Thursday, March 31, 2011

Limoncello Lemon Cake


Lemon throws a ray of brilliant sunshine into our lives.  Spring at its best, a dazzling lemon cake brightens up even the worst of days.

Using a dash of our freshly made Limoncello in the batter along with the zest of a lemon, Liv and her friend gobbled up the glazed slices as we made our way to their afternoon dance class.  With much of the fat replaced by yogurt I felt as though they were getting a treat I could feel good about.  For an adult version Limoncello is used in the sugar glaze as well as the cake, easily subbing out plain lemon juice and zest for the kids.

The smiles on the girl's faces flashed a bright spot into my somewhat dark day.  With comments of "like cake from Heaven", this bright Lemon Cake is dedicated to Monet (Anecdotes and Apple Cores), my friend Annie and their families.  Monet's sister, Pam, rose to heaven yesterday, joining her 13 year old son after a heart wrenching recent tragic auto accident.  In addition to Pam, my friend Annie lost her mother, Yoshi, to cancer on the same day.  Such painful events, yet we know the heavens shine a little brighter with their presence.

Bright with zesty lemon, this light and tender cake won't last long on your table.  One batch makes three smaller loaves or one large.  Topped with a sweet lemony glaze the cake is nearly irresistible!  Limoncello or lemon juice may be used interchangeably with equal heavenly success.



Limoncello Lemon Cake
adapted from Erika Kerekes

While the girls were extraordinarily pleased with their cake slightly warm (we rushed to glaze it!) I prefer the cake about 6 hours later.   My ever-growing teenage son ate an entire mini loaf in one sitting.  Moist and tender this cake is a ray of sunshine sent from heaven! 

2 eggs
1 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
zest of 1 lemon
3 Tbs Limoncello (or lemon juice)
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Glaze
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 to 2 Tbs Limoncello or Lemon Juice (adjust as necessary)
1 tsp lemon zest

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.


In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, yogurt, sugar, oil, lemon zest and 3 Tbsp limoncello or lemon juice.  In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring just until incorporated, 15-20 stirs, being careful not to over mix.


Spray an 8.5 x 4.5-inch loaf pan (or alternatively 3 mini loaf pans, 5 3/4 x 3 inch) with cooking spray.  Pour the batter into the pan.  Bake about 40 minutes for the larger loaf pan or 30-35 minutes for the smaller loaf pans, or until a tester comes out clean and the top of the cake is golden. Cool the cake in the pan for about 5 minutes.  Remove from pans and continue cooling on a wire rack.


When the cake is cool, whisk the powdered sugar with 2 Tbs limoncello or lemon juice in a small bowl until smooth.  Drizzle the glaze over the cake.





73 comments:

  1. I had a dream about lemon cake the other night and woke up craving it so badly! Thanks for the recipe. Photos are beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  2. What an absolutely stunning lemon cake. I love the addition of Limoncello.
    How sweet of you to dedicate this cake to sweet Monet and your dear friend Annie. I'm so sorry for you loss.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Your lemon cake is gorgeous, and I like the the Limoncello. I just made a similar lemon strawberry bread. Lemon is wonderful, and so springy!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh Kim, that is one beautiful cake! I love lemon cakes like this, looks almost like a Lemon Pound Cake, which is right up my alley!!! Saved and Buzzed!

    ReplyDelete
  5. A lovely post and a nice tribute, I also lost an Uncle yesterday, a sad day indeed. Thank you for the delicious cheer up!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Kim-that is just so sweet to dedicate this gorgeous cake to Monet and your friend Annie. I love baking with limoncello! I love how you made your own:)Hope the rest of your week is lovely:)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Lovely post Kim. Monet is so special and our hearts are breaking for her now, and I am sorry to her about your friend's mom.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Kim, this was just a super sweet and thoughtful post! You did a great job on this cake and I'm sure Monet and Annie will appreciate the thought.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Kim, this cake is a ray of sunshine. I wish there was some way to understand these hard losses we are all feeling. Sorry about Annie's mom. Hoping you have a wonderful weekend.
    -Gina-

    ReplyDelete
  10. Kim, I am so sorry to hear about your friend's mom! And I was saddened to hear about Monet's sister yesterday. Our thoughts & prayers go out to them...

