Simple Spelt AirFryer Lemon Cake

This spelt Airfryer lemon cake was surprisingly good. Light, soft sponge with a hint of lemon. Simple, quick and delicious. Finished off with just a sprinkling of icing sugar.

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This spelt AirFryer lemon cake was quite the revelation. I am no stranger to the perks of air frying, and although I am not 100% certain (and don’t wish to sound all boastful), I am pretty sure I was one of the first people making doughnuts in them (way back in 2016).

When starting to write this post, I had to Google whether you spelt it air fryer or airfryer (can you tell I am on holiday with not a great deal to occupy myself with?). I found that the original airfryer made by Phillips is actually written as AirFryer, which I didn’t know.

My first ever airfryer was actually an Actifry. And of course, we have the new kid in town, the Ninja. My AirFryer is on its last legs, so I am considering seeing what the fuss is all about. 

I absolutely love my AirFryer: the chips (fries) are so crispy and divine, and my kids love their chicken wings. Leftover pizza is also fantastic warmed up in an air fryer. But cake? Hmm, that was a new one on me.

I saw a recipe for one on Foodgawker and decided that I needed to try one for myself. By the way, talking of Foodgawker, is it okay for me to blow my own trumpet for a second? My gorgeous little dark chocolate marshmallow brownie recipe is their most gawked this week. So thrilling!

Making a cake in an Airfryer

Anyway, back to the cake. Gotta be honest: I didn’t have high hopes. First off, I am used to baking cakes in the oven, so have a fair bit of knowledge about temperatures and times, but an AirFryer is something else entirely.

It sounds silly, but I had this irrational fear that the AirFryer might somehow blow up because it had a cake tin inside it, and for the first few minutes, actually stayed well away from it. I know, I am a lost cause. And, no. There were no explosions, and I live to write this blog post.

I decided that I would use the same recipe used for my strawberry pound cake. This time though, make it in an 18cm / 7″ pan. This cake is not going to win any prizes for impressiveness or decadence (I will leave that to my chocolate overload cake). However, there was a simplistic beauty in its one layer. It was dense, fluffy and melt in the mouth delicious. It completely surpassed my expectations. 

No bells and whistles for the decoration, either. All it needed was a sprinkling of icing sugar, a touch of lemon zest and a couple of lemon slices. 

I am excited at the endless possibilities now. The cake was so good, but I am interested to see what else I could make, and how the recipe and cooking could be improved on. But if you’re looking for a nice slice to go with your cuppa, then I thoroughly recommend this spelt AirFryer lemon cake.

This recipe features in my 31 spectacular spelt flour cake recipes. Which one is your favourite?

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Spelt AirFryer Lemon Cake

Servings 6 slices

Equipment

• Airfryer

Ingredients

Cake:

• 55g (¼ cup) butter (room temperature)
• 80g (⅓ cup) sugar
• 1 medium egg (room temperature)
• 120g (1 cup) spelt flour (see note 1)
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
• 60ml (¼ cup) milk
• juice of half a medium lemon

Decoration:

• sprinkling of icing sugar
• zest of half a lemon
• lemon slices (optional)

Instructions

• Prepare a small baking pan (mine was a 18cm (7") springform) by greasing and using baking paper on the bottom of the pan.
• Using an electric mixer or food processor, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (around 3-4 minutes). Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
• Whisk the egg in, until well incorporated.
• Combine the flour, baking powder and baking soda and then add to the wet ingredients. Stir just until combined.
• Whisk together the milk and lemon juice and pour in. Don't over mix, just stir until everything is combined.
• Pour into the prepared pan and place it in your air fryer on 155℃ (311℉) for around 25 minutes. Check every now and again to make sure it's not browning too quickly on top. The cake is ready when an inserted skewer comes out clean.
• Allow to cool in the pan for around ten minutes, then remove the outer edge (if using a springform). After about 30 minutes, turn the cake out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
• Sprinkle with icing sugar, a little lemon zest, and cut the lemon into slices and arrange on the cake for decoration (optional).

Notes

 

I have converted grams to cups/ounces/tablespoons using online converters. Although I have no reason to believe they are inaccurate, please be aware that I have not made this recipe with imperial measurements.

 

1. You can use regular flour instead of spelt. I often interchange spelt and regular flour (and have never had any issues at all), but for the sake of transparency, I have not made this recipe with anything other than spelt flour.