A moist and lemony cake with lemon cream cheese icing, perfectly garnished with lemon slices, or any fresh fruit or berry!

I asked a few weeks ago what recipes people would like to see. One of the requests was for a lemon cake and I jumped right on that one!

I absolutely LOVE anything lemon. It's fresh and aromatic and any lemon dessert is just the perfect ending to a meal.

This cake is moist enough to stand up to being stored in the refrigerator (necessary due to the cream cheese icing - normally, this would dry out a cake.) There is enough lemon to satisfy any lemon lover and it is sweet and tart at the same time.

I've covered this cake in perfectly lemon cream cheese icing. If you want to bump the lemon flavor of the cake to unreal levels, add some lemon curd between the layers!

To be honest, though, you won't need it. There is such a fresh and natural lemon flavor in this cake and icing, lemon lovers will rejoice!

Fruit additions!

For a little variety, you can add a fruit filling between the layers. I have used strawberry or blueberry preserves between the layers and it is a perfect match! Lemon pairs so beautifully with most other fruits!

You can also use fresh berries. Sliced strawberries between the layers would be such a welcome burst of flavor! Blueberries could be used between the layers or even IN the cake itself! Add up to 2 cups of fresh or frozen blueberries after the last stage of mixing the cake. Dredge them in 1 tablespoon of flour before folding them into the batter.

The easiest way to add variety to this lemon cake is to just pile a bunch of berries on top! This would not only be delicious, but it will also turn this cake into a beautiful centerpiece.

Video for this recipe coming soon!

Lovely Lemon Cake

Recipe by Tanya Ott

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Ingredients

For the Cake
360 grams all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
212 grams (15 Tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
375 grams granulated sugar
4 Tablespoons lemon zest
4 large eggs + 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
3 Tablespoons coconut oil OR vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
240 mL (1 cup) whole milk, at room temperature
120 mL lemon juice
For the Lemon Cream Cheese Icing
339 grams (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
8 ounces (1 block) full fat cream cheese, at room temperature
720 - 840 grams (6-7 cups) powdered sugar, sifted
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
Pinch of kosher salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare three 6-inch pans or two 8-inch pans by spraying with pan spray, lining the bottom with parchment paper and then dusting the sides with flour. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a seperate bowl, add the lemon juice to the milk and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter, sugar and lemon zest together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes on medium. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix for 30 seconds more. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing to incorporate after each addition. Add the oil and vanilla and mix in.
Add ⅓ of the flour mixture with the mixer on low. Mix just until combined. Add ½ of the milk mixture and mix until combined. Add another ⅓ of the flour, mix; add the remaining milk mixture and mix then add the last of the flour and mix for 30 seconds on medium speed.
Divide the batter evenly between the pans. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Run a knife or offset spatula around the sides of each pan. Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the pan then turn out onto a cooling rack. Cool completely before icing.
Make the Icing
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and cream cheese with the paddle attachment on medium-low speed until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, about ½ cup at a time and continue mixing. until most of the powdered sugar has been added. Hold back the last 1 to 1 ½ cups of powdered sugar. Add the lemon juice and salt and whip on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes. Check the consisitency. Add more sugar if the icing is too loose to hold it's shape.
Assemble the Cake
Spread icing on the top of one cooled layer, add another layer of cake, spread icing on top and then add the last layer. Ice the top and sides of the cake with a thin layer of icing and refrigerate for 15 to 30 minutes, until the icing has hardened up a bit. Apply more icing to the sides and top and smooth with an offset spatula or bench scraper. Decorate as desired.