A gluten free Meyer lemon cake made in the rich Sicilian tradition using the whole fruit and sweet almond flour for a fabulously bold lemon dessert.
When life gives you Meyer lemons…
My Meyer lemon cake is an ingredient driven recipe, meaning you keep it in the back of your mind so that when you happen upon gorgeous Meyer lemons, you know exactly what to do. The Sicilians have been making this type of cake with whole lemons (peel and all) and almond flour for centuries so you can trust the method, even if it seems a bit unconventional!
My Flourless Tangerine Cake was the inspiration here. There is no wheat flour in the recipe, just almond flour, so it has a moist dense texture and is naturally gluten free. And the flavor? It’s the essence of ‘lemony-ness’.
Table of contents
What you’ll need for a Meyer lemon cake
- Meyer lemons, preferably organic
- Meyer lemons are a hybrid citrus fruit thought to be a cross between a citron and a mandarin/pomelo. They have thinner skin, are less acidic, and have a sweeter more floral flavor than regular lemons. Because we are using the whole fruit, peel and all, it makes sense to buy organic.
- almond flour
- almond flour comes in several different forms, I like fine almond flour for baking.
- large eggs
- sugar
- baking powder
- lemon paste or extract
- I use lemon paste by Neisen-Massey. It’s a thick flavoring paste made from lemon oil. Look for labels that specify “pure” or “natural” flavor extracts for authentic citrus taste. I find that a good quality lemon extract or paste does make a difference in this cake, but you can leave it out if you like.
Why do you need Meyer lemons for this recipe?
This recipe uses the whole fruit, peel and all, in the cake batter. Meyer lemons have thin peels, are sweeter in flavor and less acidic than regular lemons, so you can use the whole thing without ending up without any bitterness in your cake.
Where to buy Meyer lemons
Meyer lemons are in peak season from December to March, so look for them in larger supermarkets, Whole Foods, Costco, and Trader Joe’s, for starters. If you don’t see them, ask your friendly produce manager!
You can always order them online, too.
Whole lemon cake method
- Wash, cut and de-seed your Meyer lemons.
- Puree in a blender or food processor until smooth.
- Beat eggs and sugar until pale and creamy.
- Blend in lemon puree, extract, and baking powder.
- Fold in almond flour.
- Bake.
Meyer lemon cake FAQs
Why do I need to buy organic lemons for this cake?
- We’re using the whole fruit, peel and all, so choosing organic lemons minimizes your exposure to potentially harmful chemicals.
What’s the point of using whole lemons in this cake?
- Using the whole Meyer lemons gives a different, more intense lemon flavor to this cake. The thick fruit puree also creates a very moist dense texture that’s super appealing.
Why can’t I just use regular lemons for this cake?
- You could, especially if you choose thin skinned fruit and trim off the ends to reduce some of the excess peel. Regular lemons will give a more bitter flavor to this cake, so it depends on your preference. Bottom line: Meyer lemons make the best tasting cake.
How else can I garnish this cake?
- You can drizzle or frost with a simple lemon juice/powdered sugar glaze.
- You can also serve with whipped cream.
- It would be lovely topped with raspberries, blueberries, or blackberries.
- Use my easy lace stencil technique, here, to decorate the surface for a beautiful presentation.
What to expect from this cake
This moist and super lemony whole lemon cake is a tried and true recipe rooted in an Italian baking tradition that goes back generations. The lemon puree + almond flour give the cake a loose crumb texture that I love.
Using whole lemons with their peel gives the cake a slightly different flavor than you might be used to. If you’ve had marmalade you know the pleasant bitterness that citrus peel imparts.
Using sweet mellow Meyer lemons makes this cake bright and delicious, I highly recommend!
Featured comment:
“I made this and brought it to a dinner party and it was a huge hit! This will be my go to recipe when I want to impress people from now on. So delicious and pretty!” ~Meg
Meyer Lemon Cake
Equipment
- 9 inch springform pan
Ingredients
- 3-4 Meyer lemons, or approximately 12 oz, to yield 1 cup of whole lemon puree
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 cups almond flour. I use fine almond flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp lemon paste
topping
- confectioner's sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Butter your 9 inch springform pan and dust with almond flour.
- Wash and cut the lemons into quarters. Remove any seeds and discard.
- Once you have removed all the seeds, put everything into a high speed blender or food processor. Process until finely pureed. You may need to pulse the machine at first, and scrape down the sides as necessary to get everything smooth. Measure out 1 cup of puree for this recipe.
- Beat the eggs and the sugar until pale in color. Blend in the lemon puree, the lemon extract and the baking powder.
- Fold in the almond meal and mix until well combined.
- Turn the batter into your prepared pan. Smooth out the surface so it is even.
- Bake for about 45-50 minutes, just until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool on a rack for 10 minutes, then gently release the sides of the pan and remove the cake.
- Dust with powdered sugar and serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
Nutrition
My cake is in the oven right now, I can’t wait to see how it turns out! Using whole citrus is intriguing and I love the taste of Meyer lemons, so different than regular lemons. And I’m so jealous of all of you with Meyer lemon trees – wow!
I subbed Swerve (erithritol) and stevia (20 drops) for the sugar, and same for the frosting only the powdered version. When you use erithritol, which is less sweet than sugar, you should always add stevia or another sweetener to make up the difference. Combining sweeteners also negates some of the stranger aspects of the individual sweeteners, like the coolness of erithritol or the bitterness of stevia.
