Description
Discover the Best Lemon Cake Recipe featuring a bright, natural lemon flavor and a moist, tender crumb. This easy-to-make cake combines fresh lemon juice and zest with simple ingredients to create a perfectly balanced dessert that is light, flavorful, and versatile for any occasion.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice (from about 2 lemons)
- Zest of 2 lemons
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prepare Your Ingredients: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour an 8-inch round cake pan or line it with parchment paper. Zest and juice your lemons so they’re ready to mix in. Measure out your dry and wet ingredients separately for a smooth blending process.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt to evenly distribute the leavening and seasoning.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In another bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar until creamy and light. Then add the oil, buttermilk, fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract, whisking until fully combined and smooth.
- Blend Wet and Dry: Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture using a spatula or wooden spoon. Mix just until combined—overmixing can make the cake tough.
- Bake and Cool: Pour the batter into your prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Use fresh lemons: The zest and juice of fresh lemons make a huge difference in flavor versus bottled lemon juice.
- Room temperature ingredients: Allow eggs, buttermilk, and oil to come to room temperature for better blending and fluffier texture.
- Don’t skip the zest: Lemon zest packs concentrated citrus oils that brighten every bite.
- Check doneness early: Ovens vary; start testing your cake around 30 minutes to avoid overbaking and drying.
- Let it cool fully: This prevents the cake from crumbling when removing it from the pan or slicing.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30-35 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/8 of cake)
- Calories: 280 kcal
- Sugar: 22 g
- Sodium: 210 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 32 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 65 mg
Keywords: lemon cake, lemon dessert, moist lemon cake, easy lemon cake, lemon zest cake, citrus cake