Time for another layer cake! Not quite 14 layers like my no-bake s’mores cake or Smith Island cake, but just as fabulous as both. If you’re a lemon dessert lover like I am, meet our crowning glory.
This lemon layer cake recipe is adapted from the most popular cake recipe on our website: lemon blueberry cake. Lemon blueberry cake has been in our top 10 recipes for the past 4 years. It’s moist, sweet, buttery, and loaded with fresh lemon. Since its publish date, we’ve received many questions about leaving out the blueberries to make it plain. We decided a plain lemon cake needed its own separate blog post. Enveloped with lemon cream cheese buttercream and garnished with whipped cream, this towering beauty stands up to its blueberry studded sister!
Behind the Recipe
Besides the flavor and texture, this cake is loved is because of its ease. Very basic ingredients including a base of creamed butter + sugar, eggs, lemon, milk, and flour. We left out the brown sugar and replaced with more granulated sugar. No rhyme or reason here—just didn’t feel like reaching for both types of sugar this time. Between the cake and frosting, you’ll need 2-3 lemons. Both the juice and zest.
Let’s chat about the flour for a second.
The key to this recipe is using sifted all-purpose flour. Sifting the flour aerates it, creating an overall fluffier cake. Just like we found in our 6 inch citrus cake, cake flour is too light for this lemon cake; our cakes were squat and flimsy. All-purpose flour is great, sifted all-purpose flour is much better. Sift flour in a large bowl, then measure 3 cups. Whenever the word “sifted” comes before an ingredient, that means you sift before measuring. (Alternatively, if the word “sifted” comes after an ingredient, sift after measuring.) Here’s our set of sifters. Love them. We’re using the medium one in this photo.
The lemon cake batter is velvety and thick. Divide between 3 9-inch or 8-inch round cake pans—roughly the same bake time for both sizes. For a 2 layer cake, divide batter evenly between two 9-inch cake pans. Bake time will be longer, but you can use a toothpick to test for doneness. This lemon cake batter will fit into a 9×13-inch pan. Bake time will be close to 40 minutes. And while we’re on the subject of different size cakes, this recipe yields at least 30 lemon cupcakes. For 1 dozen cupcakes, here is our lemon cupcakes recipe. They taste identical to the cake!
Lemon Cream Cheese Buttercream
We were torn between cream cheese frosting and lemon buttercream, so we combined the two by adding 8 ounces of cream cheese and a little extra confectioners’ sugar to lemon buttercream. The result is an infinitely CREAMY and BUTTERY lemon cream cheese frosting that we know you’ll love!!! Look at this stuff!!!
Glides on effortlessly.
Optional Garnishes!
- Homemade whipped cream (I used Wilton 8B piping tip)
- Food-safe or edible flowers
- Lemon slices
- Fresh berries
- Fresh herbs
- Candied citrus
You could also add a filling between the layers: this raspberry cake filling would be delicious!
The cake stand you see in my pictures is the brand Juliska. I can’t find it anywhere online anymore! Here is a similar one.
Others I love:
- Wood slice cake stand
- Stoneware white cake stand
- Marble cake stand (pictured with coconut carrot cake cupcakes and strawberry cake)
- Glenna cake stand
- Glass covered cake stand
If you love lemon cake, you’ll adore my lemon bars and lemon meringue pie!
Print
Lemon Layer Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Buttercream
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours
- Yield: serves 10-12
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This 3 layer lemon layer cake is made completely from scratch with real lemons. It’s deliciously moist and light and is remarkable paired with tangy cream cheese buttercream.
Ingredients
- 3 cups (354g) sifted all-purpose flour* (spooned & leveled)
- 2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 and 3/4 cups (350g) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (240ml) whole milk, at room temperature
- 1 heaping Tablespoon lemon zest (about 2 lemons)
- 1/3 cup (80ml) fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 8 ounces (226g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature*
- 4 and 1/2 cups (540g) confectioners’ sugar
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- pinch salt, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease three 8-inch cake pans, line with parchment paper rounds, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans. (If it’s helpful, see this parchment paper rounds for cakes video & post.)
