Tablespoon Italian Lemon Cake
This Italian Cake is a delicious moist Lemon Cake, originally made with a tablespoon to measure all the ingredients. It’s fast and easy and so good. The perfect breakfast, snack or even dessert Cake Recipe.
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. It was delicious and of course I asked for the recipe. And as it turned out this was another one of those you-gotta-love “Italian Desserts” recipes.
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 Cucchiai / Tablespoon Cake.
Recipe Ingredients
- Flour – either all purpose or cake/pastry flour
- Baking powder – be sure it hasn’t expired
- Sugar – granulated
- Eggs – large and room temperature
- Lemon – zest and juice
- Vegetable Oil – I use corn or sunflower oil although I am sure a light olive oil would also work.
- Milk – either whole or 2% milk
- Powder/Icing Sugar – for dusting the cooled cake
How to make Pastry/Cake flour
For every cup of all purpose flour, remove two tablespoons and replace with two tablespoons of corn starch. Be sure to sift the flour and cornstarch together a couple of times, this way it is sure to be properly combined and lump free. Cake flour in cakes will give you a very tender texture and fine crumb, it will also help the cake to rise.
How to Make a Lemon Cake
- Pre-heat oven to 350F (180C), grease and flour an 8 or 9 inch cake (20-23 cm)
- In a small bowl whisk together the flour and baking powder.
- In a large bowl beat on low to medium speed (low is best but no higher then medium speed) sugar and eggs until very fluffy and light. Approximately 5 minutes.
- Then add the zest, juice, oil and milk, beat until combined. Then add the flour mixture and beat on low speed 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.
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. Although if you do want to fancy it up a bit for a dinner dessert you could add a scoop of ice cream or top it with this tasty Blueberry Sauce. Lemon and blueberry are a perfect combination!
Why bake with room temperature ingredients?
With cakes and other baking, it’s always better to use room temperature ingredients. So, take any cold ingredients out of the refrigerator an hour ahead of time or sooner if it’s cool in your kitchen. Room temperature ingredients blend easier, creating a silky batter, which will help to create a light tender baked good.
How to check if baking powder is still good
Place 1/2 teaspoon of powder in a small bowl, pour 1/4 cup of boiling water over it. It should bubble up immediately and very strongly, if it does it’s still good, if it doesn’t, time to buy a new tin.
What baking pans can I use for this Cake?
Be sure to grease and flour the pans very well especially a bundt pan, if it is a fancy one it will need extra attention so you get every crease.
- An 8 inch or 9 inch round cake pan.
- An 8 or 9 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.
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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.
Never open the oven while the cake is baking before 30 minutes has passed, opening an oven door early can cause a cake to fall.
Bake the cake as soon as the batter has been mixed and poured into the pan, don’t let it stand around, this can also cause the cake to flatten.
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.
The difference between lemon juice and zest
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!
How to store the baked cake
Store the cooled baked cake at room temperate either wrapped in plastic or in a covered cake container. It will keep for up to 4 days at room temperature. You can also store the cake in the fridge, just be sure to make it airtight or it will dry out, it will keep for up to 5 days in the fridge, bring it to room temperature before serving.
How to freeze the cake
Once the cake is completely cooled, double wrap it with either foil or plastic wrap and then place in a freezer safe bag. It will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let the cake thaw overnight on the counter before serving.
So if you are looking to make an Italian cake then I hope you try this Lemon Cake recipe and be sure to let me know what you. Enjoy!
More Delicious Lemon Dessert Recipes
Tablespoon Italian Lemon Cake
Ingredients
- 24 tablespoons all purpose flour (1 ½ cups)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 16 tablespoons sugar (1 cup)
- 2 large eggs*
- zest one lemon*
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice*
- 10 tablespoons vegetable oil (your choice I use corn or sunflower oil) (½ cup + 2 tablespoons)
- 10 tablespoons milk* (½ cup + 2 tablespoons)
EXTRAS
- 2-3 tablespoons Icing/powdered sugar for dusting finished cooled cake
*Room temperature, remove from the fridge 45-60 minutes before using.
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350F (180C), grease and flour an 8 or 9 inch round cake pan (20-23 cm).
- In a small bowl whisk together the flour and baking powder.
- In a large bowl beat on low speed sugar and eggs until very fluffy and light. Approximately 5 minutes.
- Then add the zest, juice, oil and milk, beat until combined on low speed. Then add the flour mixture and beat on low speed 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!
**All tablespoons (and teaspoon) are level not heaping.
Notes
Nutrition
Updated from May 30, 2018.
Hi. Looking forward to making this. Can you clarify if the tablespoon measurement is 15 or 20 mls/grams. Many thanks, Grainne
Hi Grainne, I am going to be honest here and say that for some reason people are having trouble with it and I don’t know why, so when I get back to my kitchen I am going to redo it with a video and I will let you know exactly, so I think you should wait a couple of weeks before you try it. 🙂
I noticed that lemons we picked Fromm trees in Italy were much more “lemony” with a sourer & stronger taste. I’m wondering if this might affect the cake’s taste ?
I am happy to find you blog since I love Italy and the time I’ve been able to spend there.
Hi Martha, thanks so much Martha and I don’t think it should effect the taste too much, if you want a stronger taste then just had a little lemon extract. Hope that helps. 🙂
Hi. This cake looks amazing, but it came out short and super dense when I made it! What might I have done wrong?
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.
Dense, greasy, worst cake I’ve ever made
There is almost as much oil as flour. Should have caught that.
Hi Tracy, I am thinking that you didn’t beat the eggs and sugar for the recommended 5 minutes. I just re made the cake and uploaded the video and it turned out perfect! 🙂
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
Hi Darlene, thanks so much, so glad you liked it and that lemon glaze sounds delicious. 🙂
How much longer did you bake it for when Doubling the recipe?
Hi Christi I would say bake for about 50 minutes and then start testing with a toothpick. Hope that helps.
Darlene, did you use a single batch of batter or did you increase the amount for your ten-inch pan? My pan is also a ten-inch and I am reluctant to purchase another but really want to try this recipe.
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.
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.
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!!
Hi Christin, it’s 1 teaspoon of baking powder. Hope you enjoy it, let me know. 🙂
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
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. 🙂
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
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.
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?
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.
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!!
Hi Ashley, haha believe me I have done that a few times. So glad it tasted good anyway. Have a great weekend 🙂
Yes! So disappointed with the result after
Following ingredients & directions to
A tee!! Sorry! Won’t be going out on
A limb for this cake again!!
Hi Fran, I am so sorry about the result, I am not in Italy at the moment but the second I get back I am remaking this cake and I am going to figure out why this is happening. I made it 3 times and it worked, thanks for letting me know.
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!
Hi Dalila thanks so much and haha just like me, I can’t get enough of lemons. Have a great day!
Are these level tablespoons or heaping?
Hi Joy yes they are level tablespoons.
Hi Rosemary, What a delicious looking cake! Are the Tablespoons level ones?
Hi Maria, thanks so much and yes the tablespoons are level. 🙂
I can’t have dairy. What can I use instead of milk
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.
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.
Thanks Nellie, I hope you enjoy it!
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!
Hi Amy, thanks and yes I agree, this way you really taste the lemon flavour.