Sicilian Whole Lemon Cake (Using an Entire Lemon: Peel, Juice and Pulp)

Sicilian whole lemon cake is a moist and delicious crowd-pleasing dessert. This flavorful cake uses an entire lemon, peel, juice and pulp, for an amazingly lemony result!  

Given the continuous rave reviews of my Sicilian whole orange cake, I now bring you, Sicilian whole lemon cake!

After making this cake several times, I’ve adjusted the sugar and made a few other changes to compensate for the difference in sweetness between oranges and lemons. However, please note that I wouldn’t recommend using any lemons but Meyer lemons to make this cake.

If you fortunate enough to have access to Meyer lemons, you may also want to try this recipe: the best lemon drop martini you’ll ever have!

You could also try making posset, an incredibly easy and rich dessert!

This isn’t a light cake, but a uniquely moist, flavorful,  and bit more dense type of cake. It has a big crumb and sticky glaze, and I’ve never heard anyone try it and not gush with compliments! If you like a sweeter cake, you may want to add a little more sugar as this isn’t overly sweet at all.

In case you want to buy the PaneAngeli baking powder, I’ve added a link below in the recipe ingredients. It looks like this~

Sicilian Whole Lemon Cake

adapted from my Sicilian Whole Orange cake                 makes one cake
FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW

NB: I use Meyer lemons which are much less sour than Eureka. I wouldn’t recommend making this cake if you don’t have a Meyer lemon as the rind on any other lemon is so much thicker and more bitter.

Make the Whole Lemon Cake

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C)

Prepare an 8″ springform pan by spraying with oil (or butter) and lining in parchment paper (sides optional, if you want really clean sides), then spray the paper, too.

Place the sugar and eggs in a large bowl and beat with a mixer until light and fluffy.

Sift the flour with the baking powder/PaneAngeli then add to the mixture in the bowl a little at a time along with the softened butter. Continue to mix until completely blended, then stir in the yogurt (and vanilla, if using).

In a food processor, process the whole lemon until it is almost pureed. It should look like this~

Add this lemon to the cake mixture and stir until evenly combined, then put the batter into the prepared tin.

Bake for 50-60 minutes (depending on your oven), but test with a cake tester or skewer to make sure the whole lemon cake is done before removing from the oven. Allow to cool for about 15 minutes, then remove the side of the springform pan.

Make the Lemon Glaze

Prepare the glaze by melting the sugar in the lemon juice and water, and allow to simmer for a few minutes, just until the liquid has a syrupy consistency. Spoon and brush over the top of the cake and allow to cool completely before cutting.

Yes, it’s hard to wait, but the moist lemon cake will cut more easily if it’s cool first. 

Garnish with a twist of lemon or a few lemon slices, or just serve plain. So good!

Enjoy with a cup of tea or glass of limoncello!

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Sicilian Whole Lemon Cake

Yield: 1 cake

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Additional Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes

A moist and dense cake make with an entire lemon.

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Ingredients

Cake

• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 c (300g) sugar
• 1 3/4 c (275g) all purpose flour
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder (or 1 packet Italian Pane Degli Angeli vanilla baking powder)
• 1/3 c (100g) butter, softened
• 1/3 c (100g) plain Greek yogurt
• 1 large organic Meyer lemon, about (300g), washed and cut into pieces (with the rind, but remove the seeds) 
• (if using baking powder, add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract)

Glaze

• 1 oz of lemon juice
• 1 oz water
• a little less than 3 Tbsp (35 grams) sugar

Instructions

Make the Whole Lemon Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C)
2. Prepare an 8″ springform pan by spraying with oil (or butter) and lining in parchment paper (sides optional, if you want really clean sides), then spray the paper, too.
3. Place the sugar and eggs in a large bowl and beat with a mixer until light and fluffy.
4. Sift the flour with the baking powder then add to the mixture in the bowl a little at a time along with the softened butter. Continue to mix until completely blended, then stir in the yogurt and the vanilla, if using.
5. In a food processor, process the whole lemon until it is almost pureed.
6. Add this lemon to the cake mixture and stir until evenly combined, then put the batter into the prepared tin.
7. Bake for 50-60 minutes (depending on your oven), but test with a cake tester or skewer to make sure the whole lemon cake is done before removing from the oven. Allow to cool for about 15 minutes, then remove the side of the springform pan.

Make the Lemon Glaze

1. Prepare the glaze by melting the sugar in the lemon juice and water, and allow to simmer for a few minutes, just until the liquid has a syrupy consistency. Spoon and brush over the top of the cake and allow to cool completely before cutting.
2. Yes, it’s hard to wait, but the moist lemon cake will cut more easily if it’s cool first. 
3. Garnish with a twist of lemon or a few lemon slices, or just serve plain.

Notes

NB: I use Meyer lemons which are much less sour than Eureka. I wouldn't recommend making this cake if you don't have a Meyer lemon as the rind on any other lemon is so much thicker and more bitter.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1 slice
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 90Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 47mgSodium: 122mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 1gSugar: 0gProtein: 4g

Nutrition info is estimated.

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