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Easy Lemon Cake Recipe

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This easy lemon cake recipe—with its delicate citrusy drizzle over a moist, zest infused cake—gives a whole new meaning to the phrase “zest for life”!

A slice of Lemon Buttermilk Sheet Cake on a white plate

Have you been dreaming of an elegant easy lemon cake recipe, one requiring an slightly below average amount of mixing, baking, and cleaning? One that feeds a crowd, but without any readymade mix shortcuts?

Do I ever have the answer for you! I’ll tell you all about how to make this easy lemon cake recipe from scratch, no lemon cake mix required.

Before we get into the nuts and bolts (pans and bowls?) of it, let me just say that lemon cake is a glorious thing, just sayin! With fresh lemon zest, lemon oil infused sugar, and icing made with buttermilk and lemon juice, this treat leaves a lasting impression on the ol’ body and soul.   

Lemon lovers of the world, you might also consider trying our Lemon Ricotta Cookies, Lemon Bars, and Lemon Brownies to your dessert roster as well. And for a more savory option, check out my Lemon Zucchini Bread!

A slice of Lemon Buttermilk Sheet Cake on a white plate

How To Make Easy Lemon Cake Recipe:

My easy lemon cake recipe comes together in a few simple steps. Grease your trusty 9×13, then combine the dry ingredients in one container and the wet ingredients in another. Use a measuring cup for the wet mixture, to minimize dishes!

Blend the sugar with lemon zest before beating in butter, eggs, and the wet and dry mixtures. Lemon cake recipes with cake mix do work in a pinch, but I find the homemade version so much more satiating!

All that’s left is to bake and glaze! My lemony glaze is made by whisking powdered sugar, fresh lemon juice, and a little buttermilk. After glazing, cool for a couple hours before serving.

More Lemon Cake Recipes:

If you can’t get enough of lemon cake recipes, you have come to the right article! In addition to the amazing Southern lemon cake recipe feature, here are nine more classics for you to check out. Try a lemon layer cake recipe or even a lemon bundt cake next time you are in the citrus mood.

Lemon Pound Cake

Cozy Lemon Pound Cake is to die for. This is a nice small lemon cake recipe that makes enough to serve six to eight.

Lemon Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Lemon Cream Cheese Pound Cake is one super moist lemon cake recipe! Prepare yourself for a dense and buttery experience!

Lemon Cream Cake

Lemon Cream Cake makes for a BEAUTIFUL layered party cake. You will often find this one at church picnics as well!

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Keep Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting in mind for lemon cakes, vanilla cakes, cupcakes, chocolate cakes, and even carrot cakes! Cakes are just icing vehicles anyway, right?

Lemon Layer Cake

Lemon curd is the secret weapon of the glorious white and yellow Lemon Layer Cake. Spoil your family next birthday or liturgical celebration!

Lemon Bundt Cake

Lemon Bundt Cake is super simple to make, and it provides a great excuse to show off your fancy bundt pan! Have you seen the latest designs out there?

Lemon Drizzle Cake

Lemon Drizzle Cake is a sweet little every day sort of tea or social call cake. Wrap one up for that new neighbor you’ve been waiting to greet!

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake is another nice tea or coffee companion.

Lemon Blueberry Cake

Lemon blueberry cake prepared with real, fresh blueberries may just make the prettiest picture of all! You have to see it to believe it! You can enjoy juicy local berries from April to September.

Recipe Notes For Lemon Cake

Why separate wet and dry:  Blending wet and dry ingredients separately ensures an even mixture! You don’t want all your flavor in one corner of the cake, all your baking soda in a second, and all your salt in a third!

Why cream the sugar and lemon zest:  This unusual technique infuses the sugar with oil from the lemon peel and intensifies that lemony zing! Blend for two minutes for best results.

Don’t overmix:  Overmixing this lemon cake (or any cake) batter will result in a dense lifeless product instead of a light and fluffy delight.

