Moelleux au Citron is a french lemon cake and it means something like “soft lemon cake”. It is basically a modified version of a lemon loaf cake. It is an incredibly moist cake, very buttery with a nice crumb. Finished with some powdered sugar and a few fresh lemon slices on top…so good.
A typical lemon cake is dense, but doesn’t taste heavy. This is also the case for this french lemon cake. The batter is made quite quickly, however after baking the cake needs to cool slowly in the turned off oven, similar to a cheesecake.
For this recipe I did not use regular granulated sugar. Therefore, the cake is sugar free because I used xylitol instead of sugar. Xylitol is not calorie free but has less calories than sugar. Other than granulated sugar, xylitol does not increase your blood sugar.
Tools & Equipment
- 23cm/9-inch springform baking pan
- 2 small bowls
- Hand mixer or stand mixer with whisk attachment
- Lemon squeezer
- Medium bowl
- Parchment paper
- Sifter
- Silicone spatula
- Stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment
- Whisk
- Wire rack
Recipe Tips
Xylitol: I used xylitol for this lemon cake. It’s comparable to granulated sugar in terms of sweetness, but contains only about half the calories of sugar and has almost no effect on insulin levels. If you’d rather use regular sugar, you can just swap it out and use the same amount of sugar instead of xylitol.
Lemon Juice: I highly recommend using fresh lemon juice instead of bottled lemon juice, as the lemon flavor will be much more intense. Since you need lemon zest for the cake anyway, you can squeeze the lemons directly and take the juice. Depending on the size of your lemons, you will need 2-3 more lemons for this recipe.
Hand Mixer: If you don’t have a hand mixer, you can either beat the egg whites by hand until stiff or transfer the batter to another bowl and clean the bowl of your stand mixer to beat the egg whites.
Ingredients for Moelleux au Citron
Directions – How to Make Moelleux au Citron
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Line a 23cm/9-inch springform pan with parchment and lightly grease the sides. Melt the butter and let it cool again. Separate the eggs and beat the egg yolks and xylitol in the bowl of a stand mixer on high until light and fluffy, for about 2 minutes.
Add the melted, cooled butter and beat on high speed until well combined, for about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a silicone spatula. In a small bowl mix together flour, baking powder and lemon zest.
Add the flour mixture to the bowl with the sugar-butter mixture. Gradually add the lemon juice and mix everything on low speed until just combined, for about 1 minute.
Beat the egg whites and a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form, for about 2 minutes. Add the egg whites in 2 batches to the batter and gently fold in with a silicone spatula, keeping the volume as large as possible.
Pour the batter into the baking pan, smoothing the top. Bake for 18-20 minutes until the top is lightly golden. Insert a toothpick into the center of the cake to check if it is done. Turn off the oven, open the door a little and leave the cake in the oven for another 30 minutes to let it cool slowly.
Remove from the oven and let the cake cool completely on a wire rack. Run a sharp knife on the inside of the springform pan and release the cake from the pan. Dust the cake with powdered sugar and decorate with lemon slices.
Storing and Freezing Instructions
Storage: You can store the cake leftovers covered for up to 3 days at room temperature or up to 1 week in the fridge.
Freezing Instructions: You can freeze the cake in an airtight container for up to 3 months. When ready, let the cake thaw overnight in the fridge, bring it to room temperature and dust with powdered sugar again before serving.
My Summary for Moelleux au Citron
Difficulty: Simple.
Taste & Texture: This lemon cake tastes buttery, lemony, fresh and light. The crumb of the cake is soft and the inside is dense but smooth.If you are fan of lemon pound cakes, you will love this cake.
Time: Making the batter takes about 30 minutes and baking time is 18-20 minutes. The cake stays in the turned off oven for another 30 minutes, so that it can cool slowly. Then remove the cake from the oven and let it cool completely for about 1 hour.
More “FRUIT” Recipes
- Berry Meringue Cake
- Peach Swirl Cheesecake Bars
- Pineapple Upside Down Cake
- Raspberry Sugar Cookies
- Strawberry Charlotte Cake
