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 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 makes one cake
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.
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
A moist and dense cake make with an entire lemon.
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
- 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 Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1 sliceAmount 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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I would love to make your Whole Lemon cake WITH A lemon martini on the side. I have made your whole orange cake and it was AMAZING! I belong to a group of women ( who all turned 70 last year) and we call ourselves ” The Lemon Drops” so Lemons have a special place in my heart as well as my taste buds. 🍋
If I had some MEYER LEMONS* this recipe would be bake, eat (MAYbe share) repeat!
If I had some Meyer lemons I would make this!!🥰
You may have some in your future! Good luck, Devra!
What a great cake. Easy preparation and wonderful result. The Meyer lemons at our store weighed just under 100 g each (5 lemons in a 1# bag), so I used 2 in the cake. I have only a 9″ springform so started checking at 35 minutes. Clean tester at 40 minutes, but my cake had a small crater in the center. Next time I’ll let it bake another few minutes, although it was baked through when we cut it. Glaze was good, too. Our coffee group gave it thumbs up.
Yay! Good to hear, April. I bet it fell when you checked it too early, try leaving it in for 40 minutes before checking next time. Please click on the 5th star in the recipe card if you have a chance, and thank you, thank you!
I was just wondering if (like your Sicilian Whole Orange Cake recipe) I would need to 1.5 X the recipe if I use a bundt pan for this Sicilian Whole LEMON Cake recipe?
I’m Sicilian and will be making the Whole Orange Cake (using a bundt tin) today and cannot wait!!
Thank you for sharing!!
Yes, it’s the same recipe, Mary Ann. You can also make just one recipe, and it will result in a smaller cake. Someone else just left a rave review of this cake, so I’m sure you’ll be pleased with both versions! Let me know! Thanks!
Since I loved your Whole Orange Cake I can’t wait to try this one! I particularly enjoyed the candied oranges on the other cake. Do you think candied lemons will go as well with this one or will it be too much?
Oh no, they’d be wonderful, but I would use Meyer lemons for the cake and the candied lemons. It will make a big difference in the final result. Hope you can find them!
Made this last night followed exactly but cake only rose about an 1″ and I can’t figure out why. Everyone loved it anyway but curious if anyone knows why. Very easy to make.
If the cake was fully cooked, it might have been okay? Did you use a 9″ pan? That could be why? Also, it doesn’t rise very high. Without seeing what you did and how it looks it’s really hard for me to say. Glad everyone loved it, Lois!
I made this by using regular lemons and froze it then thawed in microwave for 1 minute before puréeing it. It was perfect!!!