This Lemon Cake Is a Reader Favourite!

Lemon Cake

Lemon Cake with lemon cream cheese frosting is sunshine served on a plate! Completely candy and melt-in-your-mouth tender, this lemon cake recipe is positively bursting with vivid citrus taste.

Why You’ll Love This Lemon Layer Cake

• The Texture is PERFECT. The crumb is moist and fluffy, but it surely nonetheless holds collectively once you reduce into it. (If you happen to like a extra dense, buttery cake, do that Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake.)
• Recent, Lemony Taste. The lemon is popping and current, but balanced. (If you happen to favor extra pucker in your lemon desserts, try the very best Lemon Bars and Lemon Tart.) After which there’s the frosting! It’s not overly candy, because of the tang of the cream cheese and lemon juice.
• Presentation. The layers are straightforward to work with, the cake slices neatly, and it seems lovely on a plate—all vital in terms of a celebratory layer cake for a birthday, anniversary, or simply since you deserve it.
• Price It. Let’s be sincere, selfmade cake takes effort. Making this lemon cake from scratch is 100% value it. You’ve known as it “completely fluffy,” “spectacular,” and even baked it for weddings. It’s THAT GOOD!

Learn how to Make Lemon Cake from Scratch

The Elements

For the Lemon Cake Batter

• Cake Flour. It’s floor further high-quality and has a decrease gluten content material than all-purpose flour, leading to a lighter, fluffier cake with a young, extra delicate crumb. If you happen to don’t have cake flour, you may make your individual by swapping in some cornstarch (see recipe notes).
• Egg Whites. One other key part for the cake’s mild texture (save the yolks to make Banana Ice Cream).
• Buttermilk. Helps create a young crumb.
• Lemon Zest + Lemon Extract. Lemon extract has a concentrated taste, which helps the lemon shine.
• Butter. How does lemon cake style like pure melt-in-your-mouth goodness? Butter is the reply! It provides wealthy taste and ensures a moist lemon cake recipe.

For the Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

• Cream Cheese. It offers the frosting physique, balances the sweetness, and offers it a pleasantly tangy taste.
• Butter. Offers the frosting some construction and delicate richness.
• Powdered Sugar. Provides sweetness with out taking it over the sting.
• Lemon Juice + Lemon Zest. Daring, vivid, and zippy lemon taste.
• Vanilla. I like utilizing vanilla in lemon recipes as a result of it enhances the flavour.

The Instructions

1. Sift the Dry Elements. Sifting is essential for a light-weight, tender cake.
2. Mix the Buttermilk and Egg Whites. These are your moist components.

3. Cream the Butter and Sugar. Together with the lemon zest and extract.

4. Alternate Dry/Moist/Dry. First half of the dry components go into the creamed butter, then the moist, then the remainder of the dry.

5. Bake. You may make this a layer cake, or see beneath for extra sizes.

6. Let Cool. If you happen to frost when the cake continues to be heat, the frosting will slide off.

7. Frost. Don’t fear if doesn’t look good, it’ll style superb!

Recipe Variations

• Lemon Cake with Lemon Curd. Use lemon curd between the layers, then unfold the lemon cream cheese frosting on the cake’s outdoors.
• Lemon Blueberry Cake. Gently fold blueberries into the batter (coat them with a bit flour first to forestall sinking).
• Lemon Raspberry Cake. Unfold a skinny layer of seedless raspberry jam between the layers, instantly on high of the frosting. Adorn with contemporary raspberries.
• Lemon Strawberry Cake. Thinly slice strawberries and pat dry. Layer them within the middle with the cream cheese frosting. Adorn with extra contemporary strawberry slices.
• To Use Cake Combine. See Grandma Dorothy’s top-rated Lemon Poke Cake, among the finest lemon cake recipes with cake combine.
• To Make It Gluten-Free. If you happen to’re in search of a gluten-free lemon cake, strive my crowd-pleasing Almond Flour Cake with Lemon as an alternative, or make this lemon cake with a measure-for-measure gluten-free flour.

Baking in Different Pan Sizes

• Lemon Cupcakes. Readers have reported they’ve used this recipe to make 24-26 standard-size cupcakes. Bake on the similar temperature for about 16 minutes. You’ll want to use paper liners so that they don’t stick.
• 9-Inch Pans. Comply with the recipe (which is written for 8-inch pans) as directed, checking a number of minutes early. Be aware that your layers will probably be thinner.
• Mini Layer Cake. Halve the recipe, then bake in two 6-inch cake pans. Test a number of minutes early.
• Lemon Sheet Cake. This cake recipe doesn’t yield fairly sufficient batter for a full 9×13-inch pan, however if you happen to don’t thoughts a cake that’s considerably thinner, you may experiment with it as is, or strive making 1.5 instances the recipe. Bake it on the similar temperature indicated within the recipe, however you’ll want to test early, as it would end extra rapidly. *NOTE* I’ve not tried this myself, so it might be an experiment. I like to recommend studying by way of the feedback additionally, as a number of readers have shared experiences with baking the cake in assorted pan sizes.

Recipe Ideas and Tips

• Make Certain Your Elements are All Room Temperature. Particularly the eggs and butter. Room temperature components mix extra simply, permitting for higher incorporation of air, leading to a fluffier cake.
• Sure, You Should Sift. It aerates the flour, ensures a fair distribution of components, and in the end offers your cake a lighter texture.
• Don’t Be Temped to Add Lemon Juice. Whilst you can add lemon juice to some truffles (like this Lemon Poppy Seed Cake), it’s vital that the recipe was developed for it, as it’ll alter the acidity stage, affecting the rise of the cake. If you happen to can’t discover lemon extract, go for further zest within the cake reasonably than swapping lemon juice.
• Test Expiration Dates. To make sure that your cake tastes nice and rises correctly, test the expiration dates in your baking components (particularly the baking powder) to verify they’re nonetheless contemporary.
• Serve at Room Temperature. If attainable, serve this at room temperature for the very best lemon taste. Because it’s saved within the fridge, I prefer to take it out earlier than we sit right down to dinner to provide it enough time to heat up previous to dessert.

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Lemon Cake

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One of the best lemon cake recipe on the planet! A buttery, moist cake bursting with lemon taste and topped with lemon cream cheese frosting.

Course Dessert

Delicacies American

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook dinner Time 35 minutes minutes

Complete Time 3 hours hours

Servings 12 servings

Energy 479kcal

Writer Erin Clarke / Properly Plated

Elements

FOR THE LEMON CAKE:

• 2 1/4 cups cake flour*
• 1 tablespoon baking powder (I like to recommend aluminum free)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/4 cups low-fat buttermilk
• 4 giant egg whites
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
• 1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature (equal to eight tablespoons or 4 ounces)
• 1/2 teaspoon pure lemon extract

FOR THE LEMON CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:

• 8 ounces  cream cheese softened
• 1 stick unsalted butter softened (equal to eight tablespoons or 4 ounces)
• 2 3/4  cups powdered sugar sifted
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice divided (from about 1/2 a big lemon)
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

• Place a rack within the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 levels F. Butter and flour two 8×2-inch spherical cake pans, line with parchment paper, then butter the parchment too.
• In a medium bowl, sift collectively the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate medium bowl or giant measuring cup, whisk collectively the buttermilk and egg whites till mixed.
  
• Place the granulated sugar and lemon zest within the bowl of a standing mixer or a big mixing bowl and rub them collectively together with your fingers till the sugar is moist and aromatic. Add the butter and beat on medium velocity for 3 full minutes, till very mild and fluffy. Beat within the lemon extract.
  
• Beating on medium velocity, add one-third of the flour combination, then half of the egg/buttermilk combination and beat till mixed. Nonetheless beating on medium velocity, add the subsequent third of the dry components, then the remaining eggs/buttermilk. Beat till the batter is easy, then add the remaining dry components. Beat for two extra minutes on medium velocity, guaranteeing the batter could be very nicely mixed and that loads of air has been crushed into it.
  
• Divide the batter evenly between the 2 pans and easy the tops with a rubber or offset spatula. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or till the truffles are nicely risen, spring again flippantly when touched, and a small knife inserted into the middle comes out clear.
  
• Place the cake pans on a wire rack and let cool 5 minutes, then run a boring knife across the sides of the cake to loosen. Gently invert the cake into your hand in order that it comes out of the pan, take away the paper liner, then place the cake instantly again onto the wire rack, backside (flat) facet down and right-side up. Let cool to room temperature.
  
• Put together the frosting: Utilizing a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter collectively on medium velocity till easy and no lumps stay, about 3 full minutes. Scale back the mixer velocity to low, then add the powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla extract, and salt. As soon as the sugar begins to include, enhance the mixer to excessive velocity and beat for 3 minutes. Add the remaining tablespoon lemon juice to skinny if desired.
  
• Frost the cake: First, utilizing a big serrated knife, trim the tops off the cake layers to create a flat floor. Place 1 layer in your cake plate or stand. Tuck wax or parchment paper strips beneath the perimeters of the cake to guard the plate. Evenly cowl the highest with lemon cream cheese frosting. Place the second cake layer on high, cut-side down. High with extra frosting and unfold the frosting down across the sides. Adorn as desired. You may slice the cake straight away, however for the cleanest reduce, refrigerate the frosted cake or place in a cool room for 40 minutes to set. Let the cake come as near room temperature as attainable previous to serving—serving chilly may cause a few of the contemporary lemon taste to be onerous to style.
  

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Notes

• *Cake flour is vital for this recipe to make sure the layers are further fluffy and lightweight. If you happen to don’t have cake flour, you may make your individual by measuring 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, eradicating 5 tablespoons of the measured flour, including 5 tablespoons of cornstarch, then sifting the combination collectively 5 instances. Measure out the two 1/4 c. wanted for the recipe, then bake as directed.
• To Make Forward. Bake the cake layers as much as 1 day upfront, allow them to cool utterly, then wrap hermetic. Retailer them at room temperature till able to frost. Frosting could be ready 1 day upfront and saved in an hermetic storage container within the fridge.
• To Retailer. Cowl the cake, and retailer it within the fridge for as much as 2 days. Let it come to room temperature earlier than serving.
• To Freeze. Freeze your frosted or unfrosted cake for as much as 2 months. Let it thaw in a single day within the fridge, then deliver it to room temperature earlier than serving.
• Doubling. Please see FAQs (beneath), scale back the baking powder to five 1/2 teaspoons (not 2 tablespoons), and double at your individual danger.
• Different Pan Sizes. See notes in weblog put up (above) relating to baking this recipe as cupcakes or in a differently-sized pan.

Diet

Serving: 1(of 12) | Energy: 479kcal | Carbohydrates: 73g | Protein: 6g | Fats: 19g | Saturated Fats: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 1g | Monounsaturated Fats: 5g | Trans Fats: 1g | Ldl cholesterol: 52mg | Potassium: 235mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 54g | Vitamin A: 588IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 111mg | Iron: 1mg

Extra Lemon Dessert Recipes

If you happen to take pleasure in lemon as a lot as I do, you’ll love these different lemon dessert recipes:

Pies

Grammy’s Lemon Cream Pie

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Desserts

Lemon Cheesecake Bars

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Cookies

Lemon Coconut Thumbprint Cookies

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