Spring calls for bright colors, and it always inspires me to bring a ray of sunshine in my kitchen and creations. Perfect timing for the Lemon Drizzle cake!

I've done this recipe a lot of times, and shared with friends and colleagues. I'm sharing it here as well because I think it's a great solution to please different people and tastes. Note: I made this "lighter" because the original version contained more sugar and butter, but I prefer this way.

Ingredients

• 175 gr self raising gluten-free flour* OR 170 gr flour + 7 gr baking powder
• 150 gr softened butter
• 150 gr sugar
• 125 ml milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 lemon (zest)
• Powdered sugar to dust the surface

For the syrup:

• 100 gr icing sugar
• 50 ml lemon juice

1. Place the sugar and eggs in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer for 1-2 minutes. Add the butter piece by piece while whisking. Beat until it's soft and it turns into a light yellow-white color. 
2. Add the lemon zest, flour and milk and mix gently with a spatula. Use a squared tin (18 cm per side), grease it and place baking paper on top. 
3. Pour in the cake mix, even the top with the spatula and bake in pre-heated oven for 45 minutes at 180 °C. When the cake is ready remove it from the oven and place in a cooling rack for 20 minutes. Take a fork or a toothpick, and make a few holes on the surface.
4. In the meantime prepare the syrup: place the sugar and juice in a little skillet and warm up over low heat. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Use a spoon to evenly distribute the syrup on top of the cake.
5. Let it cool, dust with powdered sugar and enjoy!

TIPS: For the gluten-free flour mix I used 120 gr rice flour, 35 gr maizena and 20 gr tapioca starch. You can also try the same version with orange instead of lemon, it's great as well!

Have you tried it? Do you have any suggestions? Leave your comment!