This delicious fluffy lemon cake is one of a kind with its tangy lemon glaze and crunchy pistachio topping. An easy lemon cake that will stay moist and delicious for days!
I’m eagerly looking forward to Easter when my husband and I will take one last romantic trip to Tuscany before our baby girl arrives! The anticipation has led to many daydreams about all the delicious food we will eat, especially amazing Italian lemon cakes (pregnancy craving maybe?!). I couldn’t wait so I and decided to bake a light and fluffy lemon cake to satisfy my cravings.
This moist and airy lemon cake is so fluffy that you will find it hard to stop after just one piece. Topped with a thin layer of lemon glaze and finely chopped pistachios, the cake both tastes and looks so delicious! Best of all, it will keep for several days, so I can enjoy a piece every day until I leave!
Flour I always recommend using flour meant for cakes. Avoid high-protein flours typically used for bread baking.
Lemons
The cake contains a lot of delicious lemon! I always use organic lemons for the best flavor.
Butter
Always use real butter for baking cakes. Butter blends and vegan substitutes usually contain a lot of oil and cannot be used as a 1:1 replacement in this lemon cake.
Unsalted pistachios Pistachios have the most beautiful color and really add something special when used to decorate a lemon cake. Avoid salted pistachios; you’ll need unsalted ones. You can even find extra green pistachios in specialty pastry shops.
Tips for Baking the Perfect Lemon Cake
This lemon cake is very easy to make and can be mixed together in just 10 minutes. The remainding time required is mostly for baking and cooling before you add the glaze. Patience is key before you can enjoy a light and fluffy slice of lemon cake!
To achieve a fluffy cake, it’s important not to overbeat the batter after mixing the dry ingredients with the wet ones. Gently stir the batter together with a wooden spoon.
The butter should not be boiling hot when added to the batter, as it might scald the eggs. Let it cool slightly before adding.
The batter is meant to be quite thin, so don’t worry. The cake will rise and set beautifully during baking.
Allow the lemon cake to cool completely on a wire rack before adding the glaze; otherwise, the glaze will melt and run off the cake.
How to check when your lemon cake is done
Keep an eye on your lemon cake while it bakes and check periodically to see if it’s done. All ovens are different, so baking times can vary. The cake is done when a skewer or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Crack the eggs and add the sugar into a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, and whisk them together until you achieve a light and fluffy result.
4 eggs, 300 g sugar
In another bowl, mix the flour and baking powder together, then gradually add this to the egg mixture, stirring slowly to combine.
250 g flour, 2 tsp baking powder
Melt the butter and let it cool slightly. Add finely grated lemon zest, lemon juice, melted butter, and water to the batter, and stir gently until the batter is smooth and thin.
150 g butter, 3 tbsp lemon zest, 4 tbsp lemon juice, 1,5 dl water
Grease a 26 cm (10 inch) round pan and pour the batter in. Bake the lemon cake at 200°C (392°F) for 35-40 minutes. Keep an eye on the cake and take it out as soon as it is done – this is when no batter sticks to a toothpick inserted into the center, and the cake has pulled away from the sides of the pan.
Let the cake cool completely before removing from the pan and adding the glaze.
Lemon frosting:
For the lemon glaze, mix powdered sugar with lemon juice and a little water, if needed, until you have a smooth glaze. Spread it evenly over the completely cooled lemon cake.
200 g powdered sugar, 2 tbsp lemon juice, A bit of water
Toppings:
Decorate the cake with finely chopped, unsalted pistachios.
Finely chopped unsalted pistacchios
RATE THE RECIPE
Tag @bageglad på Instagram så jeg kan se og dele det du har lavet!
Hi, I’m Trine – home baker from Copenhagen, Denmark. “Bageglad” means happy to bake in Danish and I have been spreading this happiness on the blog since 2012. Today, it reaches more home bakers worldwide than I could ever have dreamed of! Thank you for visiting!
Hi, I’m Trine – home baker from Copenhagen, Denmark. “Bageglad” means happy to bake in Danish and I have been spreading this happiness on the blog since 2012. Today, it reaches more home bakers worldwide than I could ever have dreamed of! Thank you for visiting!
Time: 2 hours 
Yield: 10 servings
