This lemon buttermilk cake is tender, velvety, very sweet, and has the perfect amount of tangy lemon flavor. It has a glaze then a unique lemony-sugar topping in lieu of frosting that it absolutely out of this world! It’s just one of those simple and delicious cake recipes that’s hard to beat.
If you love lemon as much as I do I hope you’ll try my classic lemon pound cake, lemon cream cheese pound cake, and my lemon zucchini bread next!
Let’s bake this cake!
What I Love About This Recipe
- Simple ingredients
- Polished presentation
- Tangy lemon flavor
How To Make Lemon Buttermilk Cake Recipe
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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.
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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 the 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.
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Pour batter into the prepared baking dish and smooth out the top. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow cake to cool in a pan set on a wire baking rack for 10 minutes.
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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 for at least 2 hours. Serve
***See the full instructions below.
Lemon Buttermilk Cake Ingredients + Notes
- Room Temp: For best results, have your buttermilk, butter, and eggs at room temperature. Room temp is different for everyone but in cooking it is quite often between 65-70 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Zesting: Be sure to use a shallow hand when zesting your lemon. Try not to remove any of the bitter white pith attached to the lemon. Use a micro planer to zest the lemon.
- Cake Flour: You’ll want to use cake flour rather than all-purpose flour. Cake flour is delicate with a lower protein content which makes it bake up light and fluffy. The cake flour will create a velvety crumb in the 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. The lemon sugar really makes this cake stand out!
- Don’t over-mix: Over-mixing this cake (or any cake) batter will result in a dense lifeless product instead of a light and fluffy delight.
- Why cool before serving: If you dig in too soon, the cake will adhere to the knife and your slices may come out a crumbly mess.
Storing + Freezing + Make-Ahead
This gorgeous refreshing cake is a cake that is best kept in the fridge. You’ll want to wrap it well to protect it from air and moisture as well as the other food item scents in the fridge. A spaghetti aftertaste kinda’ throws the whole thing off.
- How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? If you can keep it around this long, your tangy cake will last for up to a week in the fridge. That is, of course, provided that it’s covered well and properly stored.
- Can You Freeze This? Absolutely!! This scrumptious lemon cake freezes really well, and it may be the only way to save yourself some! Simply double-wrap it in foil or cling wrap before sliding it into a freezer-safe bag. Thaw in the fridge overnight and you’re ready to serve.
- Make-Ahead Tips: Making this decadent cake is all about combining the ingredients properly and drizzling the glaze over warm cake. This cake has to be made all at one time, but it takes less than an hour. If you’re prepping ahead, there’s nothing wrong with going the freezer route.
- Food Safety: If you’d like more info on food safety check out this link.
More Lovely Lemon Recipes
- Lemon Zucchini Bread
- Lemon Ricotta Cookies
- Lemon Bars
- Lemon Brownies
- Lemon Blueberry Bars
- Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
Lemon Cake
This polished lemon cake is a simple homemade recipe with a delicate citrusy drizzle that adds a burst of lemony freshness to every decadent bite.
Servings: 12 servings
Ingredients
Cake:
- 2 ½ 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 ¾ cups sugar
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon zest
- 12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
Glaze:
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons buttermilk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C).
- Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour (2 ½ cups), baking powder (1 teaspoon), baking soda (1/2 teaspoon), and salt (1/2 teaspoon). Set aside.
- In a liquid measuring cup combine buttermilk (3/4 cup), lemon juice (1/4 cup), and vanilla extract (1 teaspoon). Set aside.
- In a large bowl add sugar (1 ¾ cups) and lemon zest (3 tablespoons). 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 (12 tablespoons) to the remaining sugar mixture and beat until the mixture is fluffy about 2 minutes. Add the eggs (3), one at a time, mixing after each addition just until combined. Add the egg yolk (1) 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 the prepared baking dish and smooth out the top. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow cake to cool in a pan set on a wire baking rack for 10 minutes.
- Make the glaze by whisking powdered sugar (3 cups), lemon juice (3 tablespoons), and buttermilk (2 tablespoons) 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 for at least 2 hours. Serve
Fans Also Made:
Notes
- Room Temp: For best results, have your buttermilk, butter, and eggs at room temperature. Room temp is different for everyone but in cooking it is quite often between 65-70 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Zesting: Be sure to use a shallow hand when zesting your lemon. Try not to remove any of the bitter white pith attached to the lemon. Use a micro planer to zest the lemon.
- Cake Flour: You’ll want to use cake flour rather than all-purpose flour. Cake flour is delicate with a lower protein content which makes it bake up light and fluffy. The cake flour will create a velvety crumb in the 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. The lemon sugar really makes this cake stand out!
- Don’t over-mix: Over-mixing this cake (or any cake) batter will result in a dense lifeless product instead of a light and fluffy delight.
- Why cool before serving: If you dig in too soon, the cake will adhere to the knife and your slices may come out a crumbly mess.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 459kcal | Carbohydrates: 80g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 89mg | Sodium: 181mg | Potassium: 111mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 60g | Vitamin A: 456IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 1mg
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? I'D LOVE TO SEE!Tag @GonnaWantSeconds or #gonnawantseconds on Instagram!
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Source: Adapted From Cook’s Country
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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!
Sounds like a great addition Joanie. Hope you enjoy your reunion 🙂
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.
You’re so welcome. Thanks for your comment Donna 🙂
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
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
Hi Darlene! So glad the cake was a success! It is a favorite in our family. Thanks for all your input 🙂
Awesome! I’ll let you know how it turns out. Thanks again.
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!
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.
Hi Bonnie. Yes, I think the poppy seeds would be great in this cake!
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!!
Hi Leanna. The Lemon cream cheese frosting sounds like a delicious addition 🙂
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!
Hi Vic. Wow, so great to know! Did you double the recipe? How many layers did you make?
Saw this and had to make it – cake current cooking looks lovely thank you 🙂
Annette, you’re so welcome. Hope you enjoy 🙂