Lemon Drizzle Cake

This cake has now become an old favourite, and I think, at last, it is about right. No recipe that I have seen has enough lemon. I shall ask you to be bold.
The easiest way to measure quantities for this recipe, and any other butter cake I believe, is simple. Weigh the eggs, preferably after shelling. Use the same weight of very soft unsalted butter, golden natural caster sugar, and whichever flour you have chosen. I make two at a time because it is just as easy as one and they always get eaten. Let’s get on. You will need….
An electric hand held beater, and a good one – there is a lot of rubbish about. Mine is a very old Krupps; I have bought several others since and ditched them all. A big mixing bowl – say 12” plus across. An electronic scale – cheap – mine was less than £10 in a supermarket. Several smaller mixing bowls. 2 x 1lb loaf tins – I use silicon now, which don’t need lining with greaseproof paper. A big silicon spatula – catering size is best. Cooling racks – not essential but helpful. A microplane – a very sharp grater on a stick – incredibly useful.
For two loaf tins:
4 eggs, shelled, threads removed as best you can, weighed
Their weight in very very soft unsalted butter
The same in Golden Caster sugar – we use Billingtons – white ordinary is OK but this is better
The same in self-raising flour
A teaspoon of baking powder
4 lemons
A good tablespoon of any cream, Greek yoghurt, or even full cream milk – in that order of preference
A 300gm packet of dried cranberries – optional

Heat the oven to 170c fan.
Sift the flour and baking powder through a sieve into a bowl to mix, remove lumps and aerate.
Beat the sugar into the softened butter very thoroughly. You are trying to beat in some air. Recipes say till light and fluffy. I’m not sure that I have ever achieved that and my cake is quite dense. Comments would be helpful!
With a Microplane, grate the zest off four unwaxed lemons into the butter and sugar.
One at a time, beat in the eggs, alternating with a tablespoon of flour after each egg.
Fold in the rest of the flour with the spatula, and do the same with the cream or yoghurt.
Spoon the mixture into the cake tins, bang them to get it to settle and push around a bit with the spatula till fairly even. It will sort itself out in the oven.
Bake for about 35 minutes until the top feels firm and sponge-like, and a skewer comes out hot and clean.
While it is in the oven, squeeze the juice from the four lemons and mix with about 108gms granulated sugar.
Leaving the cakes in their tins, and while still hot, spear all over with a skewer and pour the lemon juice and sugar all over to soak in. Leave to cool – overnight is fine. Turn out and serve. They won’t look much but seem pretty popular nonetheless!