Make Ahead

Whole Lemon with Blueberry and Pistachio

October 31, 2020
5
1 Ratings
Photo by Justine Lee
  • Prep time 15 minutes
  • Cook time 1 hour 50 minutes
  • Makes 1 6-inch round cake
Author Notes

This cake combines two of my favorite things: whole citrus fruit and mini desserts! My source of my inspiration was Claudia Roden's Whole Orange Cake, which cooks the entire orange fruit (peel, flesh, and pith) and then blends it into a smooth puree that is then combined with almond flour for an absolutely tender crumb bursting with a fruity yet earthy flavor. A whole lemon takes the place of orange in my adaptation. Paired with the zesty lemon are poppyseeds, blueberries, and pistachios for added textural complexity that gives the cake a spectacular chew. —Justine Lee

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Ingredients
  • 1 medium lemon
  • 1 large egg
  • 100 grams granulated sugar (1 cup)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 130 grams almond flour
  • 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
  • 40 grams pistachios, roughly chopped (1/3 cup)
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 6 inch cake pan with cooking spray and line bottom with a parchment round.
  2. Wash and boil lemon on medium heat for 1 hour until very soft.
  3. Let lemon cool cut enough to handle and place in a food processor or high speed blender. Puree until well combined.
  4. In a medium bowl, combine eggs and sugar. Add in the baking powder and almond flour. Fold in lemon puree. Add in poppy seeds and most of the blueberries and pistachios. Mix together ingredients until well combined or until no lumps remain.
  5. Transfer mixture into prepared pan and smooth the top. Top with remaining blueberries and pistachios, lightly pressing each piece into the batter for full adhesion. Bake until edges are golden and a knife inserted comes out clean, 45-50 minutes.
  6. Allow cake to cool completely before removing from pan and serving.

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Food writer, late-night baker, year-round iced coffee drinker.

5 Reviews

sdebrango August 11, 2021
Hi Justine; Wanted to clarify, your ingredients call for 1 tsp of a large egg. Do you mean 1 large egg? Also in instructions it says eggs. Thanks so much and the recipe sounds delicious.
Justine L. August 11, 2021
thanks for pointing that out!! I just adjusted to reflect that the recipe uses 1 large egg.
sdebrango August 11, 2021
It sounds delicious!!
bookjunky February 26, 2021
No blueberries in ingredients list
Justine L. February 26, 2021
so sorry! I will revise that. But I used 1/2 cup for the batter plus a few pieces for the topping