The short answer: to make lemon syrup, simmer 200 g sugar and 120 ml water with the zest of 2 lemons for 5 minutes. Take it off the heat, stir in 120 ml fresh lemon juice and let it steep for 30 minutes. Strain it into a clean bottle and keep it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Lemon syrup is lemonade waiting for water. One spoon in a glass of sparkling water and you have a fresh lemon soda. Poured over a warm sponge, the same lemon syrup turns it into a drizzle cake. The trick is to cook the zest and keep the juice raw. Here is the recipe, the lemonade ratio, the cake method and how long it keeps.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Time | 15 minutes, plus 30 minutes to steep |
| You need | 3 to 4 lemons, 200 g sugar, 120 ml water |
| Makes | About 300 ml (1¼ cups) |
| Keeps | Up to 2 weeks in the fridge, 3 months frozen |
Ingredients
- 200 g (1 cup) granulated sugar
- 120 ml (½ cup) water
- Zest of 2 unwaxed lemons, peeled in wide strips
- 120 ml (½ cup) fresh lemon juice, from 3 to 4 lemons
Peel the zest with a vegetable peeler before you juice the lemons. Take only the yellow skin. The white pith under it is bitter, and a syrup holds that bitterness for its whole life. Roll each lemon hard on the counter before you cut it. It gives up more juice.
How to make lemon syrup
- Heat. Put the sugar, water and zest in a small pan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves.
- Simmer. Let it bubble gently for 5 minutes. The kitchen should smell of lemon peel.
- Add. Take the pan off the heat. Stir in the lemon juice. Raw juice keeps the syrup tasting fresh and sharp, not like boiled sweets.
- Steep. Cover the pan and leave it for 30 minutes.
- Strain. Pour it through a fine sieve into a clean glass bottle or jar. Press the zest lightly to get the last of the syrup.
- Chill. Let it cool, close the bottle and keep it in the fridge.
Lemonade from lemon syrup
Use 1 part syrup to 3 parts water. That is 50 ml of syrup topped up with 150 ml of cold still or sparkling water, over ice. Taste, then move toward 1 to 4 if you like it less sweet. For a full jug, mix 300 ml of syrup with 900 ml of water. Add lemon slices and mint just before you serve it.
Lemon syrup also sweetens iced tea in one stir. Try a spoon in a glass of cold brew tea, where sugar would only sink to the bottom.
How to soak a lemon drizzle cake
- Bake. Bake a plain lemon or vanilla loaf cake.
- Poke. While it is still warm in the tin, prick it all over with a skewer, right to the bottom.
- Pour. Spoon 80 to 100 ml of lemon syrup slowly over the top. Let each spoon sink in before you add the next.
- Cool. Leave the cake in the tin until cold. It soaks up the syrup as it cools.
For a crunchy top, stir 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar into the last of the syrup and spoon it on without letting it dissolve. It dries to a crisp white crust.
More ways to use it
- Brush it over a sponge before you fill and stack it.
- Pour it over a bowl of strawberries and leave for 10 minutes.
- Stir it into plain yoghurt with a little zest.
- Drizzle it over pancakes with fresh berries.
- Freeze it with water in ice-lolly moulds, 1 part syrup to 3 parts water.
For baking, you may want lemon flavour without the sugar. That is a job for lemon extract. If you want a plain base for other flavours, start with simple syrup.
How long lemon syrup keeps
- Fridge: in a clean, closed glass bottle, up to 2 weeks.
- Freezer: pour it into an ice-cube tray, freeze, then keep the cubes in a bag for up to 3 months. The cubes stay a little sticky. Thaw them in the fridge or drop them into hot water for a quick drink.
- Throw it out if it turns cloudy, grows mould or smells sour or fizzy.
Common mistakes
- Bitter syrup: pith on the zest. Peel thinner.
- Tastes like boiled sweets: the juice was boiled. Add it off the heat.
- Too thick to mix: it simmered too long. Stir in a spoon of hot water.
- Short life: a dirty bottle. Wash it in hot soapy water and rinse it well.
Questions
How do you make lemon syrup?
Simmer 200 g sugar, 120 ml water and the zest of 2 lemons for 5 minutes. Stir in 120 ml fresh lemon juice off the heat, steep for 30 minutes, strain and chill.
How long does homemade lemon syrup last?
Up to 2 weeks in a clean, closed bottle in the fridge, or up to 3 months frozen in an ice-cube tray. Throw it out if it turns cloudy or smells sour.
How much lemon syrup do I use for lemonade?
Use 1 part lemon syrup to 3 parts cold water, for example 50 ml of syrup with 150 ml of water. Use sparkling water for a lemon soda.
What is the difference between lemon syrup and lemon juice?
Lemon juice is sour and has no sugar. Lemon syrup is lemon juice and zest in a sugar syrup, so it is sweet, sharp and ready to mix.
Can I use bottled lemon juice?
You can, but the syrup will taste flatter. You still need fresh lemons for the zest, which gives most of the lemon scent.
