This limoncello cake is delightfully simple and bursting with lemon flavor. A moist and soft citrus cake topped with a limoncello glaze, so good and perfect on warm summer days. Enjoy it for breakfast with your morning coffee, serve it with some tea as an afternoon treat or as dessert after dinner.
For even more flavor, poke small holes in the cake right after baking, while the cake is still hot, and drizzle limoncello all over the cake, so it can soak in completely while the cake cools.
What is Limoncello? Limoncello is popular Italian vibrant yellow, super lemony and sweet lemon liqueur. The alcohol percentage of limoncello sits around 30%.
Tools & Equipment
- 18cm/7-inch springform pan
- Fine mesh strainer
- Lemon squeezer
- Medium bowl
- Microplane
- Parchment paper
- Paring knife
- Pastry brush
- Silicone spatula
- Skewer
- Small bowl
- Stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment
- Whisk
- Wire rack
Recipe Tips
Limoncello: In case you don’t want to use limoncello because you prefer a non-alcoholic version, you can replace the limoncello with the same amount of freshly squeezed lemon juice. I find that fresh lemon juice makes a big difference in taste compared to bottled lemon juice.
Room Temperature Ingredients: This will help the batter to emulsify and properly come together for the best texture. So I always suggest taking the eggs and butter out of the fridge in time before starting the recipe.
The Glaze: You can change the ratio between the amount of powdered sugar and limonello/lemon juice depending on whether you like the glaze more solid or liquid. Add more powdered sugar for a solid glaze, or increase the amount of limoncello/lemon juice to make a more liquid glaze.
Directions – How to Make Limoncello Cake
Ingredients for Limoncello Cake
Make the Cake
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Grease an 18cm/7-inch springform pan and line with parchment. In the bowl of a stand mixer beat butter, sugar and salt on high speed until white and fluffy, for about 2 minutes.
Add eggs one at a time, beating on medium-high speed, for about 1 minute each. Zest the lemon, then cut in half and squeeze. Add zest and juice to the batter and mix on medium until combined, for about 30 seconds.
In a small bowl, mix flour with starch and baking powder and stir into batter alternately with 30ml limoncello.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top with a silicone spatula and bake on the middle rack for about 30-35 minutes.
Place on a wire rack and poke small holes in the cake with a skewer while the cake is hot. Use a pastry brush to spread the remaining limoncello all over the cake.
Let the cake cool completely on the wire rack.
Ingredients for Limoncello Glaze
Make the Glaze
Sift powdered sugar through a fine mesh strainer into a small bowl. Mix together limoncello with sifted powdered sugar to make a smooth glaze.
Spread the glaze over the cooled cake, garnish with some lemon zest and let it set.
Storing and Freezing Instructions
Storage: Keep leftover glazed cake well wrapped or under a cake dome at room temperature for up to 3 days. After that store the cake in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Freezing Instructions: You can freeze unglazed cake well wrapped in plastic for up to 3 months. Already glazed cake can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the fridge and bring to room temperature before serving.
My Summary for Limoncello Cake
Difficulty: Simple.
Taste & Texture: This limoncello cake tastes sweet and tangy, but the limoncello flavor is not too overpowering. The texture is soft and dense rather than light and airy. Nevertheless, this cake is not heavy.
Time: Making the batter takes about 30 minutes. Baking time is between 30-35 minutes. After baking, the cake needs to cool completely, which takes about 1 hour. Making the limoncello glaze takes 5 minutes.
More FRUITY Recipes
- Lemon Bars
- Lime Drizzle Bundt Cake
- Limoncello Tiramisu
- Spanish Almond Cake
- Strawberry Charlotte Cake
