This made-from-scratch buttery and moist lemon cake is drizzled generously with a fresh lemon glaze and frosted with a lemon-zested cream cheese buttercream frosting. The lemon glaze soaks into the cake making a flavorful, moist, and delicious texture. This bakery-style Lemon Cream Cake was one of the most popular cakes at Amycakes Bakery.Bake it in a sheet pan using the Cut and Stack Method and cut out the cake in cake rings for a more even bake and no dark edge. Or choose a different pan size by visiting my recommended cake pan chart.1x batch yields 1 6" three-layer cake, and a 2x batch yields 1 8" three-layer cake cut out with cake rings using the Cut and Stack Method.
Servings 8slices
Prep Time 40 minutesmins
Cook Time 28 minutesmins
Optional Decorations Prep/Cook Time 1 hourhr
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
200 grams (1 ½cups)All-Purpose FlourI use Gold Medal
2 Tablespoons Instant Clearjel or 3TablespoonsVanilla or Lemon Instant Pudding Mix See Note #1
1 ½teaspoonsBaking Powder
1teaspoon(s)Baking Soda
¾teaspoon(s)Salt
Wet Ingredients
¾cupButtermilk
¼cupWater
1 ½teaspoonsVanilla Extract
1 Tablespoon(s) + 1 ½teaspoons**Pure Lemon Extract**Please see notes section--I use Durkee Pure Lemon
1 ½teaspoonApple Cider Vinegar
6 g Lemon Zest, from about 1 ½largeLemonsSee Note #4
Creamed Ingredients
200 grams (1cup(s))Sugar
1 stick(s) (4ounces)Salted Butterat room temperature
¼cupVegetable Oil
2Egg yolks
Whipped Ingredients
2Egg Whites
¼teaspoonCream of Tartar
Lemon Glaze Drizzle Ingredients
3TablespoonsFresh Lemon Juicefrom about 1.5-2 lemons
131 grams (1 ¼cups)Powdered Sugar
Lemon-zested Buttercream Ingredients
4ouncesCream Cheese
1 ½ sticks (6ounces)Salted Butterat room temperature
Preheat Oven to 325 degrees. Line ¼ Sheet pan with parchment paper, and then spray the bottom (on top of the parchment) and sides of the sheet pan with cooking spray.
Sift Dry Ingredients in a bowl and then whisk until well blended.
Combine and stir Wet Ingredients and 6 g Lemon Zest in a separate bowl or pitcher.
With a stand mixer (preferred) or handheld mixer, cream sugar and salted butter together until creamy and fluffy. Add oil and beat until incorporated. Add 2egg yolks and cream until well blended, scraping sides of the bowl as needed.
On low speed, alternate adding Dry ingredients and Wet ingredients to the Creamed Ingredients, a little at a time. I do ⅓ Dry, ⅓ Wet, and so on, adding one-third at a time and blending on low after each addition. Continue to mix just until the batter looks well blended and smooth (avoid overbeating). Scrape sides of the bowl as needed.
Using a whip attachment and a clean bowl, whip the 2egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff peaks form. (Make sure your bowl and beaters are clean and free from grease so that the whites will whip).
Carefully fold the Whipped Whites into the cake batter, one-half of the whites at a time. The batter is ready when no egg white streaks remain and it should look smooth and uniform.
Spread into prepared pan and make sure the batter is evenly distributed. An offset spatula works well for this.
Bake on the middle or top rack (avoid bottom rack) of preheated 325-degree oven for 18 minutes, then turn the oven down to 300 degrees. Set the timer for an additional 5-8 minutes. Check the cake at this point. If it is jiggly at all when lightly touching the top of the cake, continue baking for 1-6 more minutes. The cake is done when a paring knife or toothpick comes out clean when stuck quickly in the cake. A couple moist crumbs stuck on the knife are fine, but they shouldn't look wet.
Make the Lemon Glaze and Drizzle the Cake
While the cake bakes, whisk the Lemon Glaze Drizzle Ingredients together until smooth.
With a sharp paring knife, repeatedly poke the baked cake all the way through to the bottom of the cake. Poke the entire sheet pan with cuts ½ inch apart (I recommend watching the recipe video). Drizzle the glaze over the hot cake and quickly spread it evenly with an offset spatula or silicone pastry brush. The glaze will soak into the hot cake.
The delicate cake will be easiest to layer from cold or frozen--allow the cake to cool, then wrap and freeze the cake in the pan for at least 2 hours or up to 2 weeks ahead of time.
Make Lemon-Zested Cream Cheese Buttercream
Whisk the powdered sugar and Instant Clearjel (if using) together until well-blended. Set aside.
Using a stand mixer (preferred) or handheld mixer and a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until broken up and softened.
Add the room temperature salted butter and continue to beat, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
Add the shortening and lemon zest and beat and scrape the sides until there are no lumps.
While the mixer is on low, slowly add the powdered sugar mixture until it is completely incorporated
Add the pure vanilla and lemon extract. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Then beat the buttercream on high for two-three minutes. This will add air into the buttercream and make it light and fluffy. The Instant Clearjel will cause the buttercream to thicken slightly during the next 10 minutes as it sits.
Make the Oven Dried Lemons (optional)
Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Place a sheet of parchment paper on a sheet pan or cookie sheet. Slice the lemon into very thin (about ⅛ inch) slices. Pat them dry on both sides with paper towels.
Whisk sugar and instant clearjel together and place on a plate or shallow bowl.
Dip each lemon slice on both sides into the sugar mixture, pressing the mixture into the lemon slices on all sides.
Place the lemon slices onto the lined sheet pan. Bake in the preheated 250-degree oven for 40-50 minutes or until they appear dried and shiny with a stained-glass appearance. Baking time will vary based on the thickness of the slices--keep an eye on them toward the end of baking so they don't overbrown. Move the baked lemon slices to a clean piece of parchment paper so they don't stick to the surface. Allow to cool. Leave at room temperature uncovered if serving within 24 hours. Otherwise, refrigerate the slices on parchment paper in Tupperware in a single layer. Refrigerated lemons will be stickier, but they still make a pretty garnish. Oven Dried Lemons are meant to be a decoration only, as they are quite tart.
Frost the Cake
The easiest way to layer the cake is to layer the cake from frozen the day before you plan to serve it. If serving the cake the same day you are layering it, use refrigerated cake layers instead of frozen. Cut the cake layers with cake rings as described in How to Bake and Layer Cakes Like a Pro (watch the Lemon Cake Recipe Video). The remaining cake scraps can be used for lemon cake truffles if desired.
Fill each cake layer with ¼ inch lemon-zested buttercream. An offset icing spatula (I use the small and medium-size on all my cakes) helps with this. I recommend frosting a thin crumb coat of buttercream on the outside of the cake which will catch all the crumby edges, then allow it to set up in the freezer for about 10 minutes until the buttercream is firm. Drizzle with Simple White Chocolate Ganache Drip, and decorate the top of the cake with lemon cake truffles and sugared lemons, if desired.
Allow the cake set up in the fridge, but remove it from the fridge 1-3 hours before serving so it can come back to room temperature. This cake has the best texture at room temperature. Enjoy!
Notes
Notes for 2x batches (some of these won't apply if you are using the grams measurements): 3 tsp= 1 Tbsp 4 tablespoon = ¼ cup**Lemon extracts can vary in flavor and quality. Please use PURE lemon extract for best results. I use Durkee Pure lemon extract, and the amounts listed in this recipe are perfect for that brand. But other pure lemon extracts may need less extract, and you can adjust them to your preference. If you smell your lemon exract and it has a strong or unpleasant alcohol scent, it may have gone bad. Pure lemon extract should have a strong lemon scent.
Read my article Instant Clearjel: a Magical Little-Known Bakery Ingredient to see why I think this ingredient is worth having in your pantry. Instant Clearjel must always be whisked thoroughly with other dry ingredients before being added to wet ingredients to avoid clumping. Make sure what you purchase is labeled as “Instant.” Cooktype Clearjel is a different product that does not work the same in cakes. Lemon and Instant Pudding Mix contain instant clearjel as the second ingredient and can be used as described within the recipe within the cake batter. You can leave the instant clearjel out of the buttercream, and add more powdered sugar only if you prefer a thicker buttercream.
When baking cakes in a sheet pan, the cake bakes more evenly (flatter on top and with no dark edges), and you get to choose your cake size after baking! With a 1x batch in a ¼ Sheet Pan you can make a three-layer 6″ cake (two full rounds, one pieced round from two half-circles) or several little cakelets. With a 2x batch in a ½ Sheet Pan you can make a three-layer 8″ cake (two full rounds, one pieced round from two half-circles), an extra tall six-layer 6″ cake (5 full rounds, one pieced round from two half-circles), TWO 3-layer 6″ cakes (eat one now and freeze one for later. 🙂 Or have a baking party with a friend and you each get a cake!) or several little Cakelets using a 4″ cake ring or 3″ or 2″ round cookie cutters. You can also choose to bake in sheet-cake pans or round pans. View the pan chart in the article Half-Batches and Cake Pans: Everything You Need to Know.
BAKER’S SHORTCUT: 1). Make a sheet cake or little Cakelets instead! Once the cake is fully drizzled and cooled, spread the buttercream on top and top with lemon zest for an easy sheet-pan cake. (You likely won't need as much buttercream for a sheet cake and can do a 0.5x batch of buttercream). For Cakelets, cut the cake into 4" or 3" rounds using cake rings or cookie cutters. Stack two cakelets together with a layer of buttercream in between and on top (I use a piping bag and 1M star tip for this). The cake will be soft and delicate when at room temperature, so if you have the time I recommend that after it cools, stick the cake in the freezer until the cake is cold before cutting your Cakelets. Serve at room temperature.
Zest only the yellow part of the lemon peel--the white part is bitter. A lemon zester works well for this.
RECIPE UPDATES: 9-16-21: The original recipe made an 8" cake in a ½ sheet pan. All my recipes now start with small batches, so it now makes a 6" cake in a ¼ sheet pan. Press the "2x" if you'd like to double the recipe for an 8" cake in a ½ sheet pan.