This Homemade Best-Ever Lemon Cake will be your new go-to lemon cake recipe! Moist and soft with a fluffy, tender crumb and a luscious lemon cream cheese frosting, it is perfect for any time of year, but especially spring and summer!
I hope you guys all had a great Easter Sunday!
Ours was low-key. I made my Key Lime Pie and Berry Mousse Pie and they were a huge hit! It was just 8 of us, as usual, so it was nothing fancy or major. I spent most of the day relaxing with my boys and reading or goofing around on the computer. And thankfully, the weather was perfection: sunny, breezy, and warm enough to wear a dress without a cardigan. I love low-key days like these!
But now it is back to work and I’m kinda glad about it. Wanna know why? Because I have lemon cake to talk about (and eat!).
I have received many requests about finding the perfect lemon cake recipe, but to be honest, none of them really lived up to par. They were too dry, some were cornbread-y tasting (ew!), and some weren’t lemony enough. To be frank, I wanted one like a lemon cake mix: moist and tender but with a real lemon flavor – nothing artificial or sour.
Folks, this is it and it by a long shot! It is AMAZING. I know you’re going to love it!
The recipe is actually adapted from my friend Rachel’s recipe at the Stay at Home Chef. Her recipe had all the elements I wanted and the proportions were just right of each ingredient to yield a fluffy, tender, and supremely moist cake with a fresh, REAL lemon flavor.
I went ahead and made a lemony cream cheese frosting to coat the outside of the cake with. As you can probably see from the photos, I am no cake icer… not in a million years! This icing definitely makes enough to frost the entire cake, inside and out – but I wanted to really drive home that lemon flavor, so I added lemon curd in between the layers. It was a very brilliant decision, if I do say so myself!
The lemon curd is glossy and thick with a very vibrant, punchy lemon flavor and really helps tie the more mellow lemon frosting and cake together. If you wanna get all Betty Crocker, you can certainly make the lemon curd yourself – or I have this recipe! – but I used the Bonne Maman lemon curd and it was fantastic! Anywhere I can shave off time, money, or corners, I will!
The result is the dreamiest, Best-Ever Lemon Cake. Moist, tender, soft and fluffy with a delicious, stick-to-your-fork crumb and superior lemon flavor throughout each element of this easy cake.
Enjoy!
UPDATE 1/2020: Some readers had issues with the density of this cake. To fix this, I have made the following amendments to the recipe:
1. I reduced the amount of baking powder as well as added in some baking soda to help with lift.
2. I now require you beat the butter and sugar together for a full FIVE minutes. You read that right! This gives it ample time to break down the sugar crystals and create a light, fluffy and aerated mixture for a fluffier, lighter cake.
Best Ever Lemon Cake
Ingredients
- FOR THE CAKE:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, softened
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1/4 cup lemon juice fresh squeezed is best!
- 1½ cups buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Zest of one medium lemon about 1-2 Tablespoons
- 3½ cups all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- About 1 cup lemon curd freshly homemade or prepared
- FOR THE FROSTING:
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter softened
- 8 ounces (One 8-ounce package) cream cheese softened
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest about zest from one medium lemon
- 4-5 cups confectioners' sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease the bottom of two 9" round cake pans, then place a piece of parchment paper in the bottom. Liberally grease the bottoms and sides of the cake pans with cooking spray; set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and granulated sugar until fluffy and pale, about 5 minutes. Do not skimp on the beating time as this breaks down the sugar crystals and makes the cake fluffy. Meanwhile, in a medium to large-size bowl, whisk together the eggs, lemon juice, buttermilk, vanilla extract, and lemon zest until combined. Set aside.
- In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Starting with the flour, add a little into the stand mixer bowl with the butter mixture and beat on low speed until incorporated. Alternate adding the buttermilk mixture with the flour mixture until a thick batter comes together.
- Divide the batter evenly among the baking pans and smooth out the tops. Bake for about 25-35 minutes, testing with a toothpick inserted near the center. If the toothpick comes out clean or with moist crumbs, it is done. Cool completely.
- For the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla extract until smooth, about 1 minute. Gradually add in the confectioners' sugar, alternating with the lemon juice until the frosting is light and fluffy. Beat in the lemon zest to combine.
- To assemble: On a cake plate or cake stand, place one of the cake layers upside down. Pipe a thick border of frosting around the edge of the cake, leaving the center open. Fill with the lemon curd, spreading out to the frosting border. Top with the second cake layer, then frost with the remaining frosting on the tops and sides of the cake. Serve!
I know you guys are going to adore this easy, beautiful and delicious cake recipe!
Have a super sweet day!
xo, Hayley
Julie says
I just baked this cake and there isn’t anywhere enough sugar and 1 tablespoon of baking powder makes it overwhelming bitter. I had to throw it away.
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Julie, I am sorry you didn’t care for the cake recipe! You are welcome to add more sugar, maybe an extra 1/2 cup or so should work.
Syam says
I made it and even I don’t use eggs (allergic) and use substitute, cake was super delicious. You maybe don’t have patience for cakes. Everything that we do needs our attention and love if we want to get good results. Good luck next time.
Eva-Marie says
I just made the cake and my cake was heavy and compressed, not at all the fluffy beauty pictures. ?
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Eva-Marie! I am so sorry your cake was heavy!
