Whole Meyer Lemon Cake

This flourless Whole Meyer Lemon Cake is incredibly moist, packed with real lemon flavour, and can double as a sensational dessert. It is made using 3 whole boiled Meyer lemons and, combined with basic kitchen cupboard staples, creates a dense and sticky cake infused with citrus. This is a very simple recipe as once the lemons are boiled, everything is all combined together in a food processor. Lemon lovers will adore this cake! It is gluten-free and dairy-free with no flour, oil or butter used.

This flourless cake is so moist it is almost like a cross between a pudding and a cake. By boiling and using whole Meyer lemons, you achieve great lemon flavour and also a sticky, dense texture. Once the lemons are boiled and cooled, only the pips are discarded. Everything else (skin and flesh) is used in this cake. I often prepare the lemons the day before as once this step is done, all the ingredients are simply added to a food processor and blended which takes less than 5 minutes. Using only lemons, eggs, sugar, almond meal and baking powder, this is simplicity at its best!

You can use different quantities of eggs and almond meal in order to create a conventional, more set almond cake(see notes). In this recipe however, I have developed a sticky cake variation which I have tested on family and friends and it is a real hit. This cake is a very moist ‘just set’ cake and is delicious as it is, dusted liberally with icing sugar or served with a dollop of double cream, whipped cream or thick yoghurt.

Why I love this recipe:

This cake is very easy to make and uses only 5 readily available ingredients. It will really appeal to lemon lovers and people who like a flourless and dense textured style of cake.

It is a delicious cake to enjoy with a cuppa and is equally wonderful as a dessert – dust the cake liberally with icing sugar and serve with pouring cream, double cream, creme-fraiche or even thick yoghurt. I also like to serve it with blueberry compote and cream or with confit lemon slices.

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Ingredients to make this cake:

A very short list of 5 ingredients:

• Lemons – use Meyer lemons in this cake. Meyer is a variety of back yard lemon that is more fragrant and a touch sweeter than other lemons. They have a deep yellow coloured skin that is smoother and more vibrant than that of Eureka lemons. Their skin is also less thick than regular lemons. As lemons vary in size, I have suggested 3 lemons but have also given a weight amount of between 550g and 600g for this recipe. Once the lemons have been boiled you need 280g lemon (once seeds, excess juices removed). See notes section in the recipe if you want to make this cake with other lemon varieties.
• Sugar – Caster sugar is used in this recipe although you can also use white granulated sugar.
• Eggs – I use large or XL eggs for this recipe and always use free-range eggs.
• Almond Meal – use almond meal not ‘almond flour’. Almond meal is readily available in the baking aisle of supermarkets.
• Baking Powder – use gluten-free baking powder if you would like to make this cake gluten-free.

Step by Step Instructions:

Please also read the notes section in the recipe before starting this cake.

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Tips and Tricks for Success:

The biggest tip/advice I can give when making this cake is to make sure it is baked long enough to cook the centre of the cake and once baked, to rest it until it has completely cooled down. You have 2 options when baking this cake. The first is using a 22cm cake tin which results in a more ‘soft set’ dessert style cake or you can bake it in a 24cm cake tin for a more set but still incredibly moist cake. Both are delicious and my taste-testers were divided as to which they liked best. This cake can also be made a day ahead of time and it will set a little more in the fridge overnight. Bring back to room temperature when ready to eat.

• Lemons – Use Meyer lemons for this recipe as they are less bitter than other varieties like Eureka. Lemons vary in size so I have given a weight measurement of 550-600gm which is usually 3 large Meyer lemons. If you would don’t have access to Meyer lemons but would still like to make this cake, I have included options in the notes section of this recipe after testing this recipe with other varieties.
• When boiling the Meyer lemons, make sure they do not boil dry! Keep an eye on them and top up with extra water if needed. Discard any seeds, excess juice and inside bits that the seeds are attached to as you want to be left with 280g of lemon for use in this recipe.
• I use butter to grease my cake tin lightly. Use oil if you want a dairy-free version.
• If the cake is colouring too much on the top when baking in the oven, then cover the top loosely with a piece of aluminium foil.
• Using a springform cake tin helps when removing this cake from the tin. As this is a sticky cake, when you remove it from the wire resting rack, ease the rack away from the cake gently. It will come away without tearing, so long as you do this carefully. In the recipe, I have suggested placing baking paper between the cake and rack to help avoid any tearing issues.
• This type of cake can sometimes sink a little in the middle upon resting so don’t be alarmed as this does sometimes happen with flourless cakes. Make sure you bake the cake long enough so that the cake is set in the centre as this is a soft set and moist cake that should hold its shape when cutting. The baking time varies as it depends on how juicy the lemons are and also every oven temperature is slightly different.
• This is a ‘just set’ pudding like cake. If you prefer a very moist but more set style of almond cake for slicing easily, then add an extra 1/2 cup almond meal and an extra egg to the quantities in this recipe and bake in a 22cm baking tin.

To Serve:

Once cooled, dust the cake liberally with icing sugar. Here are some serving suggestions:

• serve with a dollop of whipped or double cream. Can also add some blueberry compote or fold some through the cream. Lemon Curd is also another nice addition.
• lemon confit slices to decorate the top of the cake
• you can also decorate or serve this cake with toasted flaked almonds.

More delicious recipes for you to try:

• Easy Orange Cranberry Muffins – this recipe also uses a whole orange making these muffins beautifully moist. It can also be made in a loaf or cake tin and you can replace the cranberries for chocolate chips or leave them out altogether.
• Orange Olive Oil Bundt Cake with Orange Rosemary Syrup – another beautiful Orange Cake made with Olive Oil. It is drizzled with a syrup and is a wonderful dessert cake.

Be sure to let me know in the comments below when you have made this recipe!