Ingredients

• 6 oz. butter
• 6 oz. caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• 6 oz. self-raising flour
• juice of 1 lemon, juiced
• about 4 oz. caster sugar, for the crusty top

Method

1. Butter a straight-sided tin, 10 by 7 inches.
2. Put the butter into a mixing bowl and cut it into small pieces. Stand the bowl in a warm place until the butter begins to melt and, when it is soft, stir in the sugar.
3. Beat the eggs together and stir them into the mixture with the flour.
4. Turn the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth over the surface.
5. Bake in a moderate oven, about Gas Mark 4 or 350 degrees, for about 40 minutes, when the surface should be soft, though set, and lightly golden.
6. Take the cake out of the oven and, while it is still hot, mix enough caster sugar with the lemon juice to make a thin paste. Spread this over the cake; the lemon juice sinks into the surface leaving the top crispy when it is cold.
7. Cut into 16 pieces.

Notes