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This is a fluffy, moist, and easy Lemon Cake recipe with a lemon buttercream frosting. I made it a lemon sheet cake but you can also make this as a layer cake or even cupcakes. If you love lemon desserts this will be a favorite recipe!
I love love love homemade lemon cake! Lemon desserts in general, really. I spent so many years thinking I hated lemon in dessert that I’m making up for lost time, which is why my Lemon Cake recipe is SO full of flavor from lemon zest and juice in the cake and frosting. I want it for my birthday cake pretty much every year.
I decided to make this a lemon sheet cake instead of layer cake because while layer cakes are gorgeous they’re kind of difficult and hard to serve. Sheet cakes are faster and easier – so I get to eat it sooner!
Lemon Cake Ingredients
- Unsalted butter: Make sure that you start with butter that is softened properly.
- Milk: It’s best to use full fat milk but you can swap nondairy as well. The more fat the milk has the moister your cake. While my normal cake recipes use buttermilk, this recipe doesn’t need it because the lemon juice activates the baking soda.
- Fresh lemon juice: About 2-3 large lemons will do. (I don’t recommend bottled lemon juice. Fresh is best for baking and flavor.)
- Lemon zest from about 2 large lemons. The lemon zest is where all the lemon flavor comes from, your cake will not be lemony enough if you don’t add it!
Click to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions. See below the recipe card for even more information: process shots, variations, FAQ and more.
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Dorothy’s Testing Notes
- Before mixing the batter, it’s best if your eggs are room temperature. This is a trick that helps you batter ome together quicker and helps the eggs stick to the other ingredients!
- If you want even more lemon flavor, feel free to add 1 teaspoon lemon extract to the cake and/or 1/2 teaspoon to the frosting. You can also add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla to the cake if you want.
- Never forget the zest! That’s where the most lemon flavor comes from in any lemon recipe. I love the frosting as written, but you can also add a teaspoon of lemon zest if you want.
- If you want to remove the entire lemon cake from the pan, be sure to line the base of the pan with parchment paper and grease and flour it.
- You know cake is done when a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the cake.
Lemon Cake Recipe
Video
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 3 cups (372g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, , softened
- 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (237ml) milk
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice, (about 2-3 large lemons)
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest, (about 2 large lemons)
- 4 large eggs
For the Frosting:
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, , softened
- 3 cups (339g) powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1-3 tablespoons milk
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13” pan with nonstick cooking spray (the kind with flour) or grease the pan with butter or shortening and flour.
- Stir the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Cream butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl with a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the milk, lemon juice, zest, and eggs to a large measuring cup or bowl. Whisk until combined.
- Add the wet and dry ingredients into the creamed butter in two additions, mixing between each, just until the mixture is combined. Don't over mix!
- Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 25-43 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.
- To make the frosting: cream butter and powdered sugar until crumbly. Add salt, lemon juice and 1 tablespoon milk. Mix until smooth, adding more milk 1 teaspoon at a time until you've reached desired spreading consistency.
- Frost cooled cake and serve.
Notes
- Store cake loosely covered on the counter for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Cake can be frozen for up to 2 months.
- Make sure to use fresh lemon juice, it tastes much better than bottled.
- Don’t omit the lemon zest – that’s where all the lemon flavor comes from.
- Want even more lemon flavor? Add 1 teaspoon lemon extract to the cake and/or 1/2 teaspoon to the frosting.
- It’s best if your eggs are room temperature before mixing.
- This cake can also be baked in three 8-inch pans or two 9-inch pans.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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How to make Lemon Cake
- Once your butter and sugar are creamed, it’ll be fluffy and pale yellow.
- I always whisk the liquid ingredients together before adding them to the cake batter.
- The cake batter will be thick and pale yellow.
- This is written for a 9×13-inch pan (or make a variation, see below).
- To make the buttercream frosting: cream together butter and powdered sugar until crumbly. Add salt, lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of milk. Mix until it’s completely smooth, adding more milk 1 teaspoon at a time until you’ve reached the desired spreading consistency. Frost the cooled cake.
Variations
- You can also bake this recipe in two 9-inch round cake pans or three 8 inch cake pans.
- If you’re looking for lemon pound cakes I have that recipe too, and it’s got a lemon glaze with lemon syrup!
- You can swap out the frosting recipe for cream cheese frosting if you want!
- For even more flavor, frost this with my lemon curd recipe!
FAQs
I don’t recommend cake flour – I have only tested this recipe with all-purpose flour and it comes out light and fluffy.
You can easily substitute Gluten Free AP Flour (a 1:1 mix) for the flour in this recipe.
This cake is delicious! I made two 9inch layers, and frosted it. Even without the extracts, the flavor is wonderful. I’ll definitely make this again.
Glad to know you enjoyed it!!
I cannot wait to make this- btw, your picture of ingredients has the lemon juice with the word chocolate on it.
Oops thank you!
I’d like to half this recipe to make one 8×8″ cake. How long would you recommend reducing the baking time by?
It will be similar time – because the thickness is the same, but check it about halfway through to be sure.
This cake is so moist and flavorful!
Haven’t made this yet but looks and sounds delicious. My brother loves anything orange flavored, so, I think I’m going to try an orange flavored cake for him. I will make the lemon for my family though. Nice Easter desert recipe.
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