Why cool before serving:  Oh cake, you delicious, delicate beast! If you dig in too soon, the cake will adhere to the knife and your slices may come out a crumbly mess.

Easy Lemon Cake Recipe

Try out this easy lemon cake recipe for your next special event! It makes a fun rainy day project as well, especially for any of you parents facing snow, flood, or tornado days!

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Slices of Lemon Buttermilk Sheet Cake on a plate
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Easy Lemon Cake Recipe

This easy lemon cake recipe---with its delicate citrusy drizzle over a moist, zest infused cake---gives a whole new meaning to the phrase “zest for life”!
Prep Time20 mins
Cook Time30 mins
Total Time50 mins
Servings: 12 Serves
Author: Kathleen

Ingredients

Cake:

  • 2 1/2 Cups Cake Flour
  • 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
  • 3/4 Cup Buttermilk at Room Temperature
  • 1/4 Cup Fresh Lemon Juice
  • 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • 1 3/4 Cup Sugar
  • 3 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Zest
  • 12 Tablespoons 1 1/2 Sticks Unsalted Butter, at Room Temperature
  • 3 Eggs Large, at Room Temperature
  • 1 Egg Yolk at Room Temperature

Glaze:

  • 3 Cups Powdered Sugar
  • 3 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
  • 2 Tablespoon Buttermilk

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
  • Spray a 9 X 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
  • In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
  •  In a liquid measuring cup combine buttermilk, lemon juice, and vanilla. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl add sugar and lemon zest. Using an electric mixer set on medium, beat until mixture is very fragrant 1-2 minutes. Transfer 1/4 cup of the sugar mixture to a small bowl and set it aside. Add butter to the remaining sugar mixture and beat until mixture is fluffy about 2 minutes.  Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition just until combined. Add the egg yolk and mix to combine. Set mixer to low speed and add flour mixture in 3 additions alternating with buttermilk mixture. Mix until ingredients are just blended.
  • Pour batter into prepared baking dish and smooth out the top. Bake 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow cake to cool in pan set on a wire baking rack for 10 minutes.
  • Make the glaze by whisking powdered sugar, lemon juice, and buttermilk together until even and smooth. Spread glaze over warm cake then evenly sprinkle the reserved sugar lemon zest mixture over the top. Cool the cake completely before serving at least 2 hours. Serve

Nutrition

Calories: 459kcal | Carbohydrates: 80g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 89mg | Sodium: 180mg | Potassium: 110mg | Fiber: 0g | Sugar: 59g | Vitamin A: 9.1% | Vitamin C: 6.5% | Calcium: 5.2% | Iron: 2.9%
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More Cake Recipes!

Easy Pineapple Sheet Cake -a moist, pineapple-studded cake drenched in a sweet, creamy coconut icing, with crispy toasted pecans on top.
Coconut Sheet Cake – Incredibly delicious, super moist, Coconut Sheet Cake topped with a perfect Coconut frosting.
Strawberry Shortcake Cake -Perfectly nestles succulent strawberries between layers of a delicate buttermilk-infused cake and perfectly whipped cream!
Pineapple Sunshine Cake– Our pineapple sunshine cake is a moist, delicious treat that is super easy to make. Fruity, light, and refreshing its the perfect dessert anytime!!

More Lemon Desserts…

Lemon Ricotta Cookies – You’re gonna want seconds and probably thirds- so make a double batch!
Lemon Pound Cake – is oh so moist and tender with a wonderful subtle lemon flavor. Perfect for breakfast, tea time or just because!

Source: Cook’s Country

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Comments

  2. Wow! This recipe is wonderful!
    Your directions were easy to follow and I did not change a thing!
    Will make this again and do it the same way! A huge hit in our family. Thanks!

    Reply

  3. This looks Great! I’m a Lemon Lover! I’m wanting to do One thing …Add like 3 Tablespoons of Poppy Seeds? I love the 2… Lemon & Poppy Seeds. I have a family reunion next mount&, I think this would be a great Sweet!