Toi says
I just made this cake. Its moist but dense. The flavor is good. Do you have a suggestion for the density.
Barbara Jones says
What flour did you use in making this cake? I find that sometimes that matters in how it turns out. It is the fluffiness that makes me want to make it.
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Barbara, I used all-purpose flour! If you want a lighter cake, perhaps try cake flour. But definitely look up conversions because cake flour and all-purpose flour are not an equal ratio.
Sonja says
What is lemon curd? I see that you say you can buy it or make it yourself. I don’t see where you add it onto the recipe. I don’t bake a whole lot but I want to try this! Thanks.
Laurie says
So many complaints! I’m thinking maybe y’all could be over mixing??? Measuring incorrectly? Parhaps all the above? And taste a little of the batter if you care to adjust sweetness. Also, curd is easy to make. Try Ina Garten’s fool proof lemon curd or buy.some at the supermarket. It’s where pie filling etc is. It’s sweet and tart. In this recipe it will add moisture and more sweetness. It’s a light flavor, but more fence with curd. This is an amazing cake, brush up on your baking skills, y’all?? And don’t be rude, it’s rude ✌️❤️
thedomesticrebel says
Ha, thanks Laurie! Appreciate it and glad the cake worked out for you!
Meghan says
This cake was good, very heavy and dense. I was really careful to not overmix it as I know this can affect the texture afterwards. I doubled the lemon juice and extract because I used a raspberry filling and no lemon curd. The flavor was good, it was plenty sweet, just very dense. Maybe less flour?
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Meghan, I have received some comments about it being dense so I updated the recipe to include plenty of mixing in the butter & sugar stage. This helps aerate the butter/sugar mixture so it is fluffy and not as dense. Hope this helps but glad you liked it!
Marilyn says
The cake had a good taste, but it was very heavy and dense. It broke apart after I frosted it. I also thought the frosting seemed a little thin when I tried piping it around the cake.
Syam says
I made it and even I don’t use eggs (allergic) and use substitute, cake was super delicious. You maybe don’t have patience for cakes. Everything that we do needs our attention and love if we want to get good results. Good luck next time.
jane says
I made this and it was really good..
elva Stevens says
I made this for our family get together and the entire family loved it!! I’ll be making another one very soon. Thank you for the great recipe!
Cindy says
I made this cake and it is a dense cake but I have never made a totally from scratch cake that wasn’t dense. The person I made it for said the cake tasted great. If I make it again I think I will separate the eggs and leave the yolks in with the buttermilk mixture and beat the egg whites to a stiff peak and add in on the backside by hand. I think that this is truly the only way to lighten up the texture. I have made alot of cakes that are from scratch and the eggs are separated and finished that way. And yes I was Betty Crocker and made the lemon curd from scratch. If you are going to make something from scratch do it all the way!!!
Sydney says
I have not tried this recipe yet, but I was wondering if adding raspberries or using raspberry jam instead of lemon curd would be a good idea. I wanted to make a lemon raspberry cake, but I’m not sure if adding raspberries to this recipe would ruin it. Looking forward to trying it out soon!
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Sydney, yes, raspberry jam would be an excellent substitute for the lemon curd!
Pattie says
I also found the cake very dense and it broke apart. I have “cake baking” skills so not the issue. The cake was also more scone-like in taste.
Stacy says
Thank you, undoubtedly this is the best recipe. It’s quick and easy to make and my family loved it. Thanks for the recipe.
Durea says
I made this cake today and it was fabulous! After reading through the comments I only added 1-1/2 top of baking powder. I added extra zest and juice to everything so it was extra lemony.:) overall we did not find it to be overly dense and plenty sweet. It was fluffy and yummy! Will definitely be making this again! I wish I could post a picture. I made it in two xlong loaf pans and garnished with lemon slices and blueberries. It was beautiful!
Francesca says
Soooo, very yummy! My Son turning 20 asked for a lemon birthday cake. Obviously I stumbled on to this recipe. This cake is beautiful, thank you for the wonderful recipe!! 🍋❤️
Ps never made lemon curd, but right after I pinned this recipe literally tons of recipes for lemon curd came up! So delicious and easy!!! DELISH! 🍋❤️
Ely says
I followed the newly tested version of this recipe and it was still quite heavy and dense (reminded me of a pound cake or loaf cake rather than a layer cake. Wanted to love this but it just did not turn out as pictured or described.
Beverly says
I made a double batch and the dough was delicious. I did cake flour instead. One complaint I have 2 of the layers cracked. I’m going to freeze for a special big birthday party, can’t use them, will not make this cake again. If it cracks I can’t decorate a bummer.
Glenn says
I just made this cake last Saturday, . 7/29/2023. The cake came out very dense like a pound cake, but not as moist as the pound cake I make. I noticed that 3 1/2 cups of plain all purpose flour seemed like a lot. Most two layer cakes I make call for 2 cups of flour. My pound cake recipe only calls for 3 cups plain all purpose flour with 1 cup of butter and 1/2 cup of Crisco shortening The icing recipe was not firm enough and I only used 1/2 a stick of butter and 7 cups of confectioners sugar. I had to put the cake in the freezer for a little bit to firm up the icing. I did make the lemon curd from scratch too. All in all it was a pretty good cake, but I will be tweaking this recipe, like maybe adding 1/2 cup Crisco shortening which would help make it moist.