If there is one lemon velvet cake I get asked about more than any other at cake consultations, it is this one. The reverse creaming method gives it that ultra-soft, velvety crumb, and I use three layers of real lemon flavor: fresh juice, zest, and a pinch of citric acid, so it actually tastes like lemon rather than just smelling like it. Paired with silky homemade lemon curd and tangy cream cheese frosting, this is the cake that makes people ask for seconds before they finish their first slice.
Quick Glance: Lemon Cake Recipe
- Recipe Name: Lemon Cake Recipe
- Why You'll Love It: Ultra moist, fluffy, and bursting with real lemon flavor
- Time and Difficulty: 2-3 hours for baking, making the lemon curd and decorating | Intermediate
- Main Ingredients: Cake flour, buttermilk, lemon juice & zest, citric acid, butter, oil, cream cheese
- Method: Reverse creaming method
- Texture and Flavor: Soft, velvety crumb with bright citrus flavor
- Quick Tip: Make the lemon curd ahead of time for best results
Jump to:
- Quick Glance: Lemon Cake Recipe
- Lemon Cake Ingredients
- What Makes This Cake So Moist?
- Lemon Curd Step-By-Step
- Lemon Cake Step-By-Step
- Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- Lemon Cake Assembly
- Cake Batter and Frosting Calculator
- Cups of Batter Needed
- Cups of Frosting Needed
- Common Mistakes When Making Lemon Cake
- Lemon Cake FAQs
- More Lemon Desserts You'll Love
- Watch: How To Decorate A Cake Step-by-Step
- Recipe
Lemon Cake Ingredients
This lemon cake recipe relies on a few key ingredients combined with the reverse creaming method to make a lemon cake with a moist, velvety cake crumb with silky smooth lemon curd and tart lemon cream cheese frosting on the outside to balance it all out.
- Buttermilk - tenderizes the crumb and creates a fluffy texture. If you're out of buttermilk, you can make a buttermilk substitute.
- Cake flour - provides a soft, delicate crumb due to low protein.
- Lemon juice - adds acidity and light lemon flavor; substitute with fresh over bottled when possible
- Lemon zest - delivers a strong natural lemon flavor without extra liquid.
- Citric acid - enhances tartness and boosts lemon flavor; optional and can be omitted
- Butter - adds richness and flavor.
- Oil - keeps the cake moist even when chilled; substitute with any neutral oil
- Eggs - provide structure, stability, and richness; no substitute recommended
- Cream cheese - adds tangy flavor to the frosting; substitute with mascarpone for a milder taste
What Makes This Cake So Moist?
This lemon cake recipe, much like my vanilla cake and white velvet buttermilk cake recipes, has some key ingredients for maximum moistness and melt-in-your-mouth velvet texture.
- Buttermilk - breaks down the gluten in cake flour and reacts with acidic ingredients to create a very light and fluffy cake that is extremely tender! No buttermilk? No problem, you can make your own buttermilk substitute.
- Cake flour - cake flour has less gluten in it than AP flour, resulting in a very tender cake crumb.
- Reverse mixing method - The reverse creaming method is the process of coating your dry ingredients with butter before you add the liquids. This butter "shortens" the gluten strands and gives the cake its velvet crumb.
- Oil - Very important in butter cakes to keep your cakes from drying out. When a cake is cold, the butter in the cake get's hard and can make the cake taste dry. Cakes should always be consumed at room temperature for the best results.
This lemon cake recipe uses professional baking techniques to create a soft, bakery-quality crumb with bold lemon flavor. If you're new to layer cakes, this step-by-step guide will walk you through everything.
When I make this cake, I make my curd one day in advance so that it has time to cool down in the fridge. You can also bake your cakes in advance if you want, and then wrap them in plastic wrap and freeze them until you are ready to decorate.
Lemon Curd Step-By-Step
Once you make your own lemon curd, it's hard to ever go back to buying it. Nothing compares to that pure, bright, fresh lemon flavor. I prefer to make my lemon curd one day in advance and then have it ready to go the next day. I learned this recipe from the Culinary Institute of America and I have scaled it so it makes exactly the right amount of lemon curd filling for this cake recipe.