    This cake looks awesome! I love citrus! Thanks for sharing! :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Great recipe. I love lemon pound cake, so this is a must try for me. In the meantime stay strong and positive. Have a good weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  12. My Dad makes his own Limoncello so he would love it if I made him a cake using it! Lemon cake is also one of my all time favorite cakes for my (summer) birthday!

    ReplyDelete
  13. This looks delicious and light!

    ReplyDelete
  14. The limoncello addition is a great idea. It's like capturing a bit of summer sunshine in a cake.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Oh dear. I knew that the news wasn't good on Pan and I am heartbroken she is gone. My thoughts are with Monet and her family.
    Your cake looks delicious.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Kim that looks so gorgeous! I really just want to reach into the screen and grab a piece. I bet that is just so refreshing and I want to be Liv for a day so I get to have yummy treats like that!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Lemons - What a burst of sunshine! Your cake looks divine, Kim - And your photos are always beautiful...

    ReplyDelete
  18. Beautiful beautiful cake. A slice of this heavenly cake would bring a huge smile to my face!

    ReplyDelete
  19. This dessert is so bittersweet. Not only the flavors, but the lives that it is dedicated to. I'm so sorry for your friend Annie...and my heart breaks for Monet every time I think of her. Thanks for sharing this recipe with us. Have a lovely weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Sorry to hear about your friend's mam and Monet's further sad loss.

    On a brighter note, gorgeous cake - made with your lovely homemade limoncello?

    ReplyDelete
  21. My thoughts go out to Pan and Yoshi's families.

    ReplyDelete
  22. This cake is truly a beautiful ray of sunshine for a sad day! I was heartbroken to hear about Monet's sister and I'm sorry to hear about your friend's mom as well.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Kim, What a lovely post dedicated to Monet. I haven't been following her long, but she's certainly experienced more tragedy than anyone deserves. My heart is just breaking for her. I know that all her wonderful blogger friends and the posts dedicated to her have provided much comfort.

    ReplyDelete
  24. This looks so lemony and bright! Would it be bad to eat an entire loaf? For dinner, of course :)

    ReplyDelete
  25. Looks gorgeous! WHat a great way to start the season!

    ReplyDelete
  26. You had me at Limoncello.... yum!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Wow! This sounds so delicious! I am loving lemon right now, and limoncello makes this even more delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  28. Hi Kim

    Lemoncello always takes me back to Sorrento, what a great time that was....sigh....how I do love lemoncello, and your cake looks so very very good! I would love a piece of that right now, but I'll have to settle for a shot of lemoncello
    Chers
    Dennis

    ReplyDelete
  29. This is a beautiful cake and tribute to Monet. the cake is so bright and lemony, and there's the Limocello glaze. Bravo!

    ReplyDelete
  30. I love lemon cake! I have fond memories of my grandmother making a cake with lemon glaze. I will be trying this soon!

    ReplyDelete
  31. This looks awesome. I always asked my mom to make lemon cake for' my birthday but it was just from a box! I'm definitely going to make this! :)

    ReplyDelete
  32. Fantastic looking recipe! This can make anybody feel better :)

    ReplyDelete
  33. So sorry to hear about you and your friends losses... This cake is beautiful though and I'm sure it can brighten anyone's day!

    ReplyDelete
  34. Wonderful post, Kim... and that cake is beautiful.

    I was so saddened to hear about Monet's loss... my prayers are with her and her family.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Lemon cake spiked with lemoncello sounds amazing! And it was very sweet that you made this cake in honor of Monet. I am sure that she can feel the love and positive energy that went into making this dessert.

    ReplyDelete
  36. I really appreciate this post and your efforts to keep us apprised of Monet and her family - they are very much in my thoughts.

    Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  37. Lemon is one of those few flavors that always makes me smile. I think it's impossible to not think about warmth and sunshine when it's in a recipe. Your dedication of this cake is touching and perfect.

    ReplyDelete
  38. What a lovely cake dedicated to our lovely friend.

    ReplyDelete
  39. Yum, yum, yum! These are right up my alley! I can only imagine the sweet citrusy goodness. I love limoncello.

    ReplyDelete
  40. I think this could bring a smile to anyone's face!

    ReplyDelete
  41. Lemoncello in cake! YUM! This looks so moist and delish :) Great to find another SD food blogger!

    ReplyDelete
  42. Oh goodness, this looks delicious! Amazing pictures, too.

