Lemon Almond Cake

Not your typical cake, this one has almond cream swirled into a wonderful lemon batter. The result is moist, perfectly tight, and with a fantastic flavor! It's a beautiful recipe to make for a brunch table or just because you want a little sunshine in your day. It freezes very well so you can make it ahead.

Originally published in September 2013, this post has been updated with images and text to serve you best. I improved the recipe slightly to make it even better!

I can't write enough about how delicious this cake is. Lemon and almond might sound like a normally good pair, and in this cake they both shine.

It's a very simple cake but the almond flavor is given by frangipane, that fantastic cream that hails from French desserts, especially fruit tarts. Check out the Apricot Raspberry Frangipane Tart, a superb seasonal dessert.

This almond cream is swirled in the lemon batter and it all melds together during baking producing a crumb that is tender with a unique flavor. A showstopper.

Lemon might be one category we can all agree is a huge crowd-pleaser, right? Here at least, lemon always wins. Always. More so than chocolate, and I have some pretty awesome recipes in that category (Baileys Chocolate Cheesecake anyone?).

Ingredients

They are simple for the most part, because this is an easy lemon butter cake in essence. But here are a few comments about them.

• Lemons: only the zest is needed but don't you skimp on it, use 2 lemons so it has enough power to balance the sweetness of the almond cream.
• Almond cream: is very easy to make and keeps well for weeks in the refrigerator. It's an extra step but so worth it.
• Flavorings: the vanilla brings out the flavor of lemon and almonds. You can also add some pure almond extract if you want.

Easy steps

Take the time to read the recipe and have all ingredients and pan ready. This recipe is not complicated, but it's all in the details and different components.

Preparing the pan

This is an important step to make sure the cake is easily removed and doesn't stick to the pan.
Butter (soft not melted) thoroughly the pan and the flour, shaking off the excess. OR, spray with baking spray, the one that had flour. If it doesn't have flour in it, spray and then flour the pan, shaking off the excess.
And then refrigerate the pan while making the batter. This is the part that makes a difference.

Make the lemon batter

This is a large cake, so use a large bowl.
The butter needs to be at room temperature and very well creamed with the sugar. So use an electric handheld beater or a stand mixer. Add the sugar gradually and beat for several minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy. Then add eggs, one at a time, and then flavorings (lemon zest and vanilla).

Dry and wet ingredients

The dry ingredients need to be added in parts, alternating with the milk. This ensures that they integrate well. BUT, the mixture might look curdled before the final part of flour is added and that is fine. Make sure the batter is smooth and silky. And scrape the bottom with a spatula and bring it up to make sure there are no dry spots left.

First layer

Now comes the fun part. You have to add half the lemon batter to the pan, spread it smooth and drop small mounds of almond cream. Then swirl it lightly with the tip of a knife.

Second layer

Repeat the process by adding the rest of the batter on top of the swirl and spreading it carefully to cover it completely.

Last part

Add the rest of the almond cream, swirl it for the last time, and bake as directed. For me, it's 55 minutes in a large dark bundt pan. But start checking at about 45 minutes because all pans and ovens are different and it might take a few minutes more or less.

The glaze

Make sure the cake is completely cooled down before adding the glaze. I like to use limoncello (lemon liquor) because it adds a nice zing and the icing is crackly, but lemon juice works just as well. Both cut through some of the sweetness and that's a good thing.

Frequently asked questions

My top tips

• Ingredients: have them all measured and ready, as well as the mixer and bowl. This is a large cake recipe so plan for it.
• Pan: make sure you butter, flour, and refrigerate the pan so it's easy to remove the cake later. Also, this is a large cake, so don't use a smaller pan than specified. You can, however, make 2 loaf pans.
• Almond cream: if you make it ahead this recipe is way faster to make. And you have frangipane to use in other recipes.
• Glaze: thinner or thicker, that is always the question. I like it thinner for this cake and once I drizzle it, I let it drip and then scoop up the drips and drizzle them again. It created a sort of double layer of thin glaze that I love because it's crackly. A thicker glaze will make the cake sweeter. Simply use less liquid.
• Make ahead: you can freeze this cake for up to a month. Wrap in plastic and then in foil or a large Ziploc bag.
• Storing: it keeps well for a few days. Make sure you wrap it in plastic or put it under a cake dome. After 2 days I recommend you keep it refrigerated, well wrapped to prevent dryness.

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Let me know in the comments below if you made this recipe and loved it and if you had issues so we can troubleshoot together. I love to hear what you think, always. Thanks for being here. It's much appreciated.
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