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 it’s called 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.

What baking pans can I use for this Cake?

An 8 inch or 9 inch round cake pan.
An 8 inch bundt pan.
An 8 x 8 x 1 1/2 inch (20 x 20 x 4 cm) square pan.
A 9 inch Loaf pan.

More Delicious Lemon Dessert Recipes

Lemon Cheesecake Squares

Lemon Thumbprint Cookies

Italian Lemon Crostata

Best Homemade Lemon Bread

Tips for making this Lemon Cake a success

When I received comments from readers who have tried this cake and it rose and then when it came out of the oven it sank, I really wanted to discover why this was happening. So …

I decided to make it changing up my beating speed. I started out beating the eggs and sugar on low speed but then turned up to medium high. I continued to beat the ingredients going from medium to medium high.

And yes the cake rose and then sank almost immediately once it was out of the oven.

I then made the cake again, this time beating the whole time on low speed (speed #1) and the cake came out perfect. So remember beat on low speed, and the eggs and sugar must be beaten at least 5-7 minutes. All ingredients should be room temperature.

If you are having trouble with this cake, a reader mentioned beating the flour into the mixture by hand instead of with a mixer. A whisk or spatula would work for this.

Be sure to watch the Video at the top of the post!

Should I add make at own risk?! 🙂

How to adjust the recipe for high altitude

Decrease baking powder by 1/8 teaspoon
Decrease sugar by 1/2 tablespoon
Increased both oil and milk by 1 tablespoon each
And increase the temperature to 375F. Thanks to Linda for writing in and letting me know.

I use both lemon juice and lemon zest in this recipe. Some insist that the zest has more lemon flavour than the juice.

The zest is the oil of the lemon and is therefore filled with the pure lemon flavour.

The juice holds the acidic tart taste of the lemon. Just be sure to grate only the yellow part of the lemon and no white part. The white part will add only bitterness. And you don’t want that!

So grab your tablespoon and let’s make a Lemon Cake. Enjoy!