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This Whole Lemon Cake With Thyme is the most vibrant naturally dairy-free and gluten-free lemon cake you will have tasted. The sponge is made using whole lemons, boiled and pureed for the most authentic tangy flavour and produces a beautifully moist cake. Floral notes of fresh thyme are a perfect match for this flourless lemon cake.
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Are your lemon cakes lacking in real lemony flavour? In the past mine have run that risk even after zesting lemon after lemon. Then often the extra lemon juice will make the cake too wet. You could turn to lemon extract for the extra flavour boost but instead I prefer something a little more authentic.
So how do you get your lemon cake to taste like actual lemon?
The answer: Use the entire lemon. It works perfectly for a deliciously moist, ultra lemony lemon cake every single time.
If you have tried this wildly popular Whole Orange Cake and loved it then you'll find this lemon version is just as delicious and just as easy to make.
Why You'll Love This Whole Lemon Cake
Naturally gluten-free lemon cake. Lemon cakes are not the easiest gluten-free cake to master. The acidity of the lemon can play havoc with gluten-free flours meaning your gluten-free lemon cake can easily turn out gummy. However, if you dial back the lemon then you miss out on vital flavour.
Ultra lemony cake. This is a real cake for lemon lovers as using the lemon peels, the lemon pulp and juice give a rich intense fresh lemon flavour. If you are worried that the cake might be a little bitter then don't worry the tartness of the lemon flavour is evened out with the rich batter.
Dairy-free. Those six eggs and the beautifully fragrant lemon puree mean that this naturally dairy-free lemon cake requires absolutely no other fat. No dairy and no oil even. Yet it is still so exquisitely moist.
Moist texture. This gorgeously moist lemon cake is achieved from using almond flour which is packed with natural oils, a good amount of eggs which gives so much protein and rich texture, and also by boiling the whole lemons which helps them get extra juicy.
Quick and easy to make. You do need to set aside a little time for boiling the lemons (1 hour of hands off time) but then the rest of the cake takes about 10 minutes to bring together before baking.
Lemon and thyme flavour combination. Have you tasted lemon cake made with thyme before? If you haven’t then you really must. The herby floral notes of thyme pair so well with the zinginess of the lemon. You need to use fresh thyme leaves here. If you can’t get hold of fresh thyme then just leave it out. Dried thyme isn’t a substitute.
Ingredients Needed
Fresh Lemons. You can use regular lemons but make sure they are unwaxed and organic otherwise you need to scrub off the wax.
Fresh thyme leaves. This gives a gorgeous deep herbal flavour to the cake.
Eggs. This recipe uses medium size, about 60g each with shell (50g each without shell). These are often classified as large eggs in the US. I recommend weighing your eggs to ensure the correct amount.
Caster sugar. It’s a fine white baking sugar available in the UK. If you can only get hold of granulated sugar you can grind more finely in the food processor before you use it in the recipe.
Polenta. If you can't get hold of polenta (don't use instant!) then fine cornmeal will do as well.
Almond flour. You are looking for blanched ground almonds. There is a bit of labelling confusion over almond flour which is sold as ‘ground almonds’ in most major UK supermarkets and found in the baking aisle. If you want to know what exactly you are looking for then check out this post >>> Is Almond Flour The Same As Ground Almonds.
Baking powder. A leaving agent which causes the cake to rise and become light and fluffy. Do check your baking powder is gluten-free before use.
Salt. I like to use kosher salt in my baking as it has a round gentle flavour. Using salt in your baked goods lifts and sharpens all the other flavours.
Honey. This is used for making a very simple glaze for brushing over the warm cake. Use a light clear honey.
Icing sugar. (powdered sugar). This is used for making a very simple drizzle icing over the top of the cake.
How To Make Whole Lemon Cake
For full recipe instructions go to the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Boil. Place whole lemons, unpeeled, in a saucepan and cover with water. Simmer for an hour until soft.
- Puree. Cut the soft lemons in half to remove any pips then blend into a puree.
- Mix. Beat the puree with eggs, sugar, polenta, almond flour (ground almonds), thyme and baking powder.
- Bake. Pour the mixture into a loaf tin and bake for 45-50 minutes.
💫You can also use this method for a Whole Orange Cake. Check out this recipe >>> Whole Orange Chocolate Chip Cake
FAQs
Yes and no. Cornmeal is actually the ingredient and polenta is the porridge like dish which originated from Northern Italy. However, sometimes you will confusingly find cornmeal labeled ‘polenta’ in the supermarket. It just means it’s the right kind of cornmeal for making polenta. So for this recipe you can use the ingredient labelled 'polenta' or just fine cornmeal.
Unfortunately not. Ready-made polenta has already been cooked so it will alter the texture of this cake. It is best to use fine cornmeal or quick cooking ‘polenta’ for this whole lemon cake.
If you are pressed for time on the day of baking then you can easily boil and puree the lemons ahead of time. They will keep happily in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Yes you can. Use an 8 inch round cake tin (4 inches deep) and the height of the cake will be perfect. Prepare and bake for the same amount of time as the loaf cake version (50 minutes).
You can store this cake in an airtight container (but preferably tin rather than plastic as it plastic will keep the cake too moist). Then store the cake in a cool dark place.
