Lemon Cake
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My fluffy Lemon Cake recipe makes a plush, lemon flavored cake using real lemons–no extract or pudding mix required! It’s filled with a tart lemon curd and frosted with an airy whipped cream cheese frosting for one refreshing slice! Recipe includes a how-to video.
A 100% From-Scratch Lemon Cake
This sunshine-y lemon cake recipe is the real deal. It uses no extract, no pudding mixes, and no fancy ingredients–just fresh-squeezed, real lemon flavor. Truly the perfect balance of sweet and tart, this recipe will be a hit with lemon lovers, or anyone who enjoys their desserts on the lighter, less-rich side of things.
The cake layers themselves are super soft, fluffy and plush thanks to whipped egg whites (more on that below!). Even though there’s lemon flavor in the cake, I take things even further with a bold, tart lemon curd filling. We’ll finish it off with a not-too-sweet, whipped version of my cream cheese frosting to complement all that tartness.
If you’ve ever made my white cake or strawberry cake, then you’re already familiar with the process I’m using for this lemon cake recipe. To create a soft and fluffy crumb, you will need to whip egg whites to stiff peaks before folding them into the batter. If you’ve never done this before or just need a refresher, don’t fret–I’ve included some tips to help you below.
What You Need
Here are a few of the ingredients you’ll be using in today’s lemon cake recipe:
- Lemons. I find this recipe typically requires 3-4 lemons, and I always zest my lemons before juicing them–it’s almost impossible to zest a juiced lemon!
- Cake flour. I prefer cake flour for my lemon cake, but I do have instructions on how to use all-purpose flour if that’s all you have. Whichever you use, make sure you measure your flour properly!
- Egg whites. I do not recommend carton egg whites as most will not whip properly (and even say so on the side of the container!).
- Lemon curd. While you could use store-bought, I highly recommend using my homemade lemon curd. Not only does it taste better, but it also uses the exact number of egg yolks that you’ll have leftover after separating your eggs! If you choose to make my recipe, make it first so it has time to cool down. Also note that you’ll have a little extra leftover, so save that for scones or petit fours!
- Cream Cheese. Do not use the tub-style cream cheese for the frosting; use full-fat, brick-style cream cheese and make sure it’s softened, but still slightly chilled. If it is too warm, your frosting will be too soft to spread properly and you’ll need to stick it in the fridge before using.
SAM’S TIP: Always combine your wet and dry ingredients by hand using a spatula–never use an electric mixer for this step! Over-mixing is one of the quickest ways to end up with a dry, dense, or cornbread-y tasting lemon cake.
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
Tips for Whipping Egg Whites to Stiff Peaks
- Make sure you use a completely clean, completely dry, completely grease-free bowl.
- Don’t let any yolk contaminate your whites–not even a tiny drop!
- Use an electric mixer and make sure the beaters are also clean, dry, and grease-free.
- You’ll know you’ve reached stiff peaks when the egg whites have increased in volume and are thick and fluffy. If you pull your beaters out of the mixture, the peak that forms will hold its shape and not fold over or melt back into the bowl (hence the term “stiff” peaks).
SAM’S TIP: Make sure you are using a spatula or spoon to gently fold your egg whites into the cake batter; using an electric mixer or too rough of a hand can deflate all the air you just whipped into them.
How to Make Lemon Cake
- Zest and juice your lemons. Set the zest aside for now and combine the juice with the milk.
- Combine the oil, butter, sugar, reserved lemon zest, and vanilla extract in a separate bowl.
- Combine the dry ingredients in another separate bowl, then begin adding this to the wet ingredients in 3-4 parts, alternating with the milk/lemon juice mixture.
- Use an electric mixer to whip the egg whites to stiff peaks in a separate (clean, dry, grease-free) bowl before gently folding them into the cake batter by hand.
- Divide the batter among greased, floured, and lined pans and bake for 28-31 minutes.
- Let the cakes cool completely before filling with lemon curd, stacking, and frosting.
SAM’S TIP: Over-baking is cake’s #1 enemy! Always bake in the center rack and make sure your oven temperature is accurate (I keep two oven thermometers in my oven to be sure). Even a minute or two too long in the oven can make your lemon cake dry.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! You will want to keep your lemon cake refrigerated in an airtight container. It will last for up to 5 days when stored this way. This cake also freezes well–just wrap it tightly and freeze for up to 3 months.
