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
Has anyone tried making this in an Instapot? Seems like it might do well, but I’m an instapot novice. Thanks for any tips!
I made this cake for family for Easter so that those of us who have to eat gluten free would have a dessert. This cake was so popular that EVERYONE ate it. I’m now making two to take to our family Christmas Eve. Thank you!
This is the second year in a row I have made this for a Christmas Eve party. People love it. I top it with lemon scented whipped cream.
Hi! Just bought Meyer Lemons at Aldi. I love Nigella Lawson’s Lemon Polenta Cake and Clementine cake – which follows this method. Excited to see how this recipe turns out, especially the frosting.
Meyer lemons are so fantastic, I have a bag in the fridge right now. I love this cake, and personally think the frosting makes it extra special.
Can you use regular flour?
This cake is formulated with the nut flour Emily, and I have never tried it with regular flour, so I’m sorry I can’t say how that would work.
I’ve made this a few times and it’s always a hit. In fact I’m making one now for an event and my husband asked me to make an extra one to leave at home. I add whole fresh blackberries around the edge of the iced cake for an extra kick of flavor and color. So delicious
The blackberries sound like such a nice touch, I think I’ll try that when they come back in season.
Hi there, is the cake pale and flat when it comes out of the oven. Mine didn’t seem to rise much?
Thanks so much!
This cake should be pale and flat Mary, it’s got a moist dense texture, not like a regular cake mix cake. I hope you add the tangy frosting, that really makes it!
This looks fantastic. Going to make it this week.
Any chance I can reduce the sugar and still have it come out delicious??
Thank you for posting this!
The general rule of thumb for reducing sugar in baking is to reduce it gradually, so I would recommend reducing by 1/4 cup to start, J. Remember this cake is made with whole lemons, so it benefits from the 1 cup of sugar. For the frosting you can play around with less sugar for sure, maybe you can do a glaze instead of a frosting, for instance.
I am in the UK and haven’t seen Meyer lemons (it seems as if they are a hybrid fruit) except on US cookery sites. I used the juice and pulp of 2 (unwaxed) Sicilian lemons and 1/2 of one lemon’s peel and the juice, pulp and peel of one (unwaxed) Sicilian orange instead. I ended up with a scant cup of fruit puree. I cut the sugar to 3/4 cup and still found it a little sweet so I think you could do 1/2 cup if you didn’t want it too sweet. I was also missing 1/2 a cup of almond flour but the cake turned out very well and was well received. I served it with some greek yoghurt sweetened with a little icing sugar, vanilla and some of the remaining grated peel and grapefruit segments. It was lovely!
do you peel the Meyer Lemons?
No, this cake is made with the whole fruit Debby. Just remove the seeds!