An easy and moist golden syrup cake with a sweet sticky glaze.
It’s a simple and comforting loaf cake recipe that's made with pantry staple ingredients, making it the perfect go-to recipe when you want to whip up something sweet and satisfying in no time. The golden syrup in this cake provides a rich, caramel-like flavour and a moist, tender crumb.
Delicious as a mid-afternoon pick-me-up, or after-school snack for the kids! You can even serve it as a dessert with homemade honeycomb ice cream.
👩🍳 Love loaf cakes? Try my marzipan loaf cake too!
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✔️ Why should you try it?
- Easy to make.
- Freezer-friendly.
- Uses pantry staples.
- Perfect with a cup of tea or glass of milk
🥘 Ingredients
- Golden Syrup - the star ingredient in this loaf cake, bringing a delicious caramel sweetness to the cake.
- Butter - unsalted butter is best for this syrup loaf cake.
- Caster Sugar - or alternatively light brown sugar could be used, which would give the cake a darker colour.
- Egg - 1 large egg is needed for the recipe. I like to use organic free-range eggs.
- Milk - whole milk gives a lovely richness but if you're watching the calories then semi-skimmed can be used instead.
- Self Raising Flour - helps the loaf cake rise. Alternatively, you could use plain flour with baking powder mixed in. You would need 3 teaspoon of baking powder for 200g of self-raising flour.
- Lemon Zest - gives the cake a lovely citrus zing.
🔪 Instructions
The recipe card with ingredient quantities and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of the post
One: Place the golden syrup, butter and sugar in a large pan and melt on the hob.
Two: Take off the heat and leave to cool for a few minutes before adding in the egg and milk.
Three: Finally mix in the plain flour and lemon zest. Small lumps may form and you may find using a whisk helpful to make the batter as smooth as possible.
Four: Pour the cake batter into a 2lb loaf tin, lined with baking paper and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour in a preheated oven. Glaze whilst still warm with more golden syrup.
💭 Top tips
- Use a whisk to stir in the flour. It will help get rid of any small lumps and create a smooth batter.
- Run a dinner knife around the edge of the cake once you have removed it from the oven, but leave it in the loaf tin until it has completely cooled.
🍴 Serving suggestions
Slices of the syrup loaf cake can be served at room temperature with a cup of tea or a glass of milk. Alternatively, why not serve it warm out of the oven with homemade honeycomb ice cream or creamy custard for an easy but indulgent dessert?
📖 Variations
- Use orange zest instead of lemon zest.
- Light brown sugar can be used instead of caster sugar, which will result in a darker-coloured cake. Or why not use half caster sugar and half light brown sugar?
- Grate more lemon zest on top of the golden syrup glaze for an extra lemony flavour.
🥡 Storage
The cooked cake will keep in a sealed cake tin for up to 5 days. Alternatively, it can be wrapped in baking parchment and foil and frozen for up to 3 months.
❓ FAQS
Golden syrup is a golden-amber coloured, sweet syrup, which can only be produced commercially and was first created in London in the 1880s
Runny honey is the best substitute for golden syrup. Maple syrup would be too runny.
😋Related recipes
Some more loaf cakes to try;
- Lime and Coconut Loaf Cake
- Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
- Madeira Loaf Cake
- Lemon Blueberry Polenta Cake
- Lemon Curd Loaf Cake
- Creme Fraiche Banana Loaf Cake
- Apple Crumble Loaf Cake
- Apricot Tea Bread
- Snickers Cheesecake Loaf
🍽️ More family-friendly recipes
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Recipe
Golden Syrup Cake
Ingredients
- 200 g Golden Syrup
- 100 g Butter
- 100 g Caster Sugar
- 1 Egg
- 150 ml Milk
- 200 g Self Raising Flour
- 1 Lemon zest only
- 3 tablespoon Golden Syrup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160°c (140 fan/ 325F/ Gas 3) and line a 2lb loaf tin with baking parchment.
- Place the golden syrup, butter and caster sugar in a pan and melt on a low heat. Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly.200 g Golden Syrup, 100 g Butter, 100 g Caster Sugar
- In a small jug, whisk together the egg and milk and then beat it into the cooled syrup mixture.1 Egg, 150 ml Milk
- Now beat in the flour and lemon zest. You may want to use a whisk to make sure the batter is as smooth as possible (don't worry if a few small lumps remain).200 g Self Raising Flour, 1 Lemon
- Pour the batter into the tin and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour (until a skewer comes out clean). Immediately brush with the extra golden syrup and leave to cool.3 tablespoon Golden Syrup
Helen - Cooking with my kids
This looks delicous, I love the sound of the sticky glaze on top. I don't think it would last long in our house either!
Dannii
This was my favourite cake growing up, but we always bought it. I am definitely going to try baking it.
Louise
I tried this recipe after not being too impressed with another syrup cake recipe i had used in the past. I am so pleased I did because it is amazing and by far the nicest syrup cake we have had! We really loved the fluffy soft texture and depth of the syrup flavour. My children loved it with custard and it made a lovely surprise dessert for them today. It is so gorgeous on the day it was baked so i can't even imagine how much more incredible it will be after it has rested a day or so (it probably won't survive long enough to find out though!) I made the recipe as written except for using soft brown sugar instead of caster. It cooked perfectly in the time stated. Thank you for this amazing cake; i look forward to trying more of your recipes!
Beth Sachs
Hi Louise. So happy you loved the cake as much as we do!
Danielle Wolter
What a beautiful loaf of bread! It sounds just divine and perfect to make for my trip to see family this week!
Heidy
I made this golden syrup cake the other night and it was a HUGE hit with the family. I will be saving this recipe to make again soon for our work potluck!
Have a wonderful day
Heidy
Linda Skidmore
I’ve made this twice now and it’s been so well received. For such a simple recipe the results are amazing with a lovely textured sponge, full of flavour and with the added bonus of keeping fresh for days. The second time I added sultanas and some chopped pecans on the top and served warm with your homemade honeycomb ice cream recipe …..absolutely amazing. Thank you so much.
Beth Sachs
Glad you enjoyed it Linda!
Jess
I love the idea of serving this warm with some ice cream. My kind of treat!
Beth
This looks so yummy and scrumptious! I can't wait to make this!
Katherine
Oh the absolute joys of golden syrup. How wonderful in this beautiful loaf cake.
Maria
Cake is one of our favorite! I want to try this as soon as I got home <3 looks delicious!!!
veenaazmanov
This Cake looks moist and delicious and best to go with my cup of Tea.
Tania | Fit Foodie Nutter
This is such a great British classic Beth! Baked it with my daughter and it turned out absolutely delicious! Thank you for a great recipe x
Soniya
This looks and sounds so delicious 👌 can't wait to try it!
Jenny Walters
Oh! Oh! Oh! I am making this gorgeous baby. It looks stickily lush! Thank you for sharing them with #CookBlogShare
Chloe Edges
This is going to be the next cake I make!
Lizzie
Simple to make and bake.
If it lasts long enough, it will be served at our village coffee morning.
The piece I nibbled was delicious.