This Amazing Lemon Cake is bright, zesty, and full of lemon flavor from the cake to the frosting! You’re going to LOVE it!
So even food bloggers make mistakes, and apparently I made a big one.
I made a former lemon cake recipe that shall not be named that everyone apparently hated.
Anyway, I am here today with my redemption by way of this Amazing Lemon Cake. I would venture to say it’s the best, but last time I did that, people didn’t agree, sooo… I’ll let you be the judge.
Amazing Lemon Cake
This lemon cake is based off of my Best Ever Vanilla Cake recipe, which truly is the BEST in all the land. (I’m biased, but the readers agree). With a few simple tweaks, I made it into a lemon cake that’s utterly incredible and super lemon-y. Oftentimes with lemon desserts, the lemon flavor bakes out quite easily since it tends to be so light. But not with this cake!
There’s a whopping 1/3 cup (!! – not a typo!) of lemon zest in this recipe. You read that right! This gives it a superior lemon flavor. In addition to the lemon zest, we’re also using pure lemon extract. Be sure to splurge for the pure lemon extract (found by the vanilla extract on the baking or spice aisle of your local grocery store) because it is a real lemon oil and gives great flavor as opposed to imitation lemon which can taste off-putting.
This cake gets its amazing name from its amazing texture: it’s super moist, has great density yet is also fluffy, and is just an all-around great cake.
There are a few key components to making this cake AMAZING, and those are:
- Room temperature ingredients: I promise, I’m not making things difficult on you. Room temperature ingredients really do make a difference! They cream and blend together better than cold ingredients do, and when you use room temperature ingredients, they create an emulsion which traps air inside. That trapped air gets released when the cake is baking, resulting in light and fluffy cakes. Trust me, room temperature ingredients matter!
- Butter AND oil! This cake uses both butter and oil for superior flavor and moist texture. You cannot substitute one for the other without compromising the flavor or texture of the cake. Butter is used for great flavor, while oil is used to impart moisture. Trust me on this, both of these fats are key for an amazing cake.
- Cool the cakes completely: Cool these bad boys completely before frosting and assembling your layer cake, otherwise your frosting will melt off!
- This recipe can be adapted for different pans: For three 8″ or 9″ layers, bake about 20-23 minutes. For cupcakes, divide into muffin tins and bake about 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. For a 13×9″ layer cake, bake about 30-35 minutes or until done.
Filled with a gooey lemon curd and frosted with lemon buttercream, you do NOT want to miss out on this Amazing Lemon Cake!
Amazing Lemon Cake
This Amazing Lemon Cake is seriously divine! Light and moist lemon cake filled with lemon curd and topped with a lemony buttercream. Easy and delicious!
Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ½ cup vegetable or canola oil
- 1½ cups granulated white sugar
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp pure lemon extract
- 1/3 cup lemon zest (from about 3-4 medium lemons)
- 3¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1¼ cups buttermilk, at room temperature
For Filling and Frosting:
- 1 cup lemon curd, prepared
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp lemon zest
- 4-5 cups confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350° degrees F. Lightly grease the bottom of two 9″ round cake pans with cooking spray. Add a parchment paper round to the bottom of each pan, then grease the parchment round and the sides of the pan with more cooking spray; set aside.
In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, oil, and sugar over medium-low speed until creamy and smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Add in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition, followed by the vanilla and lemon extracts and lemon zest. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add some of the dry mixture to the wet mixture, mixing on low speed to combine. Alternate that by adding in some buttermilk and mixing on low speed to combine. Alternate adding in the dry and the buttermilk until a smooth batter comes together.
Divide the batter evenly among the two pans. Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean or with moist, but not wet, crumbs. Cool completely.
For the frosting: In a clean bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla extract together with the paddle attachment until smooth, about 1 minute. Add in the lemon zest and mix well. Gradually add in the powdered sugar, alternating with the lemon juice, until a soft and spreadable frosting is achieved.
For assembly: Place a cake layer onto a cake plate. Spread with 1 cup of the lemon curd. Top with the remaining cake layer. Top with the icing and cover the cake with the icing. Decorate as desired. Cakes can be stored in the fridge airtight.
This cake is BURSTING with lemon flavor; I know you’re going to love it!
Have a super sweet day!
xo, Hayley
