Lemon Cake with Fluffy, Less-Sweet Lemon Frosting Recipe

That is the Lemon Cake you make whenever you need to impress. 3 cake layers based mostly on my signature Vanilla Cake recipe that readers world wide have fallen in love with, with a magic fluffy not-too-sweet lemon frosting. The bonus right here is that this cake stays completely recent for 4 complete days. That’s unparalleled!

Pressed for time? Make this fast Lemon Cake with Lemon Glaze.

This can be a three-layer Lemon Cake with a fantastically tender crumb that’s tailored from my Vanilla Cake batter. The Vanilla Cake batter is considered one of my grasp recipes that I adapt to all kinds of desserts. It might be blueberry-studded ones, a pink, actual strawberry cake (within the works!) or perhaps a layered chestnut cream Mont Blanc Cake.

The sponge is exclusive as a result of it’s made utilizing a French-Japanese cake-making technique that depends on whipped eggs greater than baking powder to carry the cake. This yields a way more elegant, softer crumb than typical Western desserts which frequently begin with a “cream butter and sugar” instruction.

Right here’s a comparability of the Vanilla Cake Crumb vs a typical butter cake:

Listed below are the substances required for the signature, tender and fluffy Lemon Cake Layers! The Vanilla Cake