    Reply

  4. This cake is great. Lemon favor is outstanding. Light and soft. This goes in my book of favorite recipes a long with your lemon brownies. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply

  5. oook … it was awesome; i made this cake last night … people raved, devoured it post haste … it was wonderful, sooo lemony … and delish … a huge success ….
    now, what i learned: read the comments … there is much here to help you ….
    2. the cake was a bit on the dry side, b/c after reading a few *comments* about how *mushy* it was in the middle, i upped the oven temp, watched the end-time {which i changed to 340,* and the skewer test for *wet* cake ….
    3. i realized that maybe the cake was mushy in the middle b/c pople were not taking into account that you drizzle glaze on top and it sinks into the cake, which might have accounted for the *mush* … so i did not use all the glaze — mistake! the cake could have been a bit more moist … also the cooking time should be shorter with the higher oven temp …. next time …
    4. i added a tablespoon or more lemon zest and i beat it to death with the sugar … it was amazingly lemony and we loved it …

    i split the cake with a friend who had surgery … i brought her dinner and she *might have* had cake before bbq chicken … LOL …. ;-))

    i saw the recipe is from *cooks country,* one of the magazines/sites affiliated with *america’s test kitchen*/*cooks illustrated — anything from them is wonderful … so, thank you for posting this recipe; it’s one i will do over and over, tuning it for us each time, i.e., more lemon zest, higher oven temp, uses the whole batch of glaze, etc. … darlene

    Reply

    • i wish there was an *edit* your comment button, alas … the reason the cake might not rise is b/c the baking powder, baking soda we purchase in the stores have been in the cans, then storage, then the retail store for years and could be many years old {the *use before date* is not a valid representation of the reality of how old some of the products are before being put into the retail cans, and, after years, it loses some of it’s potency} … that being the case, i usually ad more, maybe up to 1/4 tsp more of each to account for the *lack-of-freshness* quotient …. darlene

      Reply

      • Hi Darlene! So glad the cake was a success! It is a favorite in our family. Thanks for all your input 🙂

        Reply

    • The cake was so delicious and moist! I added 1 1/2 TBL poppy seeds but feel like it could have been a little more. Thanks again!

      Reply

  7. Hi! Thank you for the lovely recipe. I am planning to make it for my daughter’s birthday and am curious if you think adding poppy seeds would work. She loves that combo.

    Reply

  8. I made this for my son´s birthday–he loves lemon! It took about 30 minutes extra in my oven. The cake turned out delicious!!! I used a lemon cream cheese frosting instead of the glaze in the recipe. Will definitely be using this recipe in the future–thanks!!

    Reply

  9. Love this recipe.. I am a lemonfanatic… Yes it does sink if you do not have all the ingredients at room temp… Let that butter and sugar cream till its light and fluffy. The oven temperature..most folks generally bake at 350°.. Nope not for this cake… I don’t take out the extra sugar to sprinkle on top cause I use it for stacked cakes… I end up taking the top “skin” off. The texture is perfect for stacking & carving..this cake holds up oh so lovely… & the lemon flavor is sweetly puckerific.
    Thanks for sharing this recipe!

    Reply

  11. This cake sounds delicious! I’m wondering though, is it best to make it the same day I’m serving it, or can I make it a day or two in advance? Will it hold up a few days?

    Reply

    • Hi Anne. I prefer this cake the first day it’s baked. That said, in a pinch it’s not bad after a day or so. It just is a bit drier than the first day. Hope that helps!