- First, combine the lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, whole egg, and egg yolks in a heatproof bowl and whisk until smooth.
- Next, place the bowl over a pot of simmering water and cook the mixture while whisking constantly to prevent curdling.
- Continue cooking until the mixture thickens and reaches 170-175°F.
- Remove the curd from the heat and immediately whisk in the cold butter and salt until fully incorporated and smooth.
- If desired, strain the curd through a fine mesh sieve to remove zest and ensure a silky texture.
- Place some plastic wrap over the curd so that it's touching the surface, and then refrigerate it until you need it. It will thicken as it cools.
PRO TIP: Whisking constantly prevents the eggs from curdling and promotes even thickening.
Lemon Cake Step-By-Step
Before starting this lemon cake recipe, make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature so your batter mixes smoothly and does not curdle. I also weigh all my ingredients out with a kitchen scale. Liquids are weighed as well as dry ingredients.
- Preheat your oven to 335°F (168°C) and prepare your cake pans with cake goop or parchment paper.
- In one bowl, combine half of the buttermilk with the oil and set it aside.
In another separate bowl, whisk together the remaining buttermilk, eggs, lemon juice, lemon zest, and lemon extract until combined. Set it aside.
- Add the cake flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda to the bowl of your stand mixer and mix briefly to combine.
- Add the softened butter in small chunks to the dry ingredients while mixing on low speed until the mixture resembles coarse sand.
- Add the buttermilk and oil mixture to the dry ingredients and mix on medium speed for two minutes.
- Slowly add the egg mixture in three parts, mixing for about 10 seconds between each addition and scraping the bowl as needed.
- Fill your cake pans about three-quarters full with batter and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for about 10 minutes before turning them out onto a cooling rack.
Once they are slightly warm, wrap them in plastic wrap and chill them in the refrigerator until firm and easy to handle.
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
This lemony cream cheese adds the perfect amount of tang and sweetness to accent the moist cake layers and tart lemon curd filling.
- First, place the softened butter into a mixing bowl with the paddle attachment and cream it until smooth and fluffy.
- Next, add the softened cream cheese and mix on low speed until fully combined and smooth.
- Gradually add the powdered sugar, mixing on low speed until incorporated before adding more.
- Finally, add the extract and salt, and mix just until everything is smooth and combined.
Lemon Cake Assembly
This lemon cake is literally bursting at the seams with so much lemon flavor! I love this cake so much! The cake is so so soft and fluffy but combined with the lemon curd and the lemon cream cheese frosting, this cake is far and above the best lemon cake ever.
- First, trim the tops of your cake layers so they are level and even.
- Place the first cake layer onto a cake board or serving plate.
- Pipe a ring of buttercream around the edge of the cake to create a dam. This prevents the curd from oozing out of the sides of the cake.
- Fill the center with a layer of lemon curd and spread it evenly.
- Place the second cake layer on top and repeat the process.
- Add the final cake layer and apply a thin crumb coat of frosting over the entire cake.
- Chill the cake in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to set the crumb coat.
- Apply the final layer of frosting and smooth the sides and top with a bench scraper or spatula.
- Optional: Add a few swirls of frosting on top and drizzle leftover lemon curd or add some lemon slices for decoration.
Cake Batter and Frosting Calculator
Select an option below to calculate how much batter or frosting you need. Adjust the servings slider on the recipe card to change the amounts the recipe makes.
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Cups of Batter Needed
8 cups
Cups of Frosting Needed
5 cups
Note: measurements are estimated based off the vanilla cake recipe using standard US cake pans and sizes. Measurements used are for 2" tall cake pans only. Your results may vary. Do not overfill cake pans above manufacturer's recommended guidelines.
Common Mistakes When Making Lemon Cake
- Using cold ingredients - Cold butter will not blend properly into the dry ingredients during the reverse creaming step, and cold eggs can cause the batter to curdle and look broken. Make sure your butter, eggs, and buttermilk are all fully at room temperature before you start mixing.
