homemade lemon cake

This light and lemony scratch lemon cake is so moist and flavorful! I love it year-round, but especially in the spring and summer months! This has been one of our most popular recipes over the years!

Lemon Cake from Scratch

(12T) (170 grams) unsalted butter, softened

(300 grams) sugar

flour

(3 grams) salt

(7 grams) baking powder

(3 grams) baking soda

(242 g) milk

(57 grams) lemon juice

(53 grams) vegetable oil

lemons

Tablespoon (10 grams) lemon extract

** flour flour

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Grease and flour two 8 inch pans (...

Grease and flour two 8 inch pans ( my pans are 2 inches deep). You could also divide the batter between three 8 inch pans for slightly thinner layers which allows for an additional layer of filling.

In a medium sized bowl add the flour,...

In a medium sized bowl add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and zest of 2 lemons. Whisk to blend and set aside.

In another bowl, add the milk, vegetable oil...

In another bowl, add the milk, vegetable oil and lemon juice, and lemon extract. Whisk to blend and set aside.

In the bowl of your mixer, beat the...

In the bowl of your mixer, beat the softened butter until smooth. Gradually add the sugar and mix on medium speed 3 to 5 minutes until it is lightened in color and fluffy.

Add the eggs one at a time, mixing...

Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until the yellow of the yolk disappears.

Add the flour mixture and the milk mixture...

Add the flour mixture and the milk mixture alternately. Begin and end with the flour (3 additions of flour and 2 of milk). Mix until combined and smooth, do not mix above medium speed or over mix.

Pour the batter into the prepared pans, smoothing...

Pour the batter into the prepared pans, smoothing the tops with the back of a spoon. Bake at 350 degrees. If baking three 8 inch pans, bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. For two 8 inch pans, bake at 350 for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with only a few crumbs attached. Let the cakes cool in the pans 10 minutes then turn out.

For the cake pictured in this post, we...

For the cake pictured in this post, we piped a dam of lemon cream cheese frosting about 1/4 inch inside the edge of the first layer. We spread a thin layer of lemon curd frosting, piped and spread a layer of lemon cream cheese frosting on top of it, and added the top cake layer. We thinly crumb coated the cake with our lemon cream cheese frosting before piping large rosettes all over the cake (use a 2D or 1M tip).

This Triple Lemon Cake recipe is easy and so, so good. A fluffy, sweet and perfectly tangy lemon cake topped with homemade buttercream frosting.

Triple Lemon Cake

all purpose flour

sugar

tsp baking powder

tsp baking soda

tsp salt

eggs

vegetable oil

lemon juice

sour cream

lemon juice (about 1-2 lemons)

tsp finely grated lemon zest

tbsp butter (I used unsalted)

butter

shortening

(3 lbs) powdered sugar

vanilla

water –

1. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl and whisk together.

2.Add eggs, oil and lemon juice. Beat until smooth.

4. Bake at 350 degrees in two 8-inch pans for about 25 minutes or until done.

CAKE:

1. Combine all ingredients in a double boiler (or in a metal bowl over a pot of simmering water, like I did).

2. Heat while stirring constantly with a whisk.

3. It is done when it&#8217;s thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. You will be able to tell it has thickened, but I wouldn&#8217;t say that it&#8217;s &#8220;thick.&#8221;

LEMON CURD:

1. Beat butter and shortening together until smooth.

2. Add 6 cups of powdered sugar, one at a time, beating to combine.

3. Add lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla and combine.

4. Add the remaining powdered sugar and beat to combine.

5. Add water to get the consistency you want, starting with 1/2 tsp, beat to combine.

LEMON BUTTERCREAM:

1. Divide the cake into four layers by slicing each cake in half.

2. Fill two layers with lemon buttercream and the other two with lemon curd.

TO ASSEMBLE THE CAKE:

How far in advance can I make the cake? 
I'm making it for a 50th wedding aniversary on Saturday but need to decorate and I am working on thd Friday so need to make weds/ Thurs ?
Will it be OK??

