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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!
Homemade Lemon Sheet Cake
I love love love 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 this Lemon Cake is SO full of flavor. 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!
This lemon cake recipe has tons of lemon flavor in the moist and tender cake but it also has a lemon buttercream frosting – so much citrus flavor in every bite!
Ingredients Needed
- Flour – The recipe uses all-purpose flour.
- Unsalted butter – Make sure that your butter 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 – don’t use bottled lemon juice. Fresh is best for baking and flavor.
- Lemon zest – 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!
How to make lemon cake
- To start, preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13” pan with nonstick cooking spray- the kind that has flour in it. Or grease the pan with butter. You can also use shortening and flour.
- Cream the butter, granulated sugar, and lemon zest in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream on medium speed until everything is light and fluffy.
- Add the milk, lemon juice, and eggs to a large measuring cup or bowl. Whisk thoroughly until the ingredients are combined.
- Add the wet and dry ingredients into the creamed butter in two separate parts. Alternate adding the milk mixture and flour mixture, beating on low speed until they’re all combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 25-43 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Make sure you cool completely before frosting.
- 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.
Expert Tips
- Make sure to use fresh lemon juice, this will make your cake nice and moist.
- 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.
- Never forget the zest! That’s where the most lemon flavor comes from.
- If you want to remove the entire cake from the pan, be sure to line the base of the pan with parchment paper and grease and flour it.
FAQs
Usually when a cake isn’t fluffy it’s because the butter and sugar weren’t creamed properly together. When butter is creamed, air is pushed into it which makes it fluffy and aerated- hence a cake that is nice and fluffy.
Yes you can absolutely freeze cake, make sure you keep it in an airtight container in the freezer!
This cake will last around 5 days, it will still be fine after, but you will notice the moisture starts to get sucked out so you won’t want to eat it much after 5 days.
Lemon Cake Recipe
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.
Recipe Video
Recipe 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.
Recipe Nutrition
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!
Favorite Lemon Desserts
Last Updated on February 9, 2024
Haha! I might even eat one slice every time I walk by it. This looks amazing! I have been craving lemon desserts (or snacks :p) all week!
Thank you!
I think this snack cake is my new favorite thing too! I have ZERO self control around lemon desserts and am completely smitten with these gorgeous photos! Love the berries and the glaze! Eeks – I think it would 1 slice per 10 minutes for me 🙂
I live in Salt Lake City and the high altitude makes cakes, bars and cookies bake differently. How can I adapt your Lemon Bar recipe for high altitude baking?
I’m sorry, I’ve never baked at high altitude. I found this website that might be helpful: http://www.bettycrocker.com/how-to/tipslibrary/baking-tips/baking-cooking-high-altitudes.
Ummm I am always drooling when I walk through the bakery at the grocery store! I pretty much want one of everything in the display case no matter how full I am! It’s not good… haha
Gosh this sounds SO GOOD! I’ll take 2 pieces, please. Since it is a snack cake after all 😉
Sigh….. what I wouldn’t give for a slice of this cake right now. I really need to not read your posts at 10:00 in the morning at work, its just not fair to put delicious goodies in front of my face when I can’t have them!!
This looks amazing, girl. We love Almond Breeze, also Blue Diamond Almonds. Love the fresh touch of raspberries on top!
Wait, I thought snack cake meant I can snack on several pieces in the afternoon! I totally am with you on the grocery store shopping while hungry. I’ve ended up spending $30-40 on snacks with no actual substantial groceries before.
Um, that’s exactly how I look at it! 🙂
Oh goodness no – never go grocery shopping hungry. I also need a list or I’ll buy everything! I think it’s safe to say, we could call this Snack Cake, Breakfast Cake, Lunch Cake, Dinner Cake…because LEMON. And CAKE. And Blue Diamond Almondmilk FTW.
Oh the list. Yes, for sure!! I have that problem too.
I hate going shopping when I am hungry! Everything sounds so good. This snack cake looks so easy, yet delicious. Perfect for summer entertaining.
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