- Skipping the frosting dam for the lemon curd filling - Lemon curd is much thinner than buttercream. Without a ring of frosting piped around the edge of each cake layer, the curd will squeeze out the sides when you stack the layers and make the cake unstable and difficult to frost.
- Skipping the crumb coat - A crumb coat seals in any loose crumbs before the final layer of frosting goes on. Without it you will end up with crumbs showing through the finished surface, which is especially noticeable with a pale cream cheese frosting.
- Overbaking the layers - This cake should come out of the oven the moment a toothpick comes out clean and the top springs back when touched. Even a few extra minutes can dry out the crumb and undo all the moisture work the buttermilk and oil are doing.
- Not chilling the layers before assembling - Warm cake layers are fragile and will slide around under the weight of the frosting and filling. Chilling them for at least 30 minutes makes them firm, easy to trim, and much easier to stack cleanly.
Lemon Cake FAQs
No. Lemon juice adds liquid but not enough flavor. Use extra zest instead or a little more citric acid.
Yes. Fill the liners ⅔ full, bake at 400°F for 5 minutes, then 350°F until done (18-25 minutes total).
Yes. Substitute the same amount of lime juice and zest in place of the lemon, and use lime extract instead of lemon extract if you can find it. The result is a bright, tangy lime velvet cake with the same soft, velvety crumb. The citric acid is optional either way but helps punch up the flavor.
Store the lemon cake in the fridge for up to 3 days. Bring it to room temperature before serving it for the best texture.
Yes, and making it ahead actually improves the results. Bake the cake layers up to 3 days in advance, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate or freeze them. The lemon curd can be made up to a week ahead and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. For the best results, assemble and frost the cake the day before serving.
More Lemon Desserts You'll Love
Watch: How To Decorate A Cake Step-by-Step
Before you start decorating, watch the video below where I show you every step of decorating a cake from start to finish. Seeing the process in action makes it much easier to follow along
- Liz Marek.
Recipe
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
Ingredients
Lemon Cake Ingredients
- 13 ounces Cake flour
- 13 ounces granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 8 ounces unsalted butter Softened but not melted
- 10 ounces buttermilk Or regular milk with 1 tablespoon white vinegar added
- 3 ounces vegetable oil Or canola oil
- 3 Large Eggs 1 large egg weighs about 1.67oz
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon Zest About one lemon
- 2 teaspoons Lemon Extract
- 2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice Fresh or bottled is ok
Lemon Curd
- 3 ounces Lemon Juice Fresh or bottled is ok
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon Zest About two lemons worth
- 3 ounces Sugar
- 1 large Egg
- 2 large Egg Yolks
- 1 pinch citric acid
- 2 ounces Unsalted Butter
- 1 pinch salt
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- 16 ounces cream cheese softened
- 8 ounces Unsalted Butter Softened but not melted
- 36 ounces Powdered Sugar sifted
- ½ teaspoon lemon extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Lemon Cake Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 335º F/168º C Prepare three, 6"x2" or two, 8"x2" cake pans with cake goop or another pan release. For square pans or cakes over 12", I also use parchment paper.
- Combine the 4oz of buttermilk with the oil and set aside.
- To the remaining 6oz of buttermilk, add your eggs, lemon zest, lemon extract, and lemon juice. Whisk lightly to break up the eggs and set aside.
- Place cake flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda into the bowl of your stand mixer with the paddle attachment attached.
- Turn the mixer onto the lowest speed. Add in your softened butter in small chunks mix until the flour mixture resembles coarse sand.
- Add your oil/milk mixture all at once to the dry ingredients and mix on medium (speed 2 on a bosch, speed 4 on KitchenAid) for 2 full minutes to develop the cake's structure.
- Scrape the bowl. This is an important step. If you skip it, you will have hard lumps of flour and unmixed ingredients in your batter. If you do it later, they will not mix in fully.