This was great! I quartered the recipe and made cupcakes out of it. I hollowed out the center of the cupcakes and filled with the lemon curd. I also didn’t have fresh lemons so I subbed with bottled lemon juice and dried lemon peel. Delish!

I’ve made your recipe many times and everyone loves it. But, The layers I baked yesterday were not to my satisfaction. Could you tell me how many grams of flour are in one of “your cups” ?  A cup of flour could range from 120-145g per cup depending on how one places the flour in a measuring cup. Thanks so much

Soft, fluffy, and incredibly moist, this lemon layer cake is packed with fresh lemon flavor and finished with a tangy cream cheese frosting.

Lemon Layer Cake (Super Moist, Soft &amp; Fluffy)

(270 g) cake flour

(300 grams) granulated white sugar

baking powder

baking soda

salt

eggs (room temperature)

(180 grams) vegetable oil

(180 grams) buttermilk (room temperature)

(80 grams) fresh lemon juice

lemon

vanilla bean paste

¼ tsp lemon extract ((optional but recommended for extra flavor))

(61 grams) lemon juice

white sugar

(226 grams) full-fat cream cheese (softened

(113 grams) salted butter (softened)

lemon extract ((optional but recommended for extra flavor))

Grease

Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease three 6-inch cake pans or two 8-inch cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, add the granulated sugar and lemon zest. Use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar until it becomes fragrant and slightly damp. This releases the natural oils and enhances the lemon flavor.

Add the eggs to the lemon sugar and whisk for about 1 minute until slightly pale. Slowly stream in the oil while whisking until fully combined and smooth.

Whisk

Whisk in the buttermilk, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and lemon extract (if using).

Add the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt directly into the bowl. Whisk just until combined and smooth. Do not overmix.

Divide

Divide batter evenly between the prepared pans . Bake 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.

Cool

Allow cakes to cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to cool.

Lemon Cake

Combine

While the cakes are baking, combine lemon juice and sugar in a small saucepan.

Warm

Warm over low heat until the sugar completely dissolves. Do not boil. You can also heat in the microwave.

Brush

Brush the syrup lightly over warm cake layers using a pastry brush. Allow the cakes to completly cool before frosting.

Lemon Syrup

Beat

Beat cream cheese and butter together for 2–3 minutes until smooth and creamy.

Add powdered sugar one cup at a time, mixing on low speed until incorporated.

Mix in lemon juice, vanilla, and salt. Add lemon extract if using.

Beat until smooth and fluffy. Taste the frosting and adjust based on your preference. If the frosting is too soft add more powder sugar or place in the refrigerator to solidify more. If the frosting is too thick add cream or more lemon juice.

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Level

Level cake layers if needed, and place the first layer on a cake stand or plate.

Spread

Spread frosting evenly over the top. Add the next layer and repeat.

Frost

Frost the outside of the cake as desired. Garnish with fresh lemon zest or thin lemon slices. Enjoy!

Assemble the Cake

Best Lemon Cake Recipe!!!
My whole family loved it! It was the best dessert this Easter dinner!
Thank you.

Tastes great! My young kids had a blast helping me and it was an easy recipe for them to follow

I made this for my birthday today and it is so good. It’s moist, devious and smells scrumptious. I think I over mixed it because it caved in the middle. I don’t care thought because it was that good. So thank you for this amazing recipe.

Can you bake a cake without eggs….as we are vegetarian means no eggs pleeeeease…….

Love this cake!! The best cake I’ve ever made! My family loved it! The icing was a perfect fit. Thank you for sharing!!!

I made a lemon loaf and mini cupcakes- they baked in 8minutes. A regular sozed cupcake might be 10-12 minutes

We used a lemon drizzle and it was absolutely perfect. Also added some poppy seeds and baked in a loaf pan.

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Lemon Cake from Scratch

Triple Lemon Cake

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Top 3 homemade lemon cake recipes from across the web

The most viewed homemade lemon cake recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Lemon Cake from Scratch

Triple Lemon Cake

Lemon Layer Cake (Super Moist, Soft...

The most viewed homemade lemon cake recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine