lemon cake

Here’s a bright and zesty Lemon Cake—moist, tender, and bursting with lemon flavor. Perfect for a simple dessert, tea time, or celebrations. 🍋

Classic Lemon Cake

Servings: 8–10

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 35–40 minutes

Ingredients

Cake

• 1¾ cups (220 g) all-purpose flour

• 1 tsp baking powder

• ¼ tsp baking soda

• ¼ tsp salt

• ½ cup (115 g) unsalted butter, softened

• 1 cup (200 g) sugar

• 2 large eggs

• 2 tsp lemon zest (from 1–2 lemons)

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• ¾ cup (180 ml) buttermilk (or milk + 1 tsp vinegar)

• ¼ cup (60 ml) fresh lemon juice

Lemon Glaze (optional)

• ½ cup (60 g) powdered sugar

• 2–3 tsp fresh lemon juice

Instructions

1. Preheat oven
   Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour an 8-inch round or loaf pan.

2. Mix dry ingredients
   In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

3. Cream butter & sugar
   In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, then stir in lemon zest and vanilla.

4. Combine wet & dry
   Alternate adding flour mixture and buttermilk (start and end with flour). Stir in lemon juice. Mix until smooth.

5. Bake
   Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 35–40 minutes (loaf) or 25–30 minutes (round pan), until a toothpick comes out clean.

6. Cool & glaze
   Let cake cool 10 minutes in pan, then transfer to a wire rack.
   For glaze: mix powdered sugar with lemon juice and drizzle over the cooled cake.

Tips

• Use fresh lemons for the best flavor; bottled juice tastes flat.

• For extra moistness, brush the baked cake with a bit of lemon syrup (equal parts sugar + juice, heated to dissolve).

• Add a teaspoon of poppy seeds to the batter for a classic lemon-poppy seed variation.

Variations

• 🍰 Layer cake: Double the recipe for two layers and fill with lemon curd.

• 🥛 Yogurt lemon cake: Substitute buttermilk with Greek yogurt for tangier, denser cake.

• 🍋 Mini muffins: Bake in muffin tins for 15–18 minutes for bite-sized treats.

If you want, I can give you a super quick 15-minute microwave lemon cake that’s fluffy, single-serve, and ready instantly.