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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!  

Sicilian whole lemon cake

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

Sicilian Whole Orange Cake
Sicilian Whole Orange 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.

Basket of freshly picked Meyer lemons
Meyer lemons

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!

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!

lemon ricotta pancakes side view

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.

Sicilian whole lemon cake

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).

overhead view of Meyer lemon cake

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

paneangeli italian yeast for cake

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).

Adding yogurt to Sicilian Orange Cake

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

chopped meyer lemons

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

whole lemon cake batter in 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.

whole lemon cake baked

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.

glazing the whole lemon cake

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

glazed whole lemon cake

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

whole lemon cake

Enjoy with a cup of tea or glass of limoncello!

whole lemon cake

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.

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 would recommend using a little more sugar if you don't have Meyer lemons.

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.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a review by clicking on the 5 stars above, in the purple header (a form will appear) or tag me on Instagram! 😍

More lemony bakes~

Almond and Lemon Easter Cake

Lemon Cheesecake Blueberry Swirl Bars

Creamy Lemon Bars

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131 Comments

  1. Do you think bowling the lemons will reduce the bitterness in other species of lemon? I know this is done in the sicillian orange cake and was surprise dit wasnt done here.

  2. Hi Christina
    I made your cake tonight and used normal lemons and a little extra sugar, but the cake has a bitter aftertaste. Is that normal?