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–+ servings
whole lemon cake

Sicilian Whole Lemon Cake

Course Cakes & Pies
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Additional Time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings 12
Calories 240
Author adapted by Christina Conte
A moist and dense cake make with an entire lemon.

Equipment

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)
US Customary - Metric

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

Serving: 1 | Calories: 240kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 55mg | Sodium: 147mg | Potassium: 51mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 218IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 1mg
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