Lemon Loaf

Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Butter a 23.5x8x7cm (5 cup capacity) loaf tin and line with baking paper.
Cream the butter and caster sugar until light and fluffy. Add the grated lemon zest and the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.Sift the flour and baking powder and add, alternately with the milk, to the egg mixture.

Pour into the prepared loaf tin, tap lightly on the bench to settle the mixture and bake 50 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

Mix together the topping ingredients and drizzle over the loaf while it is still hot. Allow to cool before removing from the tin. Store in an airtight tin and serve in thick slices.

Tea Match: With this zesty, light loaf the lemon taste seems to fly above the other flavours. To complement this I have chosen a very light, high-grown Ceylon tea from the Nuwara Eliya region. Lover’s Leap is one of the best tea gardens in Sri Lanka, whose top elevations are often in the clouds. It is so named, because as legend has it, lovers would throw themselves from a cliff on the estate if they were jilted or not allowed to marry.

The natural citrus top notes go very well with the lemon, and this is great for a romantic afternoon!