Flourless Italian Almond-Lemon Cake (Gluten Free)

This is a recipe from The Spruce Eats that I have simplified and scaled down to a 6-inch cake pan. If you don’t yet have a 6-inch cake pan, I highly recommend getting one! They are the perfect size for creating fun deserts, without ending up with so much you don’t know what to do with it all! This almond meal based cake is super moist without any oil or butter, so that practically makes it healthy! With a refreshing lemon flavor, this cake is an excellent way to brighten up winter!

Ingredients:

• 2 regular sized Meyer lemons
• 1/2 pound raw unsalted almonds, ground into a fine meal (pre-purchased almond meal works fine, or grind your own in a food processor)
• 4 eggs (yolks and whites separated)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 tablespoons powdered sugar

Instructions:

1. Wash the lemons well. Add them to a pot with enough water to cover and simmer for 1 hour.
2. Remove the lemons and allow them to cool enough to handle, then cut in half and scoop out any seeds.
3. Using a food processor or good blender, grind the lemons, skin and all, into a paste.
4. Scoop out the lemon paste, and press it through a fine mesh strainer using the back of a spoon.
5. Preheat the oven to 360 degrees F.
6. Soak a sheet of parchment paper with water, crumple it and wring it out. Use it to line a 6-inch cake pan.
7. In a medium bowl, beat the egg yolks and granulated sugar until pale yellow and frothy, about 3 minutes.
8. Beat the lemon cream and almond meal into the egg yolk mixture. At this point, I would recommend trying the batter if you are comfortable to eating raw eggs to make sure it is not too bitter. Add more sugar if you think it is needed, then set aside.
9. In a separate, clean, dry bowl, whip the egg whites to firm peaks.
10. Gently fold the whites and baking powder into the lemon mixture.
11. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
12. Bake for about 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out a bit sticky but without batter clinging to it. Watch that it doesn’t get overly brown. If cake is not yet done, but looking very brown, turn down the oven to 300 degrees.
13. When cake looks to be done, turn off the oven and open the over door for a few minutes so cake can begin to cool slowly. This will help avoid the top caving in, as happened to the cake in my photo.
14. Once the oven is mostly cool, remove cake and cool the rest of the way on a baking rack.
15. Once the cake is completely cool, dust with confectioners sugar and enjoy!