Absolutely. You can freeze the cake successfully by double wrapping it. First wrap it tightly in plastic wrap then aluminium foil. Then either place in a resealable freezer bag or airtight container. Don’t forget to label including the date. To enjoy, thaw in the refrigerator overnight, allowing it to come to room temperature before serving.
More Gluten-Free Lemon Cakes You'll Love
✨Have you tried this Whole Lemon Cake? If you liked it, please leave a 5-star ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ rating on the recipe card and consider leaving a comment as well! I would love to hear about how your recipe turned out and your feedback also helps other readers✨
Gluten-Free Whole Lemon Cake With Thyme
Ingredients
- 4 lemons - 450g
- 6 eggs - medium*
- 250 g caster sugar
- 125 g fine cornmeal
- 125 g almond flour - (ground almonds in UK*)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1½ tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons water
- 100 g icing sugar - powdered sugar
- ½ lemon - juiced
Instructions
- Place the 4 lemons in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 1 hour.
- Pre-heat the oven to 180°C / 160°C fan assisted /gas mark 4 / 350°F and line and grease a 2lb loaf tin.
- Remove the lemons from the saucepan. Cut in half to remove and discard the pips.
- Place the lemons in a blender and blitz until smooth. Set aside for a moment.
- Beat the eggs and sugar in a large mixing bowl (or food mixeuntil pale and thick.
- Mix in the pureed lemons.
- Add the cornmeal, ground almonds, baking powder, thyme leaves and salt. Mix until thoroughly incorporated.
- Pour the batter in the prepared loaf tin and bake for around 45-50 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Remove the cake from the oven and prepare a honey glaze.
- Melting the honey with 2 tablespoons water in a small saucepan. Brush the glaze over the cake whilst it is still in its tin.
- Let the cake cool in the cake tin before removing and drizzling with lemon icing.
- Make the lemon icing by stirring together the icing sugar and the juice of ½ lemon until thick but still just pourable.
Notes
- The lemons can be boiled and pureed up to 3 days before making the rest of the cake.
- Eggs. The eggs used in this recipe are medium size, 60g with shell and 50g without shell. If you can't get hold of medium eggs I suggest you weigh the amount.
- Almond flour. This recipe calls for almond flour which is blanched and ground whole almonds (without their skin). In the UK this kind of flour is sold in most major UK supermarkets labelled 'ground almonds' in the baking aisle. To make sure you know which almond flour you are choosing then check against this article The Difference Between The Almond Flours.
- How to store. The cake will keep for up to 5 days in an airtight container in a cool dark place.
- How to freeze. You can freeze the cake successfully by double wrapping it. First wrap it tightly in plastic wrap then aluminium foil. Then either place in a resealable freezer bag or airtight container. It will store in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Jennifer says
This looks amazing, but I am corn-free. What could I substitute the cornmeal with?
Georgina Hartley says
I haven't tried baking this cake with anything other than corn I'm afraid.
Cindy D says
What is the size (measurements) of a 2 lb loaf pan?
Are the only things taken out of the lemons the seeds? (Does even the white part of the peel get pureed?) This recipe eliminates zesting which I am terrified of! (I've never done it, and I'm afraid of going too deep and into the white and getting the bitter.) Thanks!
Cindy D says
Oh and by the way how do you measure the fresh thyme? Do you cut it up in little pieces? Do you smoosh them into the measuring spoons? How much do they weigh? Sorry for all the questions!
Georgina Hartley says
Hi Cindy, I strip the leaves off the thyme using my fingers and then scoop them up loosely using a measuring spoon. I do not pack them in. I mainly do it by eye and I don't know how much they weigh. If you are unsure then err on the cautious side as you don't want the thyme to overpower.
Georgina Hartley says
Hi Cindy, measurements of 2lb pans can vary. They are larger loaf tins. I will try and measure mine when I get a second. Yes, everything in the lemons gets pureed (except the seeds). The lemon cake does have a slight bitterness to it because of this as we taste the whole lemon.
Denise Lucking says
Gorgeous, gutsy and oh so lemony, tried this recipe yesterday and it is so lovely and fresh tasting, very light despite all that moisture going into it. Mine didn't look as pretty as I spread the icing over the top rather than drizzling it which looks far nicer. Let's hope my guests like it too.
Naoise Pye says
Are the lemons peeled or do you boil them with peels on? Very interesting receipe, I'm curious to try it!
Naoise
Georgina Hartley says
Hi Naoise - yes you boil them with the peels on! The whole lemons as they are plucked from the fruit bowl. It's a delicious cake - I'd love to know if you do try it.
Beth says
Can honey be substituted for the sugar? If so, what amount?
Georgina Hartley says
Hi Beth, it's not always straightforward to do a sugar swap for honey when baking cakes. Sugar doesn't only provide sweetness but also assists the structure and texture of the cake. Since honey is in liquid form and the caster sugar is in a solid state the whole balance of the ingredients is off and you would need to jig things around a fair bit. I haven't tested the recipe with honey so I can't say what would happen if you used it instead. What I can say though is that you could use coconut sugar if that suits. It's in a solid state, like refined sugar, so is a like for like swap.