- Slowly add in the milk/egg mixture in 3 parts, letting the batter mix for 10 seconds between additions. Stop to scrape the bowl once more halfway through. Your batter should be thick and not separated. If it is separated, some of your ingredients could have been too cold or you added your liquids too quickly.
- Fill your cake pans ¾ full with cake batter. Give the pan a little tap on each side to level out the batter and get rid of any air bubbles. You can also weigh your cake pans to ensure that each pan has the same amount of cake batter.
- Bake at 335º F/168º C for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out cleanly from the center of the cake and the top of the cake bounces back when you touch it.
- After cakes have cooled for 15 minutes or the pans are cool enough to touch, flip the cakes over onto a cooling rack and let cool until barely warm. Wrap your cakes in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator before frosting so they are easier to handle. You can also put them in the freezer if you are in a hurry for them to cool down.
- Once the cakes are chilled you can now trim, fill, and decorate your cake as you wish.
Lemon Curd Instructions
- First, combine the lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, whole egg, and egg yolks, and citric acid in a heatproof bowl and whisk until smooth.
- Next, place the bowl over a pot of simmering water and cook the mixture while whisking constantly to prevent curdling.
- Continue cooking until the mixture thickens and reaches 170-175°F.
- Remove the curd from the heat and immediately whisk in the butter and salt until fully incorporated and smooth.
- If desired, strain the curd through a fine mesh sieve to remove zest and ensure a silky texture.
- Cover the lemon curd with plastic wrap so its touching the surface of the curd while it cools to prevent a skin from forming on the surface. The lemon curd will firm up as it cools.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- First, place the softened butter into a mixing bowl and cream it until smooth and fluffy.
- Next, add the softened cream cheese and mix on low speed until fully combined and smooth.
- Gradually add the powdered sugar, mixing on low speed until incorporated before adding more.
- Finally, add the extract and salt, and mix just until everything is smooth and combined.
Cake Assembly
- First, trim the tops of your cake layers so they are level and even.
- Place the first cake layer onto a cake board or serving plate.
- Pipe a ring of buttercream around the edge of the cake to create a dam.
- Fill the center with a layer of lemon curd and spread it evenly.
- Place the second cake layer on top and repeat the process.
- Add the final cake layer and apply a thin crumb coat of frosting over the entire cake.
- Chill the cake in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to set the crumb coat.
- Apply the final layer of frosting and smooth the sides and top with a bench scraper or spatula.
Video
Notes
- For best results, always bring your ingredients to room temperature before starting this lemon cake recipe so your batter mixes smoothly and does not curdle.
- Do not skip the reverse creaming method, because this technique is what gives this lemon cake its ultra-soft, velvety crumb.
- Use a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients for accuracy, especially the flour and liquids, since this lemon cake recipe is very sensitive to ratios.
- Fresh lemon zest is essential for strong lemon flavor, so do not rely on lemon juice alone.
- Citric acid is optional, but it adds a bright, bakery-style tang that takes this lemon cake recipe to the next level.
- Make the lemon curd at least one day in advance so it has time to fully set and develop flavor.
- Chill your cake layers before assembling, because cold cakes are easier to trim, stack, and frost.
- Always use a buttercream dam when filling with lemon curd to prevent the filling from leaking out of the sides.
- Do not overbake your cakes, or they will lose moisture and become dry instead of soft and fluffy.
- For the best texture and flavor, serve this lemon cake at room temperature, because cold butter can make the crumb feel firm.
Nikki Atkinson says
Aaaaaaah, please help, I was wanting to use this recipe for a wedding cake but I can’t get it right 🙈. I even made the investment in the more expensive Shipton Mill soft cake and pastry flour.
When cooked, the cake gives all the appearances of being done, risen, pulled away from the edges slightly, skewer comes out clean. However I’ve cut them in half to check them because of previous failures and their texture is very close and there is a definite line of very moist cake batter towards the bottom of the cake.
I have baked at a lower temp as the first batch was browning quickly.
I also find that British buttermilk is thicker than US.