- Make the cake: Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract on high speed until combined, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients just until combined. With the mixer still running on low, add the milk, lemon zest, and lemon juice and mix just until combined. You may need to whisk it all by hand to make sure there are no lumps at the bottom of the bowl. The batter will be a little thick.
- Pour batter evenly into cake pans. Bake for around 21-26 minutes or until the cakes are baked through. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, it’s done. Allow cakes to cool completely in the pans set on a wire rack. The cakes must be completely cool before frosting and assembling. The baked cakes are fluffy, but they are not thick—about 1 – 1.5 inches.
- Make the frosting: In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the cream cheese and beat until completely smooth and combined. Add confectioners’ sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla extract with the mixer running on low. Increase to high speed and beat for 3 minutes. Add more confectioners’ sugar if frosting is too thin, more lemon juice if frosting is too thick, or add a pinch of salt if frosting is too sweet. (I always add a pinch of salt!)
- Assemble and decorate: Using a large serrated knife, slice a thin layer off the tops of the cakes to create a flat surface. Discard (or crumble over ice cream!). Place 1 cake layer on your cake stand, cake turntable, or serving plate. Evenly cover the top with about 1 cup of frosting. Top with 2nd cake layer and evenly cover the top with about 1 cup of frosting. Top with the third cake layer. Spread the remaining frosting all over the top and sides. I like to top mine with homemade whipped cream (I used Wilton 8B piping tip).
- Refrigerate for at least 30-45 minutes before slicing. This helps the cake hold its shape when cutting.
- Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: The cake layers can be baked, cooled, and covered tightly at room temperature overnight. Likewise, the frosting can be prepared then covered and refrigerated overnight. Let the frosting sit at room temperature to slightly soften for 10 minutes before assembling and frosting. Frosted cake or unfrosted cake layers can be frozen up to 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before decorating/serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 8-inch Cake Pans | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Cooling Rack | Citrus Zester | Citrus Juicer | Cake Turntable | Icing Spatula | Piping Bag (Reusable or Disposable) | Wilton 8B Piping Tip | Cake Carrier (for storage)
- Flour: Sift all-purpose flour before measuring.
- Whole Milk: You can use lower fat or nondairy milks in a pinch, but the cake won’t taste nearly as rich and moist.
- Recipe updated in 2022: The amount of leaveners are now 2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda. (Increased from 2 teaspoons and 1/4 teaspoon respectively.) The amounts listed above amount help provide extra rise, which creates a lighter cake. I also now recommend whole milk instead of buttermilk so the cake batter is slightly less acidic.
- Vanilla Cream Cheese Buttercream: For a vanilla cream cheese buttercream, replace lemon juice with milk or heavy cream in the frosting. Add an additional 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract.
- 2 Layer Cake: For a 2 layer cake, divide batter evenly between two 9-inch cake pans. Bake time will be longer; use a toothpick to test for doneness.
- Lemon Cupcakes: This recipe yields about 30 lemon cupcakes. Bake for 18-22 minutes. Use a toothpick to test for doneness. For 1 dozen cupcakes, here is my lemon cupcakes recipe. They taste identical to the cake!
- 9×13 inch Cake: This batter will fit into a 9×13-inch pan. Fill 2/3 full. If there’s extra batter, you can make a few cupcakes. Bake time will be close to 40 minutes; use a toothpick to test for doneness.
Hi Sally
I made this cake and used some of the batter for cupcakes- part for a small cake and part for a few cupcakes. Cupcakes were great but for some reason the cake came out gummy. Any reason why? I didn’t remix the batter before baking the cake.
Hi Candis, is the cake seemed overly dense and gummy, it’s likely the batter was over mixed from the start. You’ll want to mix until all the ingredients are just combined. This post on how to prevent dry and dense cakes may also be helpful to review. Glad you enjoyed the cupcake version!
This was a HUGE HIT! We have been eating this for days. I tried to say I’d bring some to work and the family said absolutely not, LOL. I did add a bit more lemon juice and some lemon zest to the frosting for additional lemon flavor. The frosting would be exceptional on cinnamon rolls, I saved some of the frosting as it made a bit more then needed and ended up eating it by the spoonful’s. Thank you so much for this Delicious Recipe, Bravo!
