Lemon Cake a delicious moist Italian Cake, and all you need is a tablespoon for measurement. Fast and Easy and so good. The perfect Breakfast, Snack or Dessert Cake Recipe.
Lemon Cake
Give me a tablespoon and I will give you a Cake! A delicious moist Lemon Cake at that.
I first tried this cake a little while ago at a friend’s house. To tell the truth it was delicious but a little on the sweet side for me. But that didn’t stop me from asking for the recipe. And as it turned out this was another one of those you-gotta-love “Italian Desserts”.
This Tablespoon Lemon Cake was along the same lines as my Easy Yogurt Cake that was given to me in yogurt cup measurements! But this cake is actually called Torta dei 12 Cucchiai / 12 Tablespoon Cake.
I actually remade this cake a few times until I got it right, or as the Italian declared now this is a Lemon Cake! And that was to bring a couple of ingredients down to 10 tablespoons instead of 12, and to add a little more of this and a little less of that. And that is why I call it the “Tablespoon Cake”.
How to make Lemon Cake
- Beat egg and sugar until light and fluffy
- add zest and juice, milk, oil and combine
- Add flour and baking powder and beat until smooth
- Pour into prepared cake or bundt pan and bake.
- Simple, Easy and so good! And all you need is a tablespoon!
Italian Lemon Cake
If you have noticed Italians are not big on lots of creams or frostings. A simple dusting of powder sugar is all that is needed on most desserts. Unless of course we are talking about Tiramisu. But again it is not an overly sweet dessert.
More Delicious Lemon Dessert Recipes
I have always been a lover of Lemons, from anything and everything Lemon flavoured to even the Lemon cologne. But not until I came to Italy did I ever see or have Lemon Trees. Yes it took us a good 20 years to get our tree to grow a Lemon, when everyone else was drowning in them.
Let me tell you it was worth the wait. Nothing like a fresh picked Lemon. I hope I don’t have to wait another 20 years for another one.
But back to the cake, so grab your tablespoon and let’s make a Lemon Cake. Enjoy!
Italian Lemon Cake a delicious moist Cake, and all you need is a tablespoon for measurement. Fast and Easy and so good. The perfect Breakfast, Snack or Dessert Cake Recipe.
- 12 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 10 tablespoons sugar
- 2 eggs
- zest one lemon
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 10 tablespoons vegetable oil (your choice, I used corn oil)
- 10 tablespoons milk
- 2-3 tablespoons Icing/powdered sugar for dusting finished cooled cake
Pre-heat oven to 350F (180C), grease and flour an 8 inch cake pan or 7 inch bundt pan.
In a small bowl whisk together the flour and baking powder.
In a large bowl beat on medium speed sugar and eggs until fluffy and light. Approximately 3-4 minutes.
Then add the zest, juice, oil and milk, beat until combined. Then add the flour mixture and beat until smooth.
Pour into prepared cake pan and bake for approximately 40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in pan then remove to a cake plate.
Let cool completely before dusting with powdered / icing sugar. Enjoy!
Kim says
Hi. This cake looks amazing, but it came out short and super dense when I made it! What might I have done wrong?
Rosemary says
Hi Kim, did you check the temperature of your oven? Or was the cake pan too big? Did you maybe not beat it enough at the beginning? Let me know.
Darlene says
In reading others comments and replies given I doubled recipe for my 10 inch bunt cake pan and it was a perfect fit. Loved how moist this cake is. I opted to do a thick lemon glaze poured on top. I definitely will make this again
Rosemary says
Hi Darlene, thanks so much, so glad you liked it and that lemon glaze sounds delicious. 🙂
Azita says
Dear Amy the look and texture of my cake is great however the lemon taste is very mild. May be next time I will add a drop of lemon oil to it.
Rosemary says
Hi Azita I guess it just depends on how much lemon you like and how strong, so adding a drop of lemon oil is a great idea.
Christin Meighan says
Hi Rosemary,
Your Recipe looks delicious , can’t wait to try it! Just checking is it 1 teaspoon of baking powder or 1 tablespoon (since its a tablespoon recipe) , thanks!!
Rosemary says
Hi Christin, it’s 1 teaspoon of baking powder. Hope you enjoy it, let me know. 🙂
Bev says
I have to say this lemons cake looks so moist and airy. Can’t wait to make it.. Whar type of milk did you use. Or would that make a difference. Looks so delicious… thank you
Rosemary says
Hi Bev, thanks so much, I usually use 2% unless I specify whole milk. (very difficult to find skim milk in Italy). Although Im sure it would work with whatever milk, some people even use water, but I prefer it with milk. 🙂
Paola Nardini says
Drear Rosemary,
I love your cake recipes and try quite a few of the simpler ones. I made the Italian lemon cake in an 8 inch bundt pan and while it looked beautiful as I was pulling it out of the oven, it sunk in the middle while cooling. The outer edges were a little brown but the rest of the cake was golden. It cooked 50 minutes at 350 degrees. What did I do wrong?
Sincerely,
Paola
Rosemary says
Hi Paola, thank you, I found these are helpful so that the cake doesn’t fall, you could be beating too long or at too high a speed (no higher than medium) and when you add the flour lower the speed and combine gently. At a higher speed you develop too much gluten in the flour which can cause the cake to fall once baked. You could also try using room temperature ingredients, make sure your baking powder hasn’t expired and also check your oven temperature to make sure it is reading properly. Hope this helps. Let me know how it goes.
Ashley says
I made this yesterday, followed it exactly…my batter looked just like the picture. Except it came out more than half the size of the one pictured. Anyone else have this issue?
Rosemary says
Hi Ashley, do you mean less than half the size? If so I think you used too big of a cake pan. Let me know.
Ashley says
Yes, and I’m the biggest ding dong! And never realized it until you just said it. I pulled out my two bundt pans and must have grabbed the bigger one! Definitely making it again in the correct pan! HOWEVER…1 inch high (lol) it still tastes great!!
Rosemary says
Hi Ashley, haha believe me I have done that a few times. So glad it tasted good anyway. Have a great weekend 🙂
Dalila G. says
I am a huge lemon lover!
Lemon cookies, lemon vinaigrette’s, lemon cakes, lemon ice cream, lemony linguine, …..you name it and I’ll try it.
I will definitely have to try out this Tablespoon……cute name….cake!
Have a nice day Rosemary!
Rosemary says
Hi Dalila thanks so much and haha just like me, I can’t get enough of lemons. Have a great day!
Joy says
Are these level tablespoons or heaping?
Rosemary says
Hi Joy yes they are level tablespoons.
Maria Kember says
Hi Rosemary, What a delicious looking cake! Are the Tablespoons level ones?
Rosemary says
Hi Maria, thanks so much and yes the tablespoons are level. 🙂
Mary says
I can’t have dairy. What can I use instead of milk
Rosemary says
Hi Mary, you can substitute the milk with water or you could leave out the zest and lemon juice and substitute with 12 tablespoons of fruit juice. Hope that helps.
Nellie Tracy says
This looks like one of the best lemon cakes I’ve ever had! Not too difficult to make, and so delicious when it’s done.
Rosemary says
Thanks Nellie, I hope you enjoy it!
Amy Nash says
This is such a fun cake concept! I love lemon desserts and I think that going without frosting and just dusting with powdered sugar on this one is a smart choice because it allows the beauty of the lemon cake crumb to show through without the flashier frosting getting in the way!
Rosemary says
Hi Amy, thanks and yes I agree, this way you really taste the lemon flavour.