Limoncello Cake (with Crackly Glaze)
This sweet and boozy, lemony loaf cake has a dense but slightly spongy crumb, a golden brown top, and a crackly limoncello glaze you'll want more of. It keeps well for several days and can be frozen.
Servings 10 slices
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.
Notes
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 an 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.