My eggs are heavier than stated, 3 eggs is about tbl spoon more than stated.
Could I be over mixing it? I’m mixing a mid speed on a Kenwood Chef patisserie machine, what speed should I be mixing when adding in the egg mixture?
Elizabeth Marek says
sounds under-mixed and perhaps some ingredients are too cold which causes the batter to curdle and the fat to sink to the bottom. If anything mix more than you think you need to. US large eggs weigh 1.6 ounces so use that a your guide. Buttermilk should be ok. good luck!
Ika says
Thank you for this great recipe, the cream cheese icing was super delicious and the custard was so good!
One question is…I changed the AP flour to Gluten Free Flour. But turn out the cake is a bit hard. Any suggestions if I’m using GF Flour?
Sugar Geek Show says
Hello, thank you, I'm glad that you liked the frosting and curd! Sorry that the cake didn't turn out right for you, I haven't tested this recipe with gluten-free flour and my cake recipes are formulated to work with specific types of flour. I do have one gluten-free recipe that I love if you haven't tried it yet! It works great with any frosting, too 🙂 https://sugargeekshow.com/gluten-free-cake/
Carmen Hislop says
Hi my curd is really runny is there any way to fix this
Elizabeth Marek says
Make sure you cook the curd until it starts to bubble but not boil and then don't forget to add in the butter.
Carline says
Thank you for this recipe, been looking for a good from scratch lemon cake...... can I double the recipe with the same mesurement?
Sugar Geek Show says
Absolutely!
Jane says
Hi Liz.
Any Idea if the brand Snowflake Cake flour will work for this recipe?
Thank you
Elizabeth Marek says
Any kind of cake flour will work 🙂
BOZENA IWUAMADI says
I have Lorraine Lemon emulsion. Can I use it in place of lemon extract? Will it be the same amount?
Elizabeth Marek says
Yes you can! It will work perfectly
Jenny says
Hello, I have just tried your cake, sadly used fluid ounces instead of weighed ounces, will my bake be ruined?
Elizabeth Marek says
No it should still be ok
Rocio says
Hi,this lemon cake recipe can be cover with fondant? Thanks
Sugar Geek Show says
It is!
Grisel Borgos says
I just made this cake today for my daughter that loves anything and everything lemon. It turn out so pretty. I can’t wait to taste it tonight. I wish I can post a picture.
Jessica says
Hi Liz,
Enjoying your site very much!!
Question about your pans for this recipe: Are they 6 x 3 or 6 x 2??
Thank you!
Elizabeth Marek says
They are 2" tall but you can use 3" pans if that is what you have
Nana says
Hello, My daughter wants a lime cake for her birthday and was wondering if I just sub the lemon for lime?
I was also wondering what filling would go good with the lime cake besides lime curd?
Thank you so much for your recipes
Elizabeth Marek says
Yes you sure can, coconut is a great filling or even just vanilla whipped cream
Crystal Feimster says
So I was looking at your stand alone recipe for lemon curd and it varies a little from this lemon curd could you tell me the difference? I’ve already tried the curd in this recipe and it would not thicken
Elizabeth Marek says
Cooking for long enough and to a high enough temperature ensures the curd will thicken but if you can't get it to thicken enough, you can add cornstarch to the recipe to make it thicker.
Uma G says
Hi can I freeze this cake for a week? After frosting, within how many days should it be consumed?
Elizabeth Marek says
Yes you can freeze it, I assume you mean the unfrosted layers and not a fully frosted cake. You should eat a cake as soon as possible after baking it because every day it dries out more and more. How many days exactly I dont know for sure.
Shawnie says
I made this tonight. Amazing! The texture is wonderful, nice flavor, nice rise. I will add a little more zest next time, but this is my go to lemon cake now! It is like your vanilla cake, which i love also. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Kimberly Marsh says
Hi. I really love this site. I would like to make this cake as a sheet cake (12x18x2). Is it possible with this recipe? If so how would I accomplish it?
Elizabeth Marek says
Use the cake pan calculator directly above the recipe card for other pan sizes.