      Reply

  14. This looks AMAZING!!! I think I’m going to make for tomorrow. I’m so excited! I love lemon cake!!! Thank you for posting

    Reply

  15. Hey, I love baking, but not always you can actually eat the cake, which I baked. But today I was baking this one…and it is very VERY delicious, very fluffy…omnomomnom. Thank you very much for this recipe. It is now my favorite one :))

    Reply

  17. Hello Kathleen! I’m am going to make this for tonight’s dessert, and I am wondering, does it need to cool 2 hours before serving at room temperature or in the refrigerator? I can’t wait for my family to taste this!

    Reply

  18. This looks absolutely delicious. Went to the store this evening to get the few things I didn’t have. Can’t wait to make this with my grandson tomorrow!

    Reply

  19. I tried to bake is in my metal pan as well and it was still very wet and not done in the center for quite a bit longer. So I suggest changing the cooking time to 35-37 minutes. Smells and looks amazing though can’t wait to try it for dessert tonight.

    Reply

    • Hi Tiffany. Good to know. It’s funny how different everyones ovens run, isn’t it! Thanks for the tip 😉

      Reply

  20. Stupid question but I bet I’m not the only person that doesn’t know an easy way to get fresh lemon zest? I bought one of those kitchen gadget tools but never used it so I donated it to a local thrift shop.

    Reply

    • Hi Betty. Thanks so much for asking! It’s actually a really GREAT question 🙂 I have to confess I always use a micro planer to zest all citrus. It makes the job really quick and easy. You can always cut an thin peel from the lemon (NO pith/ white part) and mince it. That would be a very arduous task though. Any chance you can get your micro planer back????

      Reply

    • I have found an easy way to zest citrus. I cut the fruit in half and juice. After squeezing the juice from the fruit, I cut the half in half again (so I have cut it in quarters now) and put it in the freezer for 30 -60 minutes while I get the rest of the ingredients together and prepped. It’s so much easier to zest when the peel is frozen, altho you will still need a micro planer. I always freeze citrus peels even if I’m not using them for a recipe right away. That way when I need zest it’s quick and easy to do. Hope this helps.

      Reply

      • Hey Kathi, great tip! Thanks so much for taking the time to share it with us all 🙂 Yes it is very helpful.

        Reply

  21. This looks amazing! When you say use a 9×13 pan, is that like a glass Pyrex dish or like a flat metal cookie/jelly roll type of pan? I’m not a very good baker, so I want to get it right. Thanks!

    Reply

    • I use a metal 9X13 pan but you can use a pyrex. It might be cooked a bit faster so it a few minutes before the time suggested.

      Reply

    • I wish I had used a deeper pyrex pan. I used metal jellyroll pan and the batter baked over,,, big mess. My cooking time was about 40 minutes. I love the cake and will make it often. Thank you.

      Reply

      • Hey Wesly. I used a 9X13 inch baking dish and it worked really well. No spill over. I’m really glad you loved the recipe!

        Reply

    • Hi Jackie, yes I did freeze it. It froze pretty well. I don’t think I’d necessarily serve it to company. The crunchy topping wasn’t quite as good but I was still pretty happy over all!

      Reply

      • you could freeze it without the toppings … then when thawed, add the glaze and lemon zest mix … sounds good no matter which way it’s served … tomorrow night …

        Reply

  23. I made this cake for a church dinner. It was moist and delicious. The tang of the lemon juice was incredible. Thanks for such a good recipe that was easy to make and scrumptious!

    Reply

  24. Hi, this looks abs gorgeous ! I love it already.
    I just have one question, u mention keeping
    1/4 of the sugar mixture aside but I don’t see
    U using it again in the recipe. I’m confused 🙁
    Or maybe I missed something ?!?!

    Reply

    • Hey Gia! You sprinkle it after the cake is glazed. It’s in step 7. Let me know if that helps 🙂

      Reply

  25. just took it out of oven. smells so good i could not resist. I cut a piece while still hot. even without the finishing touches of the topping the cake is outstanding. the texture is just beautifully moist without being gummy. First time in a long while have I made a cake from stratch. so good. will make it often as i know it will be a hit with my grown family.

    Reply

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