Limoncello, as a liquor, has a wonderfully pleasant sweet-tart tang that acts as a soothing palate cleanser in between courses, which is one of the reasons we love to use it in desserts. The refreshing taste and moist texture of this cake will delight even those without a sweet tooth. Don’t try to save time and skip out on soaking the cake with the lemon-sugar juice and glaze—these two steps provide enormous flavor and will surely be missed.
Makes: 10 servings
Preheat oven to 350˚ F. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan and line with parchment paper. Grease pan again and dust lightly with flour.
In bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar on medium until light and airy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, scrapping down batter so it is evenly mixed. Add almond extract and lemon zest and mix for an additional 30 seconds.
In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together milk and 3 tablespoons Limoncello. Add 1/3 of dry ingredients to butter and sugar mixture, and mix until just combined. Add half of liquid mixture and mix. Repeat alternating ingredients, beginning and ending with the dry mixture. Mix until just combined.
Place batter in cake pan and bake in oven for 45 to 50 minutes, until tops are light brown and cake tester comes out clean.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, cook lemon juice and remaining 1/3 cup sugar until sugar has completely dissolved. Remove from heat and add remaining tablespoon of Limoncello.
In a small bowl, mix together confectioners’ sugar and remaining 3 tablespoons lemon juice until lumps have dissolved and glaze has formed.
Allow cake to cool for 10 minutes after removing from oven. Slowly and evenly pour lemon and sugar mixture from saucepan over cake. Allow to sit for 15 minutes. Add glaze evenly over cake. Cut into slices and serve with sorbet or gelato.
