Gluten-Free Nectarine Thyme Limoncello Cake
Gluten-Free Nectarine Cake layered with a light limoncello thyme cream.
Servings: 16 people
Calories: 550kcal
Ingredients
- 200 g unsalted butter at room temperature
- 300 g caster sugar
- 4 eggs medium
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 lemon zest only
- 1 tablespoon heaped fresh thyme leaves
- 150 g gluten-free flour
- 150 g almond flour called ground almonds in UK
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 200 g sour cream
- 3 tablespoons Limoncello
Limoncello Thyme Cream:
- 720 g double cream
- 2 large sprigs fresh thyme
- 250 g mascarpone
- 3 tablespoons icing sugar
- 3-4 tablespoons Limoncello
- 4 nectarines cut 2 of them into cubes and 2 of them into thin wedges
Instructions
Sponge Layers
- Preheat the oven to 180°C / 160°C fan assisted / gas mark 4 / 350°F and line and grease 3 x 20cm (8 inch) round cake tins.
- Place the sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer and beat together for 2-3 minutes until pale, light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, continuing to mix on a low speed.
- Add the vanilla extract, lemon zest and thyme leaves and mix in.
- Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt together in a large separate bowl.
- Add the flour alternately with the sour cream, adding the flour in three additions and the sour cream in two (begin and end with the flour), scrape down the sides of the bowls as needed and mix until just combined.
- Rest for 30 minutes to allow the gluten-free flours to settle and soften.
- Pour the batter equally across the cake tins (about 375g per tin) and bake for 20 minutes until an inserted cocktail stick comes out clean.
- Once the cakes have been removed from the oven, and taken carefully out of their tins, brush the limoncello over the top of the sponges using a pastry brush then leave to cool.
Limoncello Thyme Cream
- Prepare the ice bath for cooling the cream. You will need a large deep casserole dish / crockpot (you could use the sink but I find the casserole dish easier to keep cold as it’s smaller). Fill halfway up with ice then top up with a little cold water.
- Pour the double cream into a large saucepan along with the sprig of thyme. Warm until the cream is at a medium heat, 60-65°C (140-149°F). Remove from the heat.
- Pour the cream (with the thyme) into a food storage bag then submerge into the ice bath. The temperature needs to reduce to 4°C (39°F) within 90 minutes to avoid bacteria forming. It should only take about an hour to get to that temperature so keep checking it with a digital thermometer and replenish the ice every so often to keep it as cold as possible.
- Once the cream is between 4-7°C then transfer to the fridge and store for up to 48 hours until needed.
- Remove the thyme from the cream and discard. Pour the cream into a large mixing bowl.
- Loosen the mascarpone in a small separate bowl to help avoid any clumping then add into the cream. Whisk them together by hand or with an electric hand mixer on low speed, once the cream starts to thicken then add in the icing sugar and limoncello and continue mixing until soft peaks form. Stop as soon as it starts holding its shape as it’s very easy to overmix.
Assembly
- Place the first cake layer on a cake board then slather the cream generously over. Press half of the cubed nectarine into the cream then smooth over more cream on top to cover the nectarines.
- Add the second layer then repeat with the cream and nectarine.
- Add the third layer and spread the rest of the cream on top. For the naked cake effect, just smooth out the cream billowing out of the sides of the cake layers using a palette knife.
- Decorate the top with the nectarine wedges and fresh thyme sprigs.
Notes
This recipe was re-photographed adjusted in September 2025 to reduce the overall size of the cake and to replace the buttermilk with sour cream.
Eggs. The eggs used in this recipe are medium size, 60g each with shell and 50g without shell. If you can't get hold of medium eggs I suggest you weigh the amount.
Gluten-Free Flour. This recipe will work with your favourite gluten-free flour blend. It has been tested with Doves Farm Gluten-Free Plain White Flour and my Homemade Gluten-Free Flour Blend. No xanthan gum is needed for this recipe, however if your blend does contain xanthan gum then that will work fine too.
When you warm cream (like for this particular thyme infusion) it goes into what’s called the ‘danger zone’ for bacteria growth (between about 8C and 60C). The longer it sits in that range the greater the chance for bacterial growth so it is important to chill our cream quickly.
⭐️Both the cream and the mascarpone need to be chilled completely to allow it to whip properly.
Finish whisking the cream by hand to give yourself more control and stop whisking the cream early when the cream trails are just about holding their shape.
The finished cake (after you have decorated with the cream but before you top with the nectarines) is best if you leave it up to 24 hours before serving so the filling has time to settle. Top with the nectarines just before serving.
Storing. The finished cake needs to be kept refrigerated due to the fresh cream. If you are decorating the cake in the naked style then the thin layer of cream you spread onto the sponge will help keep the cake from drying out in the fridge. It can be stored up to 3 days.
Make in advance. If you want to make the cake in advance then you could bake and freeze the sponges layers. Wrap in plastic wrap and aluminium foil and you can keep in the freezer for up to 2 months. To thaw then leave for 12 hours at room temperature before unwrapping and decorating.
Ingredient measurements: Please note when you see ‘grams’ listed as opposed to ‘millilitres,’ or any other term of measurement, that is not incorrect. I weigh all of my ingredients, including liquids, for accuracy.
US customary measurements: These US measurements for the ingredients provided are based on a conversion calculator. This recipe was tested with metric measurements and I recommend using a digital scale to weigh ingredients for the most accurate results. READ MORE >>> Why you should always weigh vs measuring with cups
Nutrition information: Please note that the nutrition information provided below is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. It will vary based on the specific ingredients you use. Please seek a professional nutritionist’s advice for further clarification.
The nutrition serving is for 1 slice of cake, assuming the cake is cut into 16 servings.
Nutrition
Calories: 550kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 23g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 142mg | Sodium: 154mg | Potassium: 171mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 1449IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 118mg | Iron: 1mg