This frosting is very light and delicate and best suited for a thin, semi-naked covering. I would not recommend using if you are making a cake that is taller than two layers, or if you plan to do decorative piping; instead, I’d recommend using my cream cheese frosting, buttercream frosting, or Swiss meringue buttercream.
To make the cake layers in advance, allow them to cool and then wrap well with plastic wrap. Store at room temperature for up to one full day before assembling, or freeze for up to a month before assembling.
The lemon curd layer may be made up to 5 days in advance of assembling the cake, and I recommend making the frosting just before assembling.
While you could, the blueberries sink right to the bottom of this light batter as the cake bakes (even if you toss them with cornstarch or flour). Instead, I recommend my lemon blueberry cake, which was specially designed for this purpose.
One bright and fruity bite of this lemon cake will have you forgetting about that extra egg white step–I promise 😊
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
Lemon Cake Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons fresh lemon zest¹
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) fresh lemon juice, I usually need 3-4 lemons, zest your lemons before juicing
- ⅔ cup (160 ml) whole milk
- ½ cup (118 ml) Avocado, vegetable or canola oil
- 4 Tablespoons (57 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ¾ cup (350 g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups (330 g) cake flour², see note to substitute all-purpose/plain flour
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 6 large egg whites room temperature preferred
- ¾ cup (175 ml) lemon curd ³
ICING⁴
- 4 oz (113 g) cream cheese, softened, but still slightly cool (use the brick-style, full-fat cream cheese, do not use the spreadable kind sold in tubs)
- 1 cups (125 g) powdered sugar, divided (often called “icing sugar” outside the US)
- ¾ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cups (175 ml) heavy cream, cold
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and prepare two 8” round cake pans by spraying with baking spray and lining the bottoms with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Zest your lemons and set zest aside. Juice lemons until you have ⅓ cup of juice, whisk this with your milk and set aside.⅓ cup (80 ml) fresh lemon juice, ⅔ cup (160 ml) whole milk
- In a large bowl using an electric mixer or in a stand mixer, beat together oil, butter, sugar, reserved lemon zest, and vanilla extract until completely combined.3 Tablespoons fresh lemon zest¹, ½ cup (118 ml) Avocado, vegetable or canola oil, 4 Tablespoons (57 g) unsalted butter, 1 ¾ cup (350 g) granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt and whisk well.3 cups (330 g) cake flour², 1 Tablespoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt
- Stirring by hand, gradually alternate adding the flour mixture and lemon/milk mixture to the butter mixture, stirring until just combined after each addition (I start and end with the flour and add the flour mixture in 4 parts and the milk mixture in 3 parts).
- Place egg whites in a separate clean, dry bowl, and beat on high speed with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form (see video or photo in post for a visual if needed).6 large egg whites room temperature preferred
- Using a spatula, gently fold egg whites into cake batter until completely combined (don’t use your electric mixer at this point or you will over-beat the batter). Divide cake batter evenly into prepared pans and bake on 350F for 28-31 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Allow cakes to cool in pans for 10 minutes then run a knife around the edges to loosen cakes from pan and carefully invert onto cooling rack to cool completely.
- Once cakes have cooled completely, prepare frosting.
ICING
- Combine cream cheese, ½ cup (62g) powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt in a large bowl and use an electric mixer to beat together until creamy and smooth.4 oz (113 g) cream cheese, 1 cups (125 g) powdered sugar, ¾ teaspoons vanilla extract, ⅛ teaspoon salt
- In a separate bowl, combine remaining ½ cup (62g) powdered sugar, and heavy cream. Beat with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form (mixture should be thick, billowy, and the same consistency as Cool Whip).¾ cups (175 ml) heavy cream
- With mixer on low speed, stir together the cream cheese and whipped cream until completely combined.
- Pipe a dam/border along the inside rim of one cooled layer of cake (see photo in post). Fill with lemon curd and spread evenly inside the dam.¾ cup (175 ml) lemon curd ³
- Top with second layer of cake. Frost the entire cake with remaining frosting.
- Keep cake refrigerated in an airtight container when not eating. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
Hi Sam! Do you think maybe the reverse crumb method would work with this? if so, ho would I do it?
Hi Stephanie! You can reverse cream this cake. You would want to do it like you normally would then stir in the milk then the egg whites. 🙂
I used the filling from you strawberry lemon angel food cake recipe instead of just the lemon curd. It was so delicious. The best cake I’ve ever made !
