Lemon cake is a such a moist, tangy and easy cake to prepare from scratch. The simplicity and deliciousness of this cake will have you hooked from the first bite.
The Best Lemon Cake
Made from fresh lemons and simple ingredients, make this lemon cake one of the easiest treat to prepare. The batter is interlaced with lemon juice and lemon zest that creates a fresh, moist cake. As the cake comes out of the oven it is drizzled with an intense lemon syrup. Once it is then cooled, the cake is covered with a zesty lemon icing to make it that extra bit tangy. A seriously irresistible cake!
Ingredients required:
This lemon cake requires the normal cake ingredients such as flour, eggs and sugar. To make it that extra special is also needs the following ingredients:
- Lemons: the superstar of this recipe. You are going to need 2-3 lemons- both the juice and the zest.
- Vanilla essence: the slight vanilla taste gives this cake that extra little bit of deliciousness. If you have no liquid essence, you can add in some vanilla sugar or half a vanilla pod.
- Milk: now due to allergies in our house, all of my cakes are made using oat milk and they work out perfectly (you actually may want to reduce the sugar amount as oat milk is slightly sweeter as cows milk). If cow milk is your preference, try using a full fat milk. It binds everything just that slight bit better, creating a moist cake.
Tips on baking the best Lemon Cake:
- Try to use fresh ingredients if possible especially in regards to the lemons. This means if you can, avoid using bottled lemon juice. The fresher the lemons, the more intense the lemon zest. The lemon zest is super important in this recipe as it provides a punch of extra lemony flavour.
- When mixing the batter, do not over mix. You want to prevent your cake from looking like a mini volcano. Mix the batter until it is just slightly combined. Don’t stress if there are some slight flour lumps within the batter, they will combine when the cake is baking.
- To prepare the lemon icing, add in the lemon juice gradually until preferred consistency is reached. Some people like their icing rather thick and others prefer it to be a little more runny.
- This recipe can also be made into 12 muffins. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until a skewer is removed clean. All other steps are the same.
If you enjoy lemon desserts and treats, this recipe is certainly for you and should be tried immediately.
Need some more cake or muffin inspo? Give these refreshing, fruit cake recipes a go!
Lemon Cake
Course: Baking, Recipes
Servings
12
SlicesPrep time
10
minutesCooking time
45
minutesCalories
232
kcalTotal time
55
minutesIngredients
- Cake Batter:
1/2 cup 1/2 Butter
3/4 Cup 3/4 Sugar
2 2 Eggs
1 tsp 1 Vanilla Essence
2 tbsp 2 Lemon Juice about 1/2 large squeezed lemon
1.5 cups 1.5 All-purpose Flour
2 tsp 2 Baking Powder
1 tbsp 1 Lemon Zest
1/2 cup 1/2 Milk
- Lemon Juice
1/4 cup 1/4 Lemon juice about 1 large lemon
- Lemon Icing
1 cup 1 Icing Sugar
1.5 tbsp 1.5 Lemon Juice
1 tbsp 1 Lemon Zest
Directions
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius and prepare a cake tin with butter or baking paper.
- Place butter and sugar into a large bowl. Using electric beaters, mix until slightly pale and fluffy, approximately 4-5 minutes.
- Add in the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly between each egg.
- Add in the vanilla essence and lemon juice, stir until combined.
- Sift in the flour and baking powder into the wet mixture. Also add in the lemon zest and milk. Stir until just combined, trying not to over mix (it is ok if you can see some slight flour lumps within the mixture).
- Place mixture into the prepared cake tin and pop into the oven. Allow to cook for 45-50 minutes or until completely cooked (the best way to check this is by using a skewer or knife and placing it into the middle of the cake, if it comes out clean then the cake is ready). If you find that the top of the cake is starting to get too brown, place a sheet of alfoil over the top of the pan, this will stop it from browning.
- Once the cake is baked, remove from the oven. Using a skewer or a sharp knife, place small holes into the top of the cake and then pour the lemon juice over the top of the cake. Allow to cool in the cake pan.
- While the cake is cooling, prepare the lemon icing mixture. Place the ingredients (except the lemon zest) into a bowl and stir until completely combined. You may want to add in the lemon juice gradually to reach your desired consistency.
- Once the cake is cooled, remove from the pan. Pour the icing over the top of the cake, using a warm knife to spread the icing evenly. Sprinkle lemon zest onto the cake.
- Serve with a fresh cup of tea or coffee.
Notes
- If the cake isn’t completely devoured (trust me, it’s super hard to resist), it will stay fresh up to 3-4 days at room temperature. You can easily place it into the fridge to keep it moist and fresher for longer.
Nutrition Facts
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 232kcal
- Fat: 9g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g
- Cholesterol: 52mg
- Sodium: 162mg
- Carbohydrates: 36g
- Fiber: 1g
- Sugar: 23g
- Protein: 3g
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