My mother is many things, including being a gifted cook, but she is decidedly not a baker. Her roll call of desserts has remained the same over 30 years: no-bake cheesecake, apple crisp (always made in collaboration with my dad), and lemon drizzle cake. The hotly requested cake was baked in a tube pan and, much like baklava, doused in a honey syrup the moment it came out of the wood-paneled oven.
Some recipes for lemon drizzle cake simply brush the cake with a mixture of sugar and lemon juice. This recipe takes wisdom from my mother’s version with a generous pour of bracingly sharp lemon syrup, which seeps into the tender cake. Then, inspired by another steadfast favorite—the iced lemon loaf from a certain chain of coffee shops—a pearlescent sheath of glaze crowns the top. It’s just the right balance of sweet and tart to make you go back for a second slice.