Citrus Streusel Drizzle Cake

It SNOWED!!! Finally it feels like December!! It better stay that way, warm weather this time of years saps a bit of my Christmas cheer! It's just not the same!

Speaking of Christmas cheer, we've had quite the Christmas Tree saga. We found a beautiful, lush, perfect noble fir for our Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving. Our very first real Christmas tree!

Unfortunately, it seems I never paid enough attention to Christmas tree care while growing up... so it dried out completely. When we realized it was dying, we went all out, pulled all the decorations off, cut a few inches off the end, and waited for it to recover...

It did not. Sigh. So what to do?? We COULD dig back through the closet and set up our fake tree... but the Geologist decided he had been too spoiled by the real tree. So we got a baby tree, and set it up on the counter!

I almost like it better.

Citrus Streusel Drizzle Cake (adapted from The English Kitchen)
Printable Recipe

1 cup self-raising flour
1/2 cup softened butter

heaping 1/2 cup caster/ultrafine sugar
2 heaped Tb of good quality lemon curd
2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla
zest of 1 lemon and 1 tsp orange zest
juice of 1/2 lemon

Streusel:

4 Tb granulated sugar
6 Tb flour
2 Tb cold butter
1 Tb orange zest, and zest from 1 lemon
1 TBS chopped candied ginger

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
the juice of 1/2 lemon, plus 1-2 Tb fresh-squeezed orange juice

Preheat the oven to 325. Butter/line a medium sized loaf pan. 

Put all of your streusel ingredients into a food processor. (Or mixer) Blitz until it clumps. Remove and set aside. Wipe out the processor/mixer. Add all of the cake ingredients and blitz for 2 minutes. 

Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan. Smooth over the top. Sprinkle with the streusel. (Easy, huh??)

Bake for 30 to 45 minutes until the cake is well risen and golden. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean. Allow to cool completely in the pan. Once it is cool, lift out onto a wire rack. Whisk the glaze ingredients together only adding enough juice to give you a drizzle-able consistency. Drizzle this over the top of the cake. Allow to set completely before serving.

Isn't it beautiful?? So easy, and fun to make, and just looks delicious!!

The icing is sweet and tart, the streusel is crunchy and bright, with the ginger bits adding warmth... I never thought, "Oh! There's some ginger!", it just warmed up all the flavors wonderfully.

I love all the spices of this time of year, but isn't it funny that we think of citrus as a summery flavor, when here in North America, they're actually best in winter?? It was time for some lemon around here!

The cake itself is light and fluffy, just moist enough, and sweetly lemony. You can taste both the lemon and orange flavors, and they make a great team! This is a positively delectable cake, and one of the yummiest things I've made in a while!

I wish I could have eaten it all myself, but I gave it to a neighbor. It's probably for the best. I might just have to make another one... It was truly scrumptious!

Shared at The Sunday Showcase, Make the Scene Monday and  On the Menu Monday