    ReplyDelete
  43. Beautiful pictures of this cake. Nothing hits the spot for me more than lemon cake...I have a ton of favorite desserts mind you...but lemon always tickles the taste buds.

    ReplyDelete
  44. thanks so much for sharing this recipe and story. saving the recipe to my online cookbook (http://cookmarked.com); thoughts are with you all.

    ReplyDelete
  45. OMG Kim. I am such a sucker for lemon. You have no idea how I am drooling over this right now. Definitely have it bookmarked. Oh, and you put a glaze on it too....I'm in heaven!

    ReplyDelete
  46. I love your recipe posts so far from what I've seen! They all look very good. I think I'll make this cake soon. I made your peanut butter surprise cookies and they were very good!

    ReplyDelete
  47. Lovely post :) This cake looks beautiful and perfect for Spring!

    ReplyDelete
  48. This looks amazing. I can't wait to try it in my mini loaf pans!

    ReplyDelete
  49. love this! someone left some limoncello here for me after a party, but I've never figured out what to do with it. thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  50. I have a bottle of limoncello with this recipe's name all over it. Wow that looks amazing. If it has Liv's seal of approval, I'm good to go. Many thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  51. Anything, and I mean anything, with limoncello is OK by me. This looks so good! And with homemade limoncello no less...

    ReplyDelete
  52. My heart goes out to Monet and your friend. :( I am so sorry for your friends loss as well. It's heartbreaking to lose a loved one even if we believe they are in a better place.

    I love this cake and I mean really love it! I need to get going on some limoncello...

    ReplyDelete
  53. I had an bottle unopened of lemoncello in the refrigeration since my last trip to Italy but I now I have a beautiful cake waiting for me in 40 minutes.

    Thank you

    ReplyDelete
  54. You're welcome!!! I'm so glad you liked it, thanks for the comment, you making the cake made my day!!!

    ReplyDelete
  55. Hi Kim! Thank you for coming to my site, which allowed me to find you! You have a wonderful blog here and I was totally missing it out. I was going through your website, and I'd LOVE to try this. I love lemon and your beautiful pictures just captured all my attention right now. I can't wait to try... very soon! And I normally don't bake at all...

    ReplyDelete
  56. lemon is my all time fav cake and i have almost 3 type of cake in my post with lemon in it :) This looks so delicious and moist !

    ReplyDelete
  57. Hi Kim. I found your recipe on Pinterest. I pinned it and within an hour over 40+ people had repinned it. Your pictures are lovely and make the cake look soo delicious! I made this today and it turned out soo good. I did have to make due with a couple different ingredients than you had, mostly the fresh lemons and lemon zest. I didn't want to wait until I went to the store to make it and used "real lemon" lemon juice. I also used Balkan style vanilla yogurt instead of Greek. I will definitely be making this again with real lemons and zest! Thanks for an amazing recipe. =)

    ~ Catie

    ReplyDelete
  58. I baked this earlier today and it was a hit. Thanks for sharing. I'll be baking it again this weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  59. I found your recipe on pinterest and it's in the oven now! Thank you! God bless you, your family and friends!

    ReplyDelete
  60. So glad you found it!! It's still a family favorite. Hope you enjoy as much as we did! Thank you for the blessings!

    ReplyDelete
  61. So glad you found it!! It's still a family favorite. Hope you enjoy as much as we did! Thank you for the blessings!

    ReplyDelete
  62. So glad you found it!! It's still a family favorite. Hope you enjoy as much as we did! Thank you for the blessings!

    ReplyDelete
  63. Hi Kim,
    This is an excellent recipe that I found in Pinterest. I put it on my blog, giving the link to here. Let me know if it is fine or not.

    ReplyDelete
  64. Hi! I found this recipe via plnterest and although I am a bit sceptical about recipes I find there, I gave this one a go. It turned out DELICIOUS!!! Thank you very much and I'm sure I'll be returning to your page soon!

    ReplyDelete
  65. Anonymous.... Yay!!!! Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know that it worked out. This one is indeed one of our all time favorite recipes. So glad you enjoyed!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  66. There is no way I would ever use canola at all. Eww. Olive oil is much better and healthier.

    ReplyDelete
  67. Looks amazing! And with peaches now in season, this is definitely something I must try!
    shopping online cheap websites

    ReplyDelete

Your comments make our hearts sing!