sets into a shell.

Ingredients

  • 2 lemons
  • 2 limes
  • 225 g softened butter or baking spread
  • 225 g caster sugar
  • 275 g self-raising flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 4 large eggs
  • 4 tbsp milk
  • 175 g granulated sugar

Cookware

  • 1 oven
  • 1 2lb loaf tin
  • 1 large bowl

Steps

  1. Preheat the oven to 160°c (150°c fan). Grease a 2lb loaf tin and line the base and sides with baking parchment.
  2. Grate the zest of lemons and limes, as finely as you can manage.
  3. Into a large bowl, measure the softened butter or baking spread, caster sugar, self-raising flour, baking powder, eggs, milk, and the grated zest.
  4. Beat for 2 minutes until everything is well blended, pale and smooth — but no longer, as the more this batter is worked, the more likely the cake is to sink in the middle.
  5. Spoon the batter into the tin and level the top with the back of a spoon, pushing it into the corners. Don't fill the tin more than about three-quarters full; any leftover batter bakes happily into a spare cupcake or two alongside for a few minutes less.
  6. Bake in the middle of the oven for 60-70 minutes, until the sides have shrunk away from the tin and the middle springs back when pressed gently. A skewer pushed into the centre should come out clean.
  7. Leave the loaf in the tin and make the drizzle while it is still warm: mix the granulated sugar with the juice of the zested lemons and one of the zested limes. Add the lime juice gradually to begin with — you want a runny mixture, not a watery one.
  8. Poke holes all over the warm loaf with a skewer, then spoon the drizzle slowly over the top, letting it find its way into the holes. Leave the loaf in the tin until completely cold, so the sugar sets into a crunchy shell.
  9. Lift the loaf out with the parchment and slice.

Keeps 2-3 days in an airtight container and freezes well wrapped in cling film.