Lemon Layer Cake

Lemon Layer Cake is the perfect balance of sweet and bright lemon flavor with a tender crumb and rich cream cheese frosting.

If you like the fresh lemon flavor of this delicious Cake Recipe, be sure to try other classic lemon desserts like Creamy Lemon Crumb Bars and Lemon Bundt Cake.

Sabrina’s Lemon Layer Cake Recipe

Each bite of this Lemon Layer Cake is bursting with citrusy goodness. I’ve also incorporated lemon into the rich Cream Cheese Frosting for an added tangy flavor. This cake recipe is the perfect dessert to make for any event you’re hosting in the spring or summer, but you can make it any time of year. Don’t forget to check out my tips and variations after the recipe.

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Lemon Layer Cake Recipe

Lemon Layer Cake is the perfect balance of sweet and bright lemon flavor with a tender crumb and rich cream cheese frosting.

Yield 11 Slices

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Author Sabrina Snyder

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Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

Lemon Layer Cake:

• ▢ 3/4 cup unsalted butter
• ▢ 1 1/3 cups sugar
• ▢ 3 large eggs
• ▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 cup whole milk , room temperature
• ▢ 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• ▢ 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• ▢ 2 1/4 cups flour
• ▢ 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon salt

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting:

• ▢ 24 ounces cream cheese , softened
• ▢ 1/2 cup unsalted butter , softened
• ▢ 3 tablespoons sour cream
• ▢ 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• ▢ 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 6 1/2 cups powdered sugar , about 2 pounds
• ▢ 1 small lemon , cut into thin round slices for top

Instructions

Lemon Layer Cake:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and butter and flour two 8 inch cake pans.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt then set aside.
• To your stand mixer add the butter and sugar and beat them together until light and fluffy on medium speed, 2-3 minutes, then add in the eggs one at a time 15 seconds apart along with the vanilla then lower the speed to low. Add the flour mixture and milk, alternating a little of each at a time.
• Pour into the cake pans evenly and baked for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
• Cool cakes completely before frosting.

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting:

• Add the cream cheese, butter, sour cream, lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla to a stand mixer and beat until light and fluffy.
• Add in the powdered sugar one cup at a time until smooth and incorporated.

To Finish:

• To your cake stand add a spoonful of frosting.
• Level the cakes with a large serrated knife and discard the cake pieces.
• Brush off excess crumbs.
• Add the first layer of the cake to the cake stand.
• Top with 1 cup of frosting, spread evenly.
• Top with second layer of cake.
• Add 1 cup of frosting to the top of the cake and spread evenly.
• Add 1 cup of frosting, coating the outside of the cake.
• Refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow to harden.
• Frost the cake with half the remaining frosting.
• Pipe swirly mounds onto the top of the cake.
• Add thin slices of lemons to the cake, cutting through one segment and twisting to create an "s" shape.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 Slice | Calories: 909kcal | Carbohydrates: 120g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 45g | Saturated Fat: 27g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 173mg | Sodium: 421mg | Potassium: 184mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 98g | Vitamin A: 1606IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 159mg | Iron: 2mg

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Chef’s Note

If your cake recipe is turning out too dry, it could be because the dry-to-wet ingredient ratio is off. Make sure you’re carefully measuring and not mixing in too much flour. It could also be because you’re over beating the ingredients, which results in a dense batter. Using cake flour instead of all-purpose flour is another easy way to ensure you have tender, moist crumbs.

How to Store

• Serve: You don’t want to leave this Lemon Cake recipe out for more than a few hours, or it can start to dry out.
• Store: To keep the cake fresh, cover it in plastic wrap. Or, if you just have a few slices to store, you can place them in an airtight container. The recipe can stay good in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• Freeze: If you carefully seal the cake pieces, you can also store the Lemon Layer Cake in the freezer for up to 6 months. Move the cake to the fridge to thaw overnight before serving.

Variations

• Lemon curd filling: Instead of using the cream cheese frosting between the layers of cake, you can add tart Lemon Curd. This is a great option for die-hard lemon lovers who want as much sweet and zesty flavor as possible.
• Lemon Berry Cake: You can also add new fruit flavors to your cake recipe. Instead of the cream cheese frosting between the layers, add your favorite kind of fruit jam. This makes it easy to make a lemon blueberry cake, lemon raspberry cake, or lemon strawberry cake. Once you’ve added the fruit filling and finished it with the cream cheese frosting on the outside, you can add lemon slices and fresh berries as decorations.
• Lemon Poppyseed Cake: lemon and poppyseed are a classic combo that you’ll find in plenty of delicious baked goods. If you want to add that to this cake, simply mix 2 tablespoons of poppyseeds into the cake batter.
• Decorations: there are lots of finishing touches that you can add to your Lemon Layer Cake. Along with the lemon slices, you could add mixed berries or edible flowers. You could also finish it with sprinkles, sanding sugar, or edible pearls. If you want a more colorful cake, feel free to add your choice of food coloring to the cream cheese frosting.