This is the ideal way to cap off an Italian meal! This dish, which is a favorite in my family, was created when we were attempting to figure out how to use our bottles of imported limoncello in a tasty dessert. It’s our grownup take on lemonade cake, which is always energizing and surprisingly guilt-free.
| Prep Time: | 15 mins |
| Cook Time: | 35 mins |
| Total Time: | 50 mins |
| Servings: | 8 |
| Yield: | 1 (8-inch) cake |
Ingredients
- cooking spray
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ cup canola oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- 1 cup sugar
- ¼ cup limoncello liqueur
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 pinch salt (Optional)
- ¾ cup confectioners’ sugar
- 3 tablespoons limoncello liqueur
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Prepare an 8-inch cake pan with cooking spray.
- Whisk together the yogurt, eggs, canola oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, and 4 tablespoons limoncello in a large bowl. In a separate large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gently stir the dry ingredients into the wet. Do not over mix or the cake will be tough. Pour batter into prepared pan.
- Bake in the preheated oven until top is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.
- Stir the powdered sugar and 3 tablespoons of limoncello together in a small bowl until smooth. Poke small holes all over the top of the still-warm cake with a fork or toothpick. Spoon the glaze over the cake and spread with the back of a spoon. The glaze will seep into the cake and add moisture.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 394 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 66 g |
| Cholesterol | 48 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Protein | 6 g |
| Saturated Fat | 1 g |
| Sodium | 211 mg |
| Sugars | 41 g |
| Fat | 11 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
You should always add a pinch of salt to anything sweet you’re baking, it balances the sweetness!!
I am absolutely in love with this cake! I made it for my Italian mother-in-law’s birthday/Mother’s Day, and she was overjoyed with it! It has the perfect hint of limoncello without being overly “boozy”. I did bake it in two 6 inch round pans, and layered it with a lemon-cream cheese frosting. The first time I made this cake, I found that the middles sank while baking. So on the second go-round, I used less leavening agent (only 1 tsp baking powder) and that fixed the problem. I baked the cakes at 325 degrees F, and they took about 43 minutes to bake. Also, the glaze will harden on the cake. Which is fine if you want a glazed cake–but that’s not what I was looking for. So I made limoncello simple syrup and brushed that over my cakes as well. I was ecstatic with how the cake came out–and the flavor is so beyond anything, it’s incredibly delicious! I will absolutely be making this cake again–thanks so much for the recipe!
Well? Hard to say! 35 minutes was not enough. Center was raw. Recipe didn’t say to take cake out of pan when semi cool before you poke holes. It wasnt a smooth cake inside. I was careful not to overmix but maybe I did. I dont know. Holes in cake showed so best to turn upside down n then poke and turn right side up again. Taste was nice!
Excellent recipe for my homemade Limoncello and lemon loaf pan. I substituted melted coconut oil for the oil in the recipe. The Limoncello was made with honey and lemons and lemon juice from our lemon tree which really gave it a great lemon flavor.
I make this ALL THE TIME!! And I shared this recipe with a Chef Friend of mine who used to run an Inn and make breakfast every day for folks. She would put this out as a tea snack 3 or 4 times a week! Super simple and absolutely delicious – even her Husband could throw it together! I tend to eyeball the limoncello 😉 I serve this with a Limoncello whipped cream (just replace the vanilla extract with limoncello!), and some times topped with fresh berries in season! Love this for an upscale, light and refreshing dessert after a heavy meal! FYI: I make these in mini spring form pans and freeze them. They freeze beautifully and the mini pans are 2 servings! Recipe makes 5 mini spring form pans. Just glaze as directed and freeze on a cookie sheet before bag sealing so they don’t get too squished! Bake time will vary based on your oven…I have to knock off 5 minutes and rotate the cookie sheet halfway thru (ghetto apartment oven!). Also, I have recently started making my own Limoncello, and there is a HUGE difference! Make sure you use a good quality Limoncello – not just the cheapest…the difference is night and day! I use the best organic lemons I can get and a top quality vodka to make my Limoncello – so delicious!! The only other change is I have switched to Greek Yogurt…I just love the texture and added tang! I use it in a lot of my baking.
DO NOT use an 8 inch cake pan. It will over flow. Bundt pan is a better choice. Otherwise easy recipe and good tasting.
Very dry, minimal flavor. I would not remake this again.
I agree with a few others in that the lemoncello didn’t add to flavor as much as I expected. Also, I forgot to put parchment paper on the bottom of the pan.
This was an enjoyable light and refreshing cake that I made for my son’s 21st Birthday . Not too sweet but with a subtle lemon flavor. The Limoncello was perfect to use in the batter and for the glaze. I will definitely make this again.
Very heavy. Like eating wallpaper paste.
Very heavy. Like eating wallpaper paste.
Love this cake
Made the recipe as written and I will definitely make it again. The cake was moist and very tasty.
I made one minor change to this, and I think it was worth it. After letting the cake cool some, I removed it from the pan and then poked holes in the top and poured the glaze over. It ran decoratively down the sides and was quite pretty. Otherwise I made it exactly as directed, and it is perfect as is.
I didn’t care for this cake. I was expecting something light and refreshing, but this cake was dense and dry. Flavor was just OK and would have preferred a stronger lemon taste. Would not make again.
I made this for a dinner party for lemon lovers and they really enjoyed it. Made it as the recipe stated with one exception. There is way too much batter for an 8 inch round pan. I had to use a 9 inch pad and the cake turned out perfect.
I thought it was good; husband didn’t care for it, but he’s not crazy about lemon, either. Will probably make again, especially for our family’s monthly birthday dinners. I didn’t alter anything.
I followed the recipe, and found the cake a little dry. But made the microwave lemon curd, and added fresh berried. The dessert was a hit.
WARNING- addictive.WOW!!!! We make this every week now and have it with coffee in the morning. Slice it in cubes and put it in our yogurt parfaits. Fast and easy and I know it by heart. THANK YOU for your wonderful contribution to humanity!!! We love this. ; )
This cake was the perfect ending to a wonderful Italian Christmas dinner. I made the recipe exactly with the exception that I increased everything by half to make this the perfect size to bake in a bundt pan. I baked it for the same time specified and it came out perfectly. I should have increased the glaze amount to accommodate the larger cake, but it was still absolutely delicious! It was the perfect balance of sweet/tart and I was careful to follow the direction of not over-mixing to ensure that it wouldn’t become too dense. It came out fine but I toy with the idea of making it again but separating the eggs and whipping the whites to fold in at the end to see if it will lighten even further. A definite keeper!
Fairly easy to make, Tastes very good, Mine turned out a little dense.