Valerie Bertinelli’s English Lemon Cake Gets Extra Tartness From 1 Genius Ingredient
Food Network star Valerie Bertinelli’s English Lemon Cake’s tart, citrus flavor is the perfect snack with an afternoon cup of coffee or tea. Her recipe also features a bit of crunch, thanks to a smattering of sliced almonds.
Its satisfying tartness is due to, of course, lemon zest, but also because of another ingredient you might never have thought to include in a cake.
Bertinelli’s English Lemon Cake is her mother’s recipe
The former One Day at a Time star writes in her cookbook, Valerie’s Home Cooking, that the citrusy flavor in her snack is more pronounced the day after it’s baked. And by the way, Bertinelli knows why you’re interested in this recipe.
“This English Lemon Cake is a wonderfully satisfying sweet after dinner and it’s even better the next day as a lemony pick-me-up with my caffeine around 3 o’clock,” she writes. “That’s the reason you’re looking at this recipe right now.”
She found the recipe in her mother’s recipe card box and after making it herself, knew “there are people like me who occasionally want their cakes to do double duty — to score at dinner and be available for snacking the next day. Here it is. … Thanks, Mom!”
Valerie Bertinelli’s cake gets extra lemony tartness from one ingredient
Bertinelli’s dessert is a true pantry dream.
It calls for granulated sugar, unsalted butter, large eggs, all-purpose flour, baking powder, kosher salt, whole milk, slivered almonds, lemon zest, powdered sugar, optional whipped cream, and the ingredient that gives the cake a jolt of citrus flavor, undiluted frozen lemonade concentrate.
“The reason this cake works is the pound-cake texture,” she added. “It’s delicious, with good lemon flavor and tasty almonds for a little crunch.”
Get the complete recipe on Valerie Bertinelli’s website.
Her Lemon Love Cake is a creamier dessert
Bertinelli clearly enjoys the citrus flavor profile in her desserts and her Lemon Love Cake is another example.
Rich and creamy, this dessert is easy to make thanks to a couple of help-a-home-cook-out shortcuts.
In addition to the zest and juice from one lemon, canola oil, two full pounds of ricotta cheese, a pound of mascarpone cheese, four eggs, about a cup of sugar, vanilla extract, and whole milk, this cake gets done quickly with lemon-flavored boxed cake mix and the frosting ingredient that gives the cake its delectable flavor: instant lemon pudding mix.
Many reviewers loved the snack’s richness from the cheeses, with one saying, “I made this cake for Easter Sunday. It was a complete hit! It was very light. With the cheeses, it had a taste of cheesecake. Will definitely make again! Keep on cooking Valerie!”
Another noted that it just wasn’t lemony enough for their taste: “This cake is awesome, however, there are some things to take note of. This is a make-ahead cake. It is much better when it has been refrigerated. … I also added lemon extract to the cake mix, cheese layer, and frosting to make it more lemony. Overall, great recipe.”
Get the complete recipe, video, and reviews on Food Network’s website.
