*Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4.

• Grease and line a 900g loaf tin (21cm x 8cm ) with a strip of baking paper
• Peel the zest of half a lemon using a potato peeler, and cut into matchstick strips. Set aside for decoration. Finely grate the rest of the zest
• Make sure the margarine or butter is really soft but not melted (if not cut into cubes and leave for 5 minutes to soften or microwave for 20 seconds.
• Place in a mixing bowl with just 225g of the caster sugar, the eggs, grated lemon zest and the flour. Beat well with a wooden spoon until smooth, then spread in the cake tin.
• Bake for 55 minutes until golden brown and risen and the point of a knife , inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.
• Meanwhile place the remaining 75g caster sugar with the juice squeezed from the lemons into a small pan. Place over a medium low heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved, then bring to a boil for a couple of minutes. Add the strips of lemon peel too.
• Prick the warm cake all over with a skewer or fork then pour over the drizzle and leave to cool in the tin. Serve thinly sliced. The cake will keep for up to 5 days in a cake tin or can be frozen, either whole or cut into slices