It is a very small leap for me,  from tea to cake. And what sort of cake goes best with a cup of tea? Well, just about any to be frank, but my favourite is this gluten free lemon tea cake.

There is much to recommend about this recipe. Most importantly, its very quick and easy. Almost as important it's lactose and gluten free... otherwise I would not be able to eat it!

In a very short space of time and with very few ingredients you have alongside your cup of tea, a tender sponge with a sprightly lemon icing.

If you have need of such an accompaniment to your lovely cup of tea, proceed thusly:

Preliminary preparations

• Preheat the oven to 180C
• Line the base of a 20cm cake tin with paper and give the sides of the tin a quick spray of olive oil (if you can be bothered... I'm not sure this is strictly necessary.)

Gather the ingredients:

• 120g dairy free spread
• 120g soft brown sugar or raw caster sugar
• 150 g gluten free self raising flour (I choose White Wings brand if possible)
• 2 eggs ( I use the biggest I can find)
• finely grated zest of a lemon
• a splash (15ml) of soy milk or water

Method

• Place all of these ingredients in the mixer and mix on low for 30 seconds (to avoid the flour shower) and then on high for a minute or two until the batter is smooth and glossy.
• spread into the prepared tin and bake for 20-25 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.
• remove from the tin and cool completely on a wire rack

Icing

Mix 180g pure icing sugar with enough lemon juice (from the lemon you zested earlier)  to make a smooth icing of a soft dropping consistency.  Go slowly adding the juice, too much and it will be too drizzly, too little and you will have a hard time spreading it. If the consistency is right it spreads itself most obligingly over the top of the cake and stays there. Marvellous.

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