Cake was delicious – wouldn’t change a thing. The frosting, however, was too soft due to all of the fat (butter + cream cheese). I used at least 2 cups more powdered sugar and it still caused the layers to slide — even with strategically placed vertical toothpicks anchoring the layers together :-/
Hi! Planning on baking this cake and just wanted to check, is the fully assembled cake able to sit at room temp if making a day ahead in hot california heat, or is it better to refrigerate, esp with the cream cheese frosting?
Hi! We recommend you keep this cake covered and refrigerated, especially in warm climates. Hope you enjoy!
Hi Sally! Absolutely adore this recipe! I need to make an orange layer cake and was wondering if I could use this recipe and use orange juice instead of lemon juice?
Hi Kayla, we haven’t tried it, but don’t see why it wouldn’t work! Please report back and let us know how it goes!
Why are we using all purpose flour, and not cake flour
Hi Lucy, you could use cake flour, yes, but we find it’s a little too light with this ratio of wet to dry ingredients. Some readers have used it (as a 1:1 ratio for AP flour), but we weren’t happy with the result. We like to use all-purpose flour in this lemon cake and our lemon cupcakes.
Hi, I made this recently for a birthday cake and used the left over mix for cupcakes. They were absolutely beautiful. In wanting to use this recipe for vanilla cupcakes, as I want the same texture, moisture etc. If I just omit the lemons, then obviously I’m missing all the extra liquid in the recipe. Please could advise what I can substitute to make up the liquid?
Thanks.
Hi Steph, we’re so glad you enjoyed this recipe! It’s best to use a recipe specifically formulated for vanilla cupcakes. Here is our vanilla cupcake recipe that’s a reader favorite!
Could you half this recipe to make a small, 2-tier, 6inch cake? My son wants one for his birthday, but we only need a cake for 6-8 people. Recommendation?
Hi Bekah! We recommend using our lemon cupcakes recipe to make a three layer 6 inch cake. You can read more about making 6 inch cakes from cupcake recipes in this 6 inch cakes post.
This was delicious. I made it with gluten free flour mix (Anita’s) with no other modifications and it turned out great – except I only had a cup and a half of icing sugar on hand which I found to be just the perfect amount. Thank you!
I made the mistake of making this once for my father’s birthday, and now I make it for my brother’s and sister’s too! They really like it! My only issue (and this might just be my lemons, I’m not sure) is that sometimes the lemon bitterness sticks out too much. However, using store-bought lemon juice to substitute helped me sweeten and bring it back. Still a great recipe overall though. I definitely recommend and will likely make it again.
My cakes crumbled when taken out of the cake pans, so I had to join them with the buttercream and hope for the best. The result was tasty, but it doesn’t look great, and I’ve never had any issues like this with Sally’s recipes.
Hi Isabel, we’re the cake layers over baked by chance? If the cakes were crumbly, it sounds like they were too dry from either over baking, or from too much flour. Be sure to spoon and level or use a kitchen scale to ensure the flour isn’t over measured. This post on how to prevent dry and dense cakes will also be a helpful resource. Thank you for giving this one a try!
Hi Lexi,
Thank you for the resources. It seems to me that the cakes could have been slightly overbaked.
This looks delicious! Could I split it into two 8×2-inch round pans instead of the recommended 9-inch, or would that be too much batter for the pans?
Hi Shannon, there is a bit too much batter for only 2 8-inch pans, but you could fill the 2 pans half way and then use the leftover batter for a few cupcakes on the side. Hope you enjoy it!
Can I use this recipe for a wedding cake? It would be 2 tier cake so I would use dowels in the bottom tier. Thanks
Hi Jane, absolutely! This cake holds up well (with dowels) as a tiered cake. See our wedding cake post for tips on tiered cakes if needed. Hope it’s a hit!
Everyone loved this cake I baked for my father’s birthday. I served fresh berries beside it which helped cut the sweetness a little. This recipe is going into my baking repertoire!
I made the lemon blueberry cake and it was a HUGE success! I love your recipes! I was wondering if you had a smaller lemon loaf recipe or something that could be whipped up a little bit quicker, but still had the delicious lemon taste of these cake recipes? Thank you!
Hi Sarah, you might love this Lemon Poppy Seed bread!
