Lemon & Thyme Drizzle Traybake

This Lemon & Thyme Drizzle Traybake is a traditional British recipe with a twist. The fresh thyme leaves are delicious with the lemon – give it a try, you’ll love it!

A twist on a British classic

A lemon drizzle cake it a British institution. It is such a classic bake that most people have attempted to make it or have at least eaten it!

This Lemon & Thyme Drizzle Traybake is a twist on that delicious cake we all know and love. Most people have had a lemon drizzle cake so why not change things up slightly?

Thyme in a cake?!

You might be slightly surprised that this cake has time in it. Thyme and lemon are a match made in heaven and really compliment each other.

Don’t be put off thinking thyme is only used in savoury dishes. Think of it like mint that works well in sweet and savoury dishes.

The thyme offers a lovely subtle flavour that is delicious with the lemon without overpowering the cake.

Which Thyme is best to use?

In baking, I really do think you need to use fresh thyme. In cooking you can get away with using dried thyme as an alternative but I wouldn’t try this in baking.

You just need the thyme leaves which are easily removed from the stem. Don’t pick them off individually, run two fingers in a pinching motion in the opposite direction to the way they grow and they will slide off.

Which lemons should you use?

I recommend using unwaxed lemons in any recipes where it calls for the zest. The wax coating can affect the taste of the lemons which isn’t what you want.

Unwaxed lemons tend to be a little bit pricier, but I think you will notice a difference for the better.

Make sure you zest the lemons before you juice them. It is very hard to zest a lemon that has already been juiced!

Should I use margarine or butter?

When I am baking cakes that require the fat and sugar to be creamed, I tend to use margarine. 

This is because you can use it straight from the fridge and don’t have to wait for it to come up to room temperature like you do with butter.

I have been using margarine in my cakes for years now and I have never had any complaints about their texture or flavour. You can absolutely use butter if you prefer but make sure it is unsalted butter. 

Where’s the crisp sugar topping?

Simply put, I don’t like it so I changed it.

I don’t like the crunch of sugar. I know I might be odd but I just don’t like it. So instead I have made a lovely soft but sharp drizzle.

You will find this soft drizzle on a number of my cakes like my Gin & Lime Drizzle Cake and Blood Orange Drizzle Cake.

How many people will this cake serve?

The joy with traybakes is you can cut the pieces into whatever size you like. This makes them ideal when you are catering for a lot of people like at parties and holidays.

I tend to cut this lemon and thyme cake into 24 pieces which gives you fairly small pieces. But that doesn’t mean you have to limit yourself to one piece!

You can obviously cut the cake into larger pieces if you prefer a more substantial piece of cake.

How long will this cake keep for?

This lemon and thyme drizzle cake will keep for up to three days in an airtight container.

You could freeze the cake before you add the drizzle if you wanted to. Wrap it thoroughly and it will be good in the freezer for up to three months.

Make sure the cake is completely defrosted before you add the drizzle and serve.

other recipes you might like

• Lemon Cupcake with Lemon Curd Cream Cheese
• Three Layer Lemon Cake
• Double Orange Cake
• Gin & Lime Drizzle Cake
• Lemon Thumbprint Cookies

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