Meyer Lemon Almond Cake
A very easy, wonderfully bright Meyer lemon almond flour cake that bakes into a flavorful, incredibly moist cake that's just sweet enough. A lemon glaze provides a pretty topping and adds a bit of sweet to this cake made with whole lemons. Adapted from Claudia Roden's classic orange almond cake from her book "Everything Tastes Better Outdoors," as shared in the NY Times.
Servings 12 slices
Equipment
Ingredients
Meyer Lemon Almond Cake
- 500 grams Meyer lemons ** Weigh for accuracy. Can range from 3-5 lemons depending on size. After cooking and pureeing, you should have 450 mL (15 ounces) of Meyer lemon puree.
- 5 large eggs
- 200 grams granulated sugar
- 224 grams almond flour finely ground
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Lemon Glaze
- 120 grams powdered sugar sifted
- 22.5 to 30 mL lemon juice Meyer or standard lemon juice
Instructions
Meyer Lemon Almond Cake
- Wash lemons and place, whole and unpeeled, in pot. Add water just to cover lemons and simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour.500 grams Meyer lemons
- Remove lemons from water gently with a slotted or strainer spoon - they will be soft. It's ok if they've cracked a bit. Just drain as much water from the interior as possible. Place on a plate to cool.
- Once cooled, slice off any hard bits on stem end. Cut lemons in half and carefully remove seeds. Place the lemons (including peel) in a blender or food processor and puree.You will need 450 mL, or 15 ounces of lemon puree.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place a circle of parchment paper in the base of an 8 inch round cake pan with 3 inch tall sides. Grease the paper and sides of the pan. Use an 8 inch springform pan if you don't have a tall cake pan.
- Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Add the lemon puree and mix. Add sugar, almond flour and baking powder and mix until well combined. Since there is no gluten in the almond flour, there's no need to worry about over-mixing the batter.5 large eggs, 200 grams granulated sugar, 224 grams almond flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan, level the top with a spatula or knife, and bake in preheated oven for 50-55 minutes. When done, a knife or toothpick inserted in the middle will come out clean. The cake edges will begin to turn a golden brown, and will pull away from the pan.
- Cool the cake completely in the pan on a baking rack. Once cooled, gently invert onto a plate, remove parchment, and flip back onto a serving platter. If using a springform, simply remove the sides.
Lemon Glaze
- Sift the powdered sugar into a medium sized bowl. Add smaller amount of lemon juice and stir well. If needed, add additional lemon juice to achieve a pourable consistency.120 grams powdered sugar, 22.5 to 30 mL lemon juice
- Pour onto cake and spread with the back of a spoon. Nudge some of the glaze over the edge of the cake to create pretty drips. The glaze will set up after an hour or two. Decorate with thin lemon slices just before serving if desired.
Notes
- Meyer lemons vary in size, so I've based this recipe on weight.
- If possible, weigh your lemons at the store for accuracy. 500 grams (1.1 pounds) of Meyer lemons can range from 3 to 5 lemons depending on size.
- After cooking and pureeing, you should have 450 ML (15 ounces) of Meyer lemon puree.
- I have successfully made this recipe by cooking the lemons in my Instant Pot pressure cooker for 6 minutes on high pressure with natural release.
- If you want to make this cake but can't find Meyer lemons, I suggest a combination of standard lemons and mandarin oranges, for a total of 500 grams (1.1 pounds, 17.6 ounces) in weight.
- You could also use all oranges, which is how the original recipe by Claudia Roden is written.
- Readers have successfully baked this recipe with sugar substitute (Swerve) and coconut sugar at a 1:1 replacement ratio (1 cup, in this case).
- If you do use coconut sugar, I recommend running it through your food processor first to make finer grains similar to granulated sugar. Note that the coconut sugar will darken the color of the cake.
- Use an 8 inch springform pan if you don't have an 8 x 3 inch round cake pan.
- Feel free to omit the glaze. Alternatively, you can sprinkle the top of the cake with powdered sugar (just before serving, ideally.)
- Store this Meyer lemon almond flour cake, well covered, at room temperature for 2-3 days, or in the fridge for up to a week.
- You can also freeze leftover cake, well wrapped and sealed in an airtight container, for a month or two.
- If you plan to bake and freeze the entire cake in advance, hold off on applying the glaze until you defrost the cake.