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Elizabeth! 🙂
Finally managed to make a cake from scratch that I feel competes with box mixes. Made this for a friends birthday and they couldn’t believe it was from scratch. It’s so incredibly moist and fluffy. Thanks for the recipe!
I am so THRILLED to hear this, Bob! Thank you so much for letting me know how it turned out, it means a lot to me! 🙂
I’ve made this recipe before (see my comment below), it’s wonderful! Made a mistake today while baking this, used mixer when combining dry and wet ingredients , I did fold in egg whites. Do you think it’ll still be ok? Making frosting now. Fingers crossed. I made your white cake the other day and fantastic! I did use mixer for that recipe, but maybe cake flour is different from all purpose when mixing.
Thank you!
Joan
I think it will still be good, it just may be a bit more dense than it should be. It will still be tasty, though! 🙂
Hi Sam, this cake is delicious, my family loved it. I have tried a lot of your recipes.
Just need help with the icing it did not stand like yours in the picture, it was more liquid, I had to insert cooking chopsticks to make sure it wont slide.
Hi Margarita! I’m so glad everyone enjoyed! Is it possible that any of the ingredients were too warm or maybe the cream wasn’t whipped enough? It’s a soft icing, but shouldn’t be sliding. If you haven’t already it might be helpful to watch the video in the recipe card 🙂
Hello! I’m interested in making this but without the lemon curd. I’d like to just use the buttercream frosting in between the layers. Will this work? Thank you!!!
Hi, Emily! Yes, that will work. 🙂
I love all your recipes!!
Quick question on this beautiful lemon cake. Can you substitute the above Cream Cheese Frosting with your Vanilla Frosting recipe on this recipe? Maybe this needs a firmer frosting. Appreciate your recommendation.
Thank you,
Joan
Hi Joan! You can certainly substitute the vanilla frosting. The vanilla frosting is actually a little more sturdy. 🙂
Thank you!
Hi 🙂 could I make this without the lemon curd in a bundt pan? Thanks!
Hi Rachel! You can cook it in a bundt pan if you’d like. You may not have enough batter to make a full size bundt cake depending on the size of your pan though. Enjoy! 🙂
Just wondering, why do you say that the lemon curd layer can be made up to 5 days in advance of making the cake but in the lemon curd recipe it says it can be stored up to 2 weeks? I want to make this cake twice, once to practice and once for someone else so just wondering how long I have to use the lemon curd I made!
Good catch! I will have to fix that. You can make it two weeks in advance. Must be the baby brain getting to me. 🤦♀️
I just love this recipe. I made this cake for dinner today . It is so moist and full of favor . thank you for share it with us
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Larry! 🙂
Hi Sam!
I made this today for our anniversary and it was AMAZING!! I had to make a slight change in the frosting because I can’t eat heavy cream, so I just exchanged that for butter to make a basic cream cheese buttercream, but this was the fluffiest, most delicious cake ever. The lemon curd filling (your recipe) was so tangy and delicious. The cake layers baked up so nice and tall, I decided at the last minute to turn this into two cakes by halving the layers, putting the lemon filling in between and frosting each of them so that my mom could take one home with her. This was just a wonderful recipe and we enjoyed it so much…thank you!!
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Joanna! Happy anniversary to you! 🙂
Hi Sam,
Thank you so much for your amazing recipe videos, I have tried so many of your recipes and they are all amazing 🙂
Would you please say how long (HOW MANY MINUTES) do you cream the sugar and oil/butter for and on what speed of your hand-mixer?
Also, on what speed do you whip your egg whites on and for how long?
THANK YOU SO MUCH 🙂
Hi Sara! The butter and sugar and oil just needs to be thoroughly combined. It can take 30 seconds, maybe a minute depending on how powerful your mixer is. To whip the egg whites, you definitely want to use full speed and it can take up to 10 minutes or so. Be sure to check the video to see the texture that your egg whites should be when finished. 🙂
Will this work with gluten free flour?
Hi Mary! I am not sure how it will go. If you try it I would love to know how it goes. 🙂
I just love lemon, cake pies muffin anything with lemon so definitely I’m trying this beautiful recipe for the weekend thank you so much 😊 I just love your desserts I already made a few of them and my husband love it so much 😋thank you CHEF 👩🍳
I hope you love the lemon cake too! 🙂
Looks too good! Thank you, I can’t wait to make these as cupcakes! Gonna make tomorrow!
I hope you love it, Anna! I do have a lemon cupcake recipe you could follow if you didn’t want to worry about bake times and things like that on this cake. 🙂