If you have been looking for a simple limoncello cake recipe, you are in the right place. This delicious Southern Style Limoncello Cake is quick and easy to make! It’s also perfect for dessert, for welcoming new neighbors to the neighborhood, taking to potluck dinners, and for anytime you want something sweet and indulgent!
I first saw the recipe for Limoncello Lemon Loaf on a Southerner’s Notebook blog, a wonderful cooking blog, hosted by Carolyn Haley, a great cook and long-time friend of mine. Carolyn’s blog had a link to another blog, Accounting for All of my Blessings, which is hosted by a friend of hers, Julie. Julie posted this fabulous recipe on her blog, and then because Carolyn follows Julie’s blog it also appeared on Carolyn’s blog. Hopefully, I haven’t totally confused you, because that’s often how it happens in the blogosphere! The bottom line is, special thanks to both Carolyn and Julie for posting and sharing this delicious limoncello cake recipe so that I can share it with you!
This limoncello cake recipe is a very easy and quick to make with a yummy, lemony limoncello glaze. Limoncello is a lemon liqueur that is usually served after dinner. If you don’t have any limoncello, you can easily substitute fresh lemon juice.
This recipe for limoncello cake is just one of the uses for limoncello. A quick search on Google brought up literally thousands of limoncello recipes including recipes for making limoncello yourself if you are so inclined.
The beautiful china platter that the easy limoncello cake is on in the photos belongs to my Mother-in-Law, Dot, who is 92. It’s her wedding china, and it is as beautiful and sweet as she is!
The minute I saw the adorable lemon loaf pan that Julie baked her cake in, I knew I had to have one, and my Amazon order was on its way. Isn’t this the cutest pan you have ever seen for a limoncello cake?
If you like southern-style dessert recipes, you might also like this delicious favorites: Southern Peaches and Cream Pie, Minnie Lee Croley’s Sour Cream Pound Cake, and Southern Pecan Praline Cake.
This limoncello cake recipe has a short ingredient’s list which includes: eggs, whole milk or vanilla Greek yogurt, (I didn’t have anything, but no-fat yogurt so decided to substitute sour cream for the yogurt, and the cake was delicious. You can, however, save some calories by following the recipe and using the yogurt.) sugar, vegetable oil, lemon zest, Limoncello or lemon juice, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. You don’t even have to pull out your heavy stand mixer because you mix everything by hand.
How to make Southern Style Limoncello Cake
To begin, gather your ingredients and preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
To a large bowl, add the eggs, milk or yogurt, sugar, vegetable oil, lemon zest, and limoncello or lemon juice. Whisk well.
In another bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk well.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix the batter well by hand. Do not over mix.
Spray a loaf pan generously with cooking spray with flour, like Bakers Joy. Pour the batter into the pan.
Bake about 35-40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool the cake in the pan for 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and cool on a wire rack. Look at the cute detail on the top from the lemon pan!
In the meantime, make the glaze by combining limoncello, (or lemon juice) confectioners sugar and lemon zest. Whisk well. You want a smooth, pourable consistency. If needed, add more limoncello to make it the proper consistency.
For easy clean-up, put a piece of wax paper under the cake rack to catch the glaze drips. When the cake is completely cool, drizzle the limoncello glaze over the cake.
Have a slice and enjoy!
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Southern Style Limoncello Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Limoncello Lemon Loaf
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk or vanilla greek yogurt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 lemon zested
- 3 Tbsp Limoncello or lemon juice
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1-1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
Limoncello Glaze
- 1/2 cup powered sugar
- 1 1/2-2 Tbsp Limoncello or lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon zest
Instructions
- To begin, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- To a large bowl, add the eggs, milk or yogurt, sugar, vegetable oil, lemon zest, and limoncello or lemon juice. Whisk well.
- In another bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk well.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix the batter well by hand. Do not over mix.
- Spray a 9x5 inch loaf pan generously with cooking spray with flour, like Bakers Joy. Pour the batter into the pan.
- Bake about 35-40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool the cake in the pan for 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and cool on a wire rack.
- In the meantime, make the glaze by combining limoncello, (or lemon juice) powered sugar and lemon zest. Whisk well. You want a smooth pourable consistency. If needed, add more limoncello to make it the proper consistency.
- When the cake is completely cool, drizzle the limoncello glaze over it.
- Slice and enjoy!
Patricia says
October 24, 2018 at 2:51 pmI plan on making this lovely loaf into mini loaves to share with friends. I have a couple questions first. In the instructions you say to add vanilla. Vanilla is not listed in the ingredient section. So, should there be vanilla & if so, how much?
Also in the ingredients you list 1-1/2 baking powder. I am assuming it is teaspoons. The measurement is not shown in the ingredient section.
Please reply. Thank you.
Gritsandpinecones says
October 24, 2018 at 4:48 pmHi Patricia, I am so sorry for the confusion. There is no vanilla extract in this recipe and you are right it is 1-1/2 tsp of baking powder. I have updated the recipe to correct this and I hope it didn’t cause you any inconvenience.
I do hope you enjoy the cake!
Sharon
Patricia says
October 24, 2018 at 9:18 pmThank you so much for replying so quickly. I did notice one more thing…you have a picture of your ingredients & I notice a container of sour cream & not any milk. So in the recipe should it be that you can use sour cream in place of the yogurt or is it supposed to be whole milk? I know other recipes you can use sour cream in place of yogurt but I have never seen whole milk. I don’t mean to be picky, but I do want to get it right when I make it.
Thank you.
Patricia says
December 8, 2018 at 5:21 pmBefore I make this I really need to know if there is supposed to be sour cream in this recipe? The ingredient picture shows a container of sour cream and yogurt but no milk. The recipe says 1 cup whole milk or vanilla greek yogurt or is it supposed to say 1 cup whole milk or vanilla greek yogurt or sour cream. Please explain. I promise I won’t bother you anymore. 🙂 Please reply. Thanks.
Gritsandpinecones says
December 8, 2018 at 9:29 pmHi Patricia,
Again I am sorry for the confusion. The recipe calls for 1 cup of whole milk or yogurt. In the narrative, I said that I didn’t have either, so I used sour cream instead which worked fine. So you can use, milk, yogurt or sour cream.
I thought I had responded to your last comment, but couldn’t find it anywhere so I’m not sure what happened and I do really try to respond to all comments in a timely manner.
I do hope you enjoy the recipe and you are certainly not bothering me!
All my best, Sharon
Patricia says
December 9, 2018 at 8:25 amThank you so very, very much for replying. I truly appreciate it.
Patricia