Phyllo Dough Lemon Crinkle Cake
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This delicious and refreshing Lemon Crinkle Cake is an easy dessert made with phyllo dough, butter, lemon, and egg custard. It has a nice crunch at the top and a sweet, tender bottom.
Why You’ll Love This Cake
Unique – When people think of a lemon cake they think of a traditional cake not a “cake” made of phyllo dough and a lemony egg custard.
Textures – This cake has a mixture of amazing textures from the crunchy, crispy top to the soft, tender custard bottom.
Quick and Simple – This recipe looks so complicated when it’s put together. People will think you worked all day to make put this cake together, but it really it doesn’t take long at all.
Ingredients
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Ingredients
See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for all ingredients and quantities.
- Phyllo dough – You can buy this in the refrigerator section at most grocery stores. Each roll comes with multiple sheets. Keep this covered with a slightly damp paper towel while working on this cake otherwise they’ll dry out and crumble.
- Lemon extract – This is a must in the custard. I didn’t use fresh lemon juice in the custard because it will become too runny, so to get the lemon flavor I wanted, I grabbed the lemon extract. The same goes for the glaze.
- Fresh lemon – You will still need one fresh lemon for this recipe though. The zest from the outside will add a nice tang to the custard and the juice will be added to the glaze to thin it.
Substitutions and Variations
- You can substitute out the lemon extract out for a different flavored extracts or leave it out completely along with the lemon zest for a plain vanilla flavored crinkle cake.
- You can use a 9×9 square baking dish instead of a 9-inch round cake pan if needed.
NOTE: This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations
How to make Lemon Crinkle Cake
Prep your 9 inch round cake pan and preheat the oven.
Step 1: Grabbing one sheet of phyllo dough at a time, fold it like you would a paper fan. Place it against the side of the pan, working from the outer edge to the center. Repeat until the phyllo is all used.
Step 2: Brush the melted butter in all of the crevices using a pastry brush until all of the butter is on the phyllo sheets.Place the pan into the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes until golden.
Step 3: In a large bowl, whisk up the eggs, milk, sugar, lemon zest, vanilla and lemon extracts, and salt until the eggs are well combined.
Step 4: Pour the custard mixture on top of the phyllo dough and place back in the oven for an additional 25 minutes or until the custard is set.
Step 5: Let the cake cool and once it’s cooled, whip up the glaze by whisking together the powdered sugar, lemon extract, and fresh lemon juice to a small bowl.
Step 6: Drizzle the glaze on top of the cooled crinkle cake.
Tips and Tricks
How to Store and Freeze
Store the baked lemon crinkle cake covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. The cake will begin to soften after 3 hours, so it’s best eaten immediately.
I don’t recommend freezing this phyllo dough cake since it will become incredibly soggy in the thawing process.
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Lemon Crinkle Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 roll phyllo dough 9” x 14”
- ½ cup butter melted
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup whole milk
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Glaze
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grab a 9-inch round cake pan.
- Unroll the phyllo dough and lay it on a damp but not dripping wet paper towel to make it easier to keep damp and prevent tearing. Place a second damp paper on top of the dough.
- Grab 1 piece of dough at a time, crinkle it accordion style like a foldable hand fan and place it against the side of the pan, working from the outside of the round pan to the inside creating small phyllo dough circles towards the center. **If any pieces tear, they work great for the center!
- Using a pastry brush, brush the melted butter over the tops and into the crevices of the folds of dough until the butter is used up.
- Place the pan of phyllo dough in the preheated oven and bake for 10-15 minutes until it’s golden.
- While the dough is baking, add the eggs to a large bowl. Whisk until combined.
- Add the milk and sugar. Continue whisking until smooth.
- Whisk in the lemon zest, vanilla, and lemon extract and salt until combined.
- Once the dough is baked and golden, pour the custard in an even layer over all the cake and place it back in the oven to bake for an additional 20-25 minutes, until it’s golden brown and the custard is set.
- Remove from the oven and allow the crinkle cake to cool.
Glaze
- Once the cake is cooled, make the glaze.
- In a small bowl, add the powdered sugar, lemon extract, and lemon juice. Whisk until smooth. Drizzle over the top of the cake and serve!
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. It will begin to soften after 3 to 4 hours.
Notes
Nutrition
(Nutrition facts are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietitian for special diet advice.)