Also, I used 4 lemons and had some puree left over. I’m going to make coconut lemon popsicles with it using coconut milk. Yum!
I am all ready to make this yummy sounding cake, but I am doing it for 140 people. do you think I can do it in large rectangular pans? Would it effect the cooking time?
Honestly I’m not sure, Sheri. I think if you are making this cake for a large group of people your best bet is to make several cakes instead of trying to enlarge the recipe.
This cake sound delicious and an excellent use for the lemons on my tree. Would it be possible to bake it and then freeze it? If so, what is the best way to defrost it. Thank you.
I think it should freeze well, Deb. I would take it out, loosely cover it, and let it defrost on the counter.
Thank you. I am going to try it this week.
Oh, and I wouldn’t frost it before freezing, better do that at the last minute…
Would it be possible to use coconut flour? I read that almond meal isn’t very good for you–it slows down your metabolism and encourages inflammatory responses in the body!! If not, I’ll make it anyway 😛 I LOVE dense cakes!
Honestly I don’t know about using coconut flour, I know it’s extremely absorbent, so you may not need as much flour, and you may need to add more liquid. Sorry I can’t be more certain, I just don’t have a lot of experience with cakes and coconut flour, but please let me know if you do try it!
Baked the cake, spread a layer of lemon curd on it and then topped it with meringue. Came out fantastic. A lemon meringue cake.
Wow — I might have to try that and blog about it 🙂
It’s in the oven and I’m very excited! I was a bit confused on the lemons as I wasn’t sure if you meant 3 (12 ounces each) lemons or 3 lemons =12 ounces total. I happen to have very huge Meyer lemons on our tree each weighing 12 ounces or more and one was perfect. Just thought I’d throw this out there for the next person who may wonder as well. I’m also excited that this cake is gluten-free, dairy free, chicken egg free (I used duck eggs) as well as sugar-free. I used xylitol (made from hardwoods) and I put some in the blender with arrowroot powder to make powdered sugar. Thanks for sharing a great recipe!
I clarified it in the recipe, Cindy, thanks, it’s 12 oz total. I’d love to see your massive Meyer lemons, what a fabulous tree you must have! I hope the recipe turns out for you with your adjustments, let us know.
I love this cake but it has a bit of a bitter aftertaste. I used Erithritol in the cake which is only 70% as sweet as sugar so maybe that’s the reason. Or perhaps the rind of our big Meyer lemons is more bitter than the normal sized ones. I don’t know but it’s delicious nonetheless.
It’s been a while since I’ve made the cake, but I do remember that the flavor of whole citrus cakes is a little bit bitter, however that is supposed to be part of their charm. Substitutions can be tricky, so that could have had something to do with it. Meyers should be the least bitter of all, though, but I’ve never encountered ones as big as yours sound!
I made your cake. OMG. It’s SOOO good!!
Many thanks for putting it on Pinterest where I could find it. I’ll be doing that again one day!!
Thanks for letting me know, Amy, I appreciate it!
Amy, why does yours look “grainy” or beige in color and Sue’s looks dense, moist and a pure lemon color? Based on looks alone they look like different cakes. Not trying to insult just wondering what the difference might be.
Hi, OBXYAK:
I guess I should have explained that in the post. I just came back to read the recipe and found your comment, so I thought I should respond.
It’s simply the different almond flour I used. Most almond flour is made from skinned almonds, giving it the beige color, and Sue’s cake looks like a regular flour cake.
I don’t know where you are in the world, but if you’re near a Trader Joe’s, next time you go in, look for their almond flour, which is about $5 a bag (last time I bought some) versus $9 to $15 a bag, depending on where you buy it.
In Trader Joe’s almond flour, the almonds are ground as is, including the little brown skin on them. Less labor, less expensive. It’s still almond flour, but with the “whole grain” look to it. Since I’m also what you’d call “frugal,” I stock up on it when I go to Trader Joe’s. I haven’t noticed any difference in taste, only in appearance. That’s all it is.
I never thought you were being insulting, just curious. 🙂
The cake sounds delicious, however in my country we only have “green lemons” (I guess it is what you call limes. Do you think it will work with limes? Thanks!
I haven’t tried it with limes, Daniela, and I think that since limes are not only less juicy, but more bitter than lemons, you might not get a good result. I’m always up for a challenge though, so I support you if you want to give it a go — and report back, for sure!
Thanks for your response! I will try it this week and let you know if it is a winner!
Daniela,
Did you try this delicious looking cake with limes? I too was wondering if limes would work but, scared to try lol. What did you discover?
I haven’t tried it with limes, and I wonder if they might be too bitter, Kaz.
Anyone tried limes yet? I made the puree and added extra lime juice because it definitely came out drier than the lemon or tangerine puree. I’ll let you know how it comes out! I’m thinking I will add more sugar to balance the bitterness.
Just wondering if you have tried a sweetner other than confectioners sugar (we stay away from refined) for the glaze? I’ll use coconut sugar for the cake, but it doesn’t work real well in a glaze even if I whirl it in my food processor to be ‘powdered’. Perhaps honey & lemon?
Hmmm, not sure Kristi. As I recall the cake itself is not overly sweet, so to me the sweet lemony glaze was a big part of the experience. You could certainly try honey, it would just be a very different type of cake. let me know how it turns out!
I couldn’t love this recipe more, Sue. I WILL be making it over and over again, it’s heavenly!