A soft, rich lemon loaf that leans into both comfort and precision: butter, cream and ground almonds give it a dense, tender crumb, while white chocolate adds a quiet sweetness rather than dominance. The hibiscus sits in the background at first—slightly tart, faintly floral - then becomes more apparent once the cake is soaked with sharp lemon syrup and finished with a vivid glaze. It’s the kind of cake that improves with time; leave it overnight and the flavours settle into something more balanced, the citrus softening and the crumb becoming almost fudgy.
Recipe
Ingredients
Cake
110g butter
175g caster sugar
2 eggs
160g double cream
190g plain flour
30g ground almonds
5g baking powder
Zest of 1 lemon
80g white chocolate, chopped
1 tbsp finely chopped dried hibiscus flowers
Optional: 15g butter, for piping
Lemon Syrup
50g caster sugar
110g water
Zest of 1 lemon
Hibiscus Glaze
200g icing sugar
200g boiling water
10g dried hibiscus flowers
Method
Cream the butter and sugar together until light and smooth, then gradually add the beaten eggs, mixing well between each addition. Stir in the double cream.
Add the remaining cake ingredients and gently mix until just combined.
Grease and flour a loaf tin, then spoon in the batter and level the surface.
Pipe a thin strip of butter along the length of the batter to encourage an even split during baking (optional).
Bake at 160°C (fan) for 75 minutes, or until well risen and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
To make the syrup, heat the water and sugar until dissolved, then add the lemon zest.
Pierce small holes across the top of the warm cake and pour over the syrup, allowing it to soak in fully.
For the glaze, infuse the dried hibiscus flowers in boiling water for 10 minutes, then strain. Reserve the flowers if using for decoration.
Mix 3–4 tablespoons of the hibiscus infusion with the icing sugar to form a glaze, then pour over the cake.
Allow to rest before serving — the flavour improves the following day.
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