This sweet and lemony pound cake is truly wonderful, and I hope you try it if you like limoncello liqueur. It has a dense but slightly spongy crumb with a golden brown top and a crackly glaze you'll want more of. It keeps well for several days and can be frozen.
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A unique cake
A simple title for a wonderful lemon cake with limoncello, the Italian lemon liqueur that's so popular and quite easy to make at home.
I took my favorite lemon pound cake and worked around it to incorporate limoncello while still maintaining the lemon flavor and characteristic crumb of this type of cakes.
Testing Notes
Alcohol can dry the cake batter, so you need other ingredients to balance it. Using oil and sour cream instead of butter makes the crumb stay moist despite the amount of liqueur used.
The crackly glaze is part of its appeal, and I highly recommend you don't skip it. I don't drench it in it because it might be too much for some people (remember the batter also has limoncello) as the liqueur hardly evaporates. But you can poke the cake before drizzling it, so it seeps into places, making it boozier. Or, simply apply a double drizzle to make it stand out more.
Step-by-step VIDEO
Ingredient Notes
Quantities are listed on the recipe card toward the end of this post. The Ingredients page has more details and lists the brands we use.
- Limoncello: Found in liquor stores, some supermarkets and online.
- Sour cream: regular, full-fat.
- Fresh lemons: freshly squeezed lemon juice is always recommended over bottled as the flavor is superior.
- All-purpose flour or cake flour: Both are excellent and give great results.
- Baking soda: Make sure it isn't expired.
- Powdered sugar: also called icing or confectioners' sugar.
Steps to make limoncello cake
Baking is all in the details.
- Mixing the batter: I use a large bowl and an electric mixer, and you can use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Make sure you don't overbeat it after the flour mixture is added.
- Loaf pan: prepare it beforehand.
- Preheated oven: it's crucial if you want the cake to bake and rise as it should.
One bowl mixture
Since this cake uses oil, you can beat the wet ingredients with the sugar together in a large mixing bowl until well integrated and smooth.
Sifting
The flour mixture has to be sifted to avoid impurities or clumped ingredients.
I have them measured and sift them directly over the batter, but you can sift them in another bowl first.
Paula's Tip
After incorporating flour into a cake batter, you don't want to develop gluten, as it will toughen the baked cake. So mix *just* until it's all well incorporated, but don't overbeat. Also, I like to end mixing with a silicone spatula to ensure the ingredients are fully integrated.
Fill the pan
Loaf pans should not be filled more than ¾ of their capacity to avoid overflowing and allow the cake to bake well.
You can line it with parchment paper or grease and flour it.
Bake
The final loaf cake will rise, crack (it's normal!), be dry on top and golden brown.
Don't overbake it! When you insert a cake tester or toothpick and it comes out clean, immediately remove it from the oven.
Clear lemon glaze
We use a powdered sugar glaze with limoncello that's thin and creates a crackly surface when it dries. It's gorgeous!
Make sure the cake is completely cooled down. Otherwise, the glaze will melt when you drizzle it and it'll be messy.
Kitchen Notes
- Organization: Read the recipe first and ensure you have the ingredients at the correct temperature, the utensils and equipment needed, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
- Baking time: Consider that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as possible, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer (like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend tracking how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
- Storing it: well wrapped, it keeps for three days at room temperature, a week in the fridge, and a month or more in the freezer. If freezing, I recommend slicing it first so you can thaw them as needed.
- Serving it: For a lemon dessert, serve a thick slice topped with sweetened whipped cream and fresh berries. Make a trifle with the same ingredients plus lemon curd, and layer them in individual glasses (like the creamy peach trifle recipe) or a large glass trifle bowl.
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Limoncello Cake (with Crackly Glaze)
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup sunflower or light olive oil
- ¼ cup limoncello
- 1 cup full-fat sour cream, at room temperature
- 3 tablespoons milk, at room temperature
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
For the glaze:
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons limoncello
Instructions
Make the lemon cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Grease and flour a 9x5 inch loaf pan and line it with parchment paper if you want to (see Notes below).
- In a medium bowl, sift together 2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder and ½ teaspoon salt.
- In a large bowl, whisk together 1 cup sugar, ½ cup sunflower or light olive oil, ¼ cup limoncello, 1 cup full-fat sour cream, 3 tablespoons milk, 2 eggs, 1 tablespoon lemon zest and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract.
- Add the wet ingredients in 2 parts to the dry ingredients and beat just unitl combined. Don't overbeat.
- Pour the lemon batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top if needed, and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 20 minutes, run a smooth-bladed knife around the edges to unstuck any parts if needed, and remove it from the pan onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the limoncello glaze:
- Whisk together ¾ cup powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons limoncello in a small bowl until smooth.
- Once the cake is cool, drizzle the glaze over the top and let it set before serving.
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