Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan) and grease and line a 900g (2lb) loaf tin with baking parchment.

In a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the softened butter and caster sugar together for 5-7 minutes. What works best for me is to keep going until the mixture is very pale, light, and fluffy. This step is vital for the cake's texture. For a deep dive into this technique, BBC Good Food has a great guide.

Add the lemon zest and mix it in briefly.

Lightly whisk the eggs in a separate jug. Add them to the butter mixture one at a time, beating well after each addition. If the mixture looks like it might be splitting, add a tablespoon of your measured flour with the last egg.

Sift the self-raising flour and baking powder into the bowl. Using a large metal spoon or spatula, gently fold the flour into the wet ingredients. Be careful not to overmix; stop as soon as you can't see any more flour streaks.

Gently fold in the milk or natural yoghurt to loosen the batter slightly. It should have a soft, dropping consistency.

Spoon the batter into your prepared loaf tin and level the surface with the back of a spoon.

Bake in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes. To check if it's cooked, insert a skewer into the centre of the cake – it should come out clean.

While the cake is baking, prepare the drizzle. Simply mix the granulated sugar and lemon juice together in a small bowl until the sugar is damp.

Once the cake is out of the oven, let it cool in the tin for 10 minutes. Then, while it's still warm, poke holes all over the top with a skewer. Slowly and evenly, pour the lemon drizzle over the cake, allowing it to soak into the sponge.

Leave the cake to cool completely in the tin before turning it out. The drizzle will set to a lovely, crisp finish.