I made Mary Berry’s lemon drizzle traybake cake recipe in honour of her 90th birthday and it was a triumph

I have to admit that I haven’t baked recently and whenever I don’t do something on a regular basis ( I don’t know whether you are the same) but I always approach the task with a bit of trepidation. Will I remember how to bake? Will I overbake it or underbake it? I have to remember however that I am not auditioning for the next series of The Great British Bake Off, but simply baking a cake or rather a traybake in my kitchen.

So, first things first, I began by looking at the ingredients for Mary Berry’s lemon drizzle traybake cake recipe. Whenever I make something, I always seem to be missing one or two ingredients. For the lemon drizzle traybake, Mary Berry’s recipe listed lemon verbena, but unfortunately I did not have that in my cupboard. I was also missing one other vital ingredient, unsalted butter.

I did have butter, but not unsalted so I had to pop to the shop and stock up on that before I got started. It was then time to get started and I was delighted to find out that I didn’t have to worry about adding different ingredients to various bowls. I could simply add all my ingredients to the magimix, and whizz away before pouring into a baking dish and putting it in the oven.

However, before adding to the baking dish, I of course cut out some baking paper, greased the dish and greased the paper with butter. Without further ado, let me present you with the recipe and instructions.

Ingredients

• 225g (8 oz) butter , softened
• 225g (8 oz) caster sugar
• 275g (10 oz) self-raising flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 4 eggs
• 4 tablespoons milk
• finely grated rind of 2 lemons
• Crunchy Topping
• 175g (6 oz) granulated sugar
• juice of 2 lemons

The instructions according to Mary Berry’s website are as follows:

Instructions

* “Cut a rectangle of non-stick baking parchment to fit the base and sides of a traybake tin or roasting tin, 30 x 23 x 4 cm (12 x 9 x 1 ½ inches). Grease the tin and then line with the paper, pushing it neatly into the corners of the tin. Pre-heat the oven to 160°C/325°F/Gas 3.

* “Measure all the ingredients for the traybake into a large bowl and beat well for about 2 minutes until well blended, an electric mixer is best for this but of course you can also beat by hand with a wooden spoon. Turn the mixture into the prepared tin, scraping the sides of the bowl with a plastic spatula to remove all of the mixture. Level the top gently with the back of the spatula.

* “Bake in the middle of the pre-heated oven for about 35-40 minutes or until the traybake springs back when pressed lightly with a finger in the centre and is beginning to shrink away from the sides of the tin.

* “Allow the traybake to cool in the tin for a few minutes then lift the traybake out of the tin still in the lining paper. Carefully remove the paper and put the traybake onto a wire rack placed over a tray (to catch drips of the topping).

* “To make the crunchy topping, mix the lemon juice and granulated sugar in a small bowl to give a runny consistency. Spoon this mixture evenly over the traybake whilst it is still just warm. Cut into squares when cold. “

Verdict: I was given a 9/10 by one member of the family, which is unheard of. I myself would give it the same as the sponge was light and delicious.

There is an obvious reason why Mary Berry is seen as a national treasure, and I salute her on her 90th birthday!