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!
PrintLemon 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 love all your recipes and have made at least 5 of them. I wanted to ask you if there was a way to substitute confectioners sugar in the frosting. I don’t like the taste confectioners sugar imparts but I’m afraid to ruin the frosting if I use something else. Thanks!
Hi Katherine! There’s no real replacement for confectioners’ sugar in traditional American buttercream, but you can try my Swiss Meringue Buttercream instead if you’d like.
I love it! I made the cake using 2-8 inches pan. Made a meringue frosting and added lemon curd in the layers. It’s Perfect balance of tart and not very sweet. Thank you Sally
Hi Sally,
I’m so excited to try this cake out!
Can I add in poppy seeds into this to make it a lemon poppy seed cake? If yes, how much would you recommend adding and at which step? Would I also have to alter any other ingredient?
Thank you so much!
Absolutely. I would add 1 Tablespoon of poppy seeds to the dry ingredients. That’s usually plenty, but feel free to add a little more if you think the batter needs it. No need to adjust anything else.
This cake was good and guests will enjoy it – but it’s not necessarily a recipe I will use again. First, it was too sweet, so no one was able to eat a normal-sized piece – but the flavor was very good. Second, as one reviewer said, the cake became very dense the following day. Usually, a cake tastes better the next day, but not in this case.
Delicious!! Made this for my boyfriend’s birthday. We are lemon fanatics so I added lemon zest to the frosting as well. He let out an intense moan of joy after the first bite. Best compliment ever.
Oh my goodness! This cake was delicious! I made a 2 layer (9 inch rounds) cake and it was perfect balance of lemon flavor, moistness, sweet but not overpowering. Just perfect! Thank you for the great recipe!
I made this for my boyfriend’s birthday cake. He loved it! It was so moist and kept well in the fridge for leftovers. I will definitely be making this again for years to come. Thanks Sally!!!
Hi Sally- I’d like to sub lemons for oranges. Will that work for this recipe? Or are there other things I’d need to adjust?
Btw I LOVE your coconut cake recipe!
Thanks!
Hi Kaitlyn, I have not tested this cake with oranges. You can certainly try it, but they are sweeter and adjusting the sugar would take some recipe testing. You can also make my Glazed Orange Bundt Cake instead.
I made this yesterday during quarantine (finally have time to bake!). I made an extra cake to freeze for my mother-in-law’s birthday next week… I hope that one turns out well!
We have lemon trees and keep the lemon juice year-round. The cake is moist and the buttercream is delicious (love the added cream cheese flavor). If I make it again, I plan to add a lemon curd in between layers to add a little more tartness and lemon flavor.
I’m so happy you enjoyed the cake, Paige! Lemon Curd would be a delicious addition!
Hi Sally! I’ve loved every recipe of yours I’ve ever made (so many!)- and so do all my friends and family that get to eat the finished product! I was wondering if any of the buttermilk could be replaced with limoncello? Maybe 1/2 a cup of each?
Hi Cynthia! That sounds delicious, but I fear the texture of the cake will be off-putting unless you do a little testing to find the right balance of wet ingredients. I recommend sticking with the recipe or searching for a delicious limoncello cake recipe.
This turned out perfect for me! My husband said the flavors were just right ☺️
I made this as my birthday cake and it turned out beautifully! I halved the recipe to make two tiers, and I didn’t have buttermilk so used 2% milk. I added desiccated coconut and blueberries to the icing on top. Absolutely loved it and it looked perfect, thank you Sally 🙂
This cake received thumbs up from all ages at tonight’s birthday celebration. I found this recipe and these instructions easy to follow. It came out perfect and was delicious. The perfect dessert after lemon butter seafood linguini. Thank you
Hello ! Can you recommend another buttercream or icing that will go well with this cake ?
Hi Andrea, What are you looking for in a different frosting? Less sweet, not lemon, no cream cheese? I’m happy to make specific recommendations or you can browse all of my Frosting Recipes.
I made this for my husband’s birthday and he said it was his favorite ever! I don’t bake too often but this was easy to follow and turned out delicious! Thank you for the awesome recipe!
