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!
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
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 best results will come from Meyer lemons, although you can use Eureka or other more sour lemons by adding. a little more sugar.
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!
And my favorite pancakes: lemon ricotta pancakes!
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 (especially if using Eureka lemons) as this isn’t overly sweet at all.
If you’d like to make a full size bundt cake instead, use this Meyer lemon cake recipe for a full sized cake (with glaze or icing).
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 serves 12
FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW
NB: I use Meyer lemons which are much less sour than Eureka. I would recommend using a little more sugar if you don’t have Meyer lemons.
Ingredients
- eggs
- sugar
- flour
- Paneangeli (or baking powder)
- butter
- Greek yogurt
- lemon
- vanilla extract
Directions
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!
Sicilian Whole Lemon Cake
Special Equipment
- 1 cake tester optional
- 1 brush optional
Ingredients
Cake:
- 3 eggs
- 1 ½ cup sugar
- 1 ¾ cup all purpose flour
- 2 ½ tsp baking powder or 1 packet Italian Pane Degli Angeli vanilla baking powder
- ⅓ cup butter softened
- ⅓ cup Greek yogurt plain
- 1 Meyer lemon organic, washed and cut into pieces (with the rind, but remove the seeds)
- ½ tsp vanilla extract ONLY if using plain baking powder
Glaze:
- 1 oz lemon juice
- 1 oz water
- 2 ⅞ Tbsp sugar (a little less than 3 Tbsp)
Instructions
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 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.
- In a food processor, process the whole lemon until it is almost pureed.
- 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.
Notes
- NB: I use Meyer lemons which are much less sour than Eureka. I would recommend using a little more sugar if you don't have Meyer lemons.
Nutrition
More lemony bakes~
Lemon Cheesecake Blueberry Swirl Bars
Sign up for my free newsletter at the top of the page, and never miss a post!
Christina’s Cucina is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associate Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
Thanks so much for this great recipe. Meyer lemons are very hard to get where I live. I made this cake using a Eureka lemon. To get around the thick bitter peel issue I carefully sliced off the yellow skin with a knife. Then I sliced off the white coloured layer and threw it away. Popped the coloured skin and middle of the lemon into the blender and made as per your recipe. It is a little more work but the end result was really very good. I might make a slight adjustment to the sugar next time but it was still very good.
Now, that is creative thinking–good for you, Yvonne! Glad that worked and I want to thank you for sharing this method as others will read this and if they cannot source Meyer lemons, will have an alternative in using Eurekas. Glad you enjoyed it, and happy baking! CC
Tried the Lemon version yesterday and got it cooled off and frosted to have after dinner last night. Wonderful, hard choice between the Orange and Lemon, but I always lean more towards the Lemon.
As my husband loves frosting I made your orange cream cheese frosting and just changed everything to Lemon and used Limoncello- naturally! Spectacular cake. I love it both ways. With the glaze lower cals, but the frosting certainly elevates it. Notice that the cake in both versions take the full 60 mins, so my oven (which is new) must run cooler. Thanks again for your recipes. I have RA so have not been able to bake for awhile, so I’m enjoying “getting back on the horse” and making some of your recipes I’ve only drooled over 😊😋😘
Having made your Sicilian Whole Orange cake several times and loved it, I couldn’t wait to try the Lemon one!
It was wonderful! First time I had used or even tasted Meyer lemons and what a result!
Great recipe Christina!
Happy to hear it, Trudy, thank you! And so glad you now know about Meyer lemons! They are truly wonderful! :)
Hi Christina, I wrote you several days ago when my whole orange cake from your recipe was still in the oven. lol Let me tell you, it was every bit as good as it smelled. Your recipe has got to be one of the best I have ever tried ! Having run across this recipe for whole lemon cake, I cannot wait to try it ! Thank you very much for such wonderful recipes.
Not only are these wonderful recipes but, I have finally found use for left over orange & lemon pulps from my attempts at limoncella & orangecella. Thanks again.
Kind Regards,
Debbie O’Neill
I’m so happy, Deborah! Thank you so much for letting me know! I’m so pleased that you are enjoying my recipes, and hope you find even more to try! :) Christina
Jings – I still haven’t even managed to taste a Meyer lemon! It’s so frustrating – but can imagine with good quality organic lemons it will still be fabulous, Christina – and love how you’ve given us the idea to have a Lemon Drop Martini with it, really :-)
One day! Wish I could send you some!
I am so excited about this recipe because I adore your orange version. Meyer lemons are so delicious right now.
Absolutely agree! They are the most incredible lemons!
I really appreciate recipes that don’t waste anything. And this one looks particularly delicious. Lemons bring a bit of (metaphorical) sunshine into these rather dreary winter days and nights.