From Capri - Lemon Cake
May 8, 2012 
Continuing on with my recipes inspired from our trip to Italy is this lemon cake. While we were on Capri, I had breakfast one morning that was just a simple piece of lemon cake, a fresh orange and a cappuccino. It was just such a perfect breakfast in a place where there were either lemon groves or orange trees everywhere you looked. I bought a nice little ceramic lemon juicer on the island and knew right then and there that I would make a lemon cake for the blog when I got back.
my breakfast on Capri.
This is a really easy lemon cake, with no glazes and no whipping or folding. I wanted a cake that wasn't overly sweet, so I didn't do a lemon glaze and I added a little almond flour because I like the taste.
I always cut parchment paper circles to fit into my cake pans when I bake. After years of hit or miss when it came to getting cakes out of their pans, I was tired of it and now I just do it every time. It seems that no matter how well you prepare your pan, sometimes the cake just doesn't fall out very well. If you cut a parchment paper circle, your cake comes out perfectly every time. It's worth doing and very easy - I show you how in the photos in the post. Make sure to brush a little butter on your pan first, so the paper sticks to the pan. Then just brush butter all over the paper and up the sides of the pan and dust with flour.
my juicer from Capri - a fun little reminder of the island
Make sure your cake is completely cooled before adding your powdered sugar. This cake will last several days but you may have to add a little more powdered sugar on the top, if you like, each day.
This cake is great in the morning with coffee, but it's awfully good also after dinner with a little limoncello!
Lemon Cake
for a printable recipe click here
Ingredients:
- about a tablespoon of butter and a little flour for dusting the cake pan
- 1/4 cup almond flour
- 1-1/4 cup cake flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 stick butter (1/2 cup), not unsalted
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 1/4 cup milk (I used whole, but you can use what you like)
- 1/4 cup powdered confectioner's sugar
Instructions:
Prepare your pan: Cut a parchment paper circle to fit the bottom of a 9-inch round cake pan. Melt the tablespoon of butter and brush a little of the bottom of your pan. Place the parchment paper on the bottom of your pan and then brush the rest of the butter all over the paper and the sides of the pan. Add a little flour and coat everything, the sides and bottom, shaking the pan til everything is well coated and then tap out the excess.
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Mix the flours and baking powder in a small bowl and set aside.
Cream butter and sugar together with a mixer until very white and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla, lemon zest and juice, and milk and blend. Add the flour mixture and beat until smooth.
Pour into prepared pan and bake for about 20-25 minutes, just until the middle is set. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Invert cake onto wire rack, with bottom side facing up. After cake is completely cooled, dust with powdered sugar.
Reader Comments (109)
This cake is divine!!! Baked it in a loaf tin today and was a bit worried about the texture after slicing it, but surprisingly the cake was not heavy at all. Fellow bakers:don't stress: it rises slowly, seems dense and maybe a little pale after 20min's in the oven...but it's all it is promised to be:)))
Hi Elaine,
Love making this cake, have made it several times. The sugar in the recipe is normal granulated sugar (most cakes here in Australia call for caster sugar). Love your website 😊
This cake did not last for several days because my husband and I ate it in 1 1/2 days, showing great restraint! I used Meyer Lemons (because we aren't in Italy) and I didn't have almond flour so I used 1 1/2 cups of cake flour and 1/4 tsp vanilla and 1/4 tsp almond extract. The texture is very moist, lemon flavor really comes through and it is easy to make. Did buy some almond flour and about to begin my second cake. Best recipe ever!
From The Italian Dish:
Jan: Thank you for sharing that! Glad you liked the cake.
I see where this recipe was posted in 2012. I just came across it. It sounds delicious. Can it be frozen?
Hi!! I am just discovering your beautiful blog! I would love to make this Lemon Capri cake but we have a huge nut allergy. I'm not a naturally great chef :) so I'm not sure how to substitute the almond flour. Do I just use regular flour in place of the almond or increase the cake flour by that amount?
Thanks so much for any help and can't wait to try it and so many more of your recipes!
Tammy
From The Italian Dish:
Tammy: I have never made this without the almond flour. If I were to try it, I would use 1-1/3 cups of flour and see how it turns out. Let me know if you do!
martak e3d3fd1842 https://www.geto.space/trinullobi
I love lemon anything and can’t wait to try this. (I’m also sad that I took an excursion to another island instead of the one to Capri on our cruise around Italy.) I bake cakes to raise money for an orphanage, and had pan grease recommended to me on one of my caker sites. (With an electric mixer blend 1 cup flour, 1 cup oil, and 1 stick Crisco. You store this covered in your pantry and use a basting brush to brush it into your pans, muffin tins, etc.). I can bake up to 10” layers that fall out of my pans perfectly with no paper circles. Sometimes a piece of fruit or chocolate chip that touches the bottom will stick, but your cake never will. Try it!