Hi Sally,
I’d like to make a lemon raspberry layer cake. Could I add raspberries to the cake batter? I tried your one layer cake recipe and the texture turned out great!
Hi Jenny, Yes you can use raspberries. This recipe is adapted from my Lemon Blueberry Layer Cake. You can follow that recipe replacing the blueberries with raspberries. Enjoy!
Amazing amazing amazing! Easy to make and tastes heavenly! Missed the part where it says “serves 10-12” and it’s just me and my partner, but it’s okay we have big appetite. Thanks for an amazing recipe!
Hi Sally,
Just want to let you know that we used this recipe last year for my sister’s birthday and we absolutely loved it! We are making it again this year for her birthday.
Thank you for sharing 🙂 Hope you are keeping yourself safe and busy with baking at this time!
Made this with my daughter yesterday. Delicious! Cake lightly lemony, my husband loves lemon desserts so I added zest to the frosting and it was perfect. I don’t mind the yellow flecks of zest in the frosting – it looks pretty! This frosting is so light and velvety – really a keeper! We made several small cakes and used raspberry filling in one of them for a little variety.
Since we are in a lockdown can I use tetra pack milk instead of buttermilk, will it make a difference in texture or taste. I intend making it tomorrow for my mom’s birthday.
The carrot and pineapple cake turned out perfect.
Thank you
Hello,
Planning on making this cake for Easter. Do you have to refrigerate before cutting? If I don’t will the cake go bad? I’m making it the day of Easter. I’m also substituting the frosting with regular vanilla frosting rather than cream cheese.
Hi Sean, I refrigerate the cake for at least 30-45 minutes before serving which helps cut neat slices, but that won’t matter as much if you use vanilla buttercream since it’s thicker and sturdier than cream cheese buttercream. Feel free to refrigerate if desired, though.
Hi! This recipe is absolutely amazing. Just made this cake for my mums birthday and I can’t wait to surprise her (: I just have a question about left over frosting! I didn’t use all of it, can it be frozen for future or would you not recommend it? Thanks!
This is possibly the best cake I have ever tasted, and certainly the best cake I have ever baked. I am generally not a sucker for sweets, and I often think cakes are overrated because they tend to be too dry. Not this cake! This cake is PERFECT. Your detailed instructions were incredibly helpful in having this turn out the way its supposed to, so thank you for all of that. I did cut the sugar by about 1/2 cup in the cake recipe and by half in the icing recipe, and it still turned out more than sweet enough with just the right tang. I’ll be keeping this recipe for a long time! Thank you!
Hi Sally
This cake is amazing! I’ve only ever made it as a layer cake. Do you think it would work as a bundt and if so, how long should I bake it?
Thank you for all your delicious recipes!! You make us better bakers.
Delicious!
I halved the recipe and made 2 4-inch layers. I also used gluten free flour. It came out so well!!! Perfect for my husband’s birthday.
Hi Sally. Looking forward to trying this recipe. I do not have store bought buttermilk. Is home made buttermilk better or regular full fat milk?
Thank you!
Hi Bina, there’s plenty of acidity already in this batter than you really don’t need the acidity from buttermilk if you don’t have buttermilk on hand. No need to make a DIY version– regular milk works!
Made this as a 2 layer cake, and a dozen cupcakes too. Absolute lemon deliciousness. Husband adored them, will definitely make again.
Delicious and well-written recipe. I reduced the sugar in the cake to one cup and we were all glad I did!
OMG…I made this but only used 1 cup sugar instead of what the recipe called for. It was a hit!!! I love how fluffy the cake turned out. Thank you so much.
Recipe worked great, I made the 2 layer cake! I personally did not get to taste it, but rumour is that it is very delicious!! Made this for my Mom’s birthday. Social distancing puts a twist on celebrations! Sang Happy Birthday from the front step! Sally’s recipes are always 2 thumbs up- Thank you Sally!
I made this recipe and added a lemon curd in between the layers of my cake. It was amazing!! Thanks for the great recipe. I will say that I made my cakes in 8-inch pans and they took about 30 minutes to bake. That being said, the layers weren’t that much thicker than the 9-inch pans (about 1-1.5 inches thick). This recipe is great for lemon lovers!