Made this lemon layer cake for my son’s 21st bday as 2-layer 9” version. Only addition was brushing the cooling layers with Limoncello and adding a tablespoon of same to the frosting. The cake was gorgeous, lemony, tender and moist. Frosting was creamy, luscious and bright with lemon flavor. Son was over the moon with it. A beautiful recipe I will keep making. Definitely recommend this for a real LEMONY lemon cake.
Hi, looks like a great recipe. Is this lemon cream cheese frosting sturdy enough to decorate an anniversary cake with. Will the decorations hold their shape? Can I make the frosting 3 – 4 days ahead,of time and keep it in the fridge and decorate the cake two days before the party? Thank you. I would really appreciate a reply ASAP. thank you kindly
Hi Pam, cream cheese-based frostings like this one will work for very simple decoration, but you may wish to use something slightly sturdier for piping like this lemon buttercream frosting (no cream cheese). For best freshness, you may want to make the frosting closer to when you will be decorating the cake, and then decorating the cake 2 days before the party should be just fine. Hope it’s a hit!
Can I use buttermilk instead of whole milk?
Hi Donna, We find that whole milks produces the best texture for this lemon cake. It did used to call for buttermilk, but we’ve recently updated it to reflect our latest recipe testing. That said, you can use buttermilk in a pinch.
A family favorite – requested all the time!!
Thanks for this recipe. Success!
I love this recipe and have been making it for years. Interested why you swapped the buttermilk for whole milk? I always thought the buttermilk gave the batter a lovely tangy flavour.
Hi Sally, I am looking to bake a lemon raspberry cake. Would you suggest I follow this recipe and just add raspberries, or to follow your lemon blueberry cake recipe and swap blueberries for raspberries?
Hi Becca, yes, you can use raspberries. This recipe is adapted from our Lemon Blueberry Layer Cake, so you can follow that recipe replacing the blueberries with raspberries. Enjoy!
My little boy specifically requested a “lemon cake” for his 3rd birthday party & after some searching we settled on this. It was perfect & everyone loved it!! Will definitely make again.
This lemon cake recipe is delicious. I’ve made this cake several times.
I would like to make the lemon cake instead of the vanilla for my daughter’s wedding with your vanilla icing shown in the naked cake. Would that work? Also, will the three-layer cake cut easily at the event?
Hi Donna, that sounds great! Enjoy.
I love this recipe and want to make it again but I now live at 8000 ft above sea level. Do you know how to alter this recipe for high altitude?
Hi Shawna! We wish we could help, but we have no experience baking at high altitude. Some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
I wanted to make a cake for my husband’s 60th. He loves lemon cake! I followed the recipe using the 2 layer cake adjustment. I decorated it with the frosting and fresh lemon and zest. It was beautiful and delicious. Thank you!
We’re so happy to hear this, Elizabeth!
I have made this recipe four times now and it’s absolutely delicious. I make it exactly as the recipe instructs and I use a scale. However, the layers for three 8 inch cakes are really thin (less than 1 inch). I haven’t figured out why yet. It’s been consistently thin every time I’ve made it.
I made this in the weekend and it was delicious. The only issue was that the icing was really thin even after I added more than a quarter cup of confectioners sugar. Comparing this recipe to others, the amount of confectioners sugar seems low for the amount of butter and cream cheese.
Hi Kelly! Did you use full fat block style cream cheese? That’s the only kind we recommend to use in this frosting recipe – anything else will be too thin. Thank you for giving this recipe a try!
Great taste, however the frosting was very runny. I used full fat cream cheese and even squeezed the water out of it. Had to add so much sugar and even then it was till very runny. It’s in the fridge now so hopefully will be ok in the morning.
Delicious recipe! How do you suggest storing the frosted cake overnight? I’m hoping to make this for a birthday party but need to make the layers 2 days in advance and frost/decorate 1 day in advance … do you think it will still be as good day of? Also how well will this hold up outside for 3 hours? Weather will likely be mid 70s. Thank you so much!
Hi Sophia, Do you happen to have a cake carrier? We like to use one with a lid to store frosted cakes in the refrigerator overnight. Keeping the cake outside should be ok for a short time if it’s not very hot out – if possible keep it inside until before serving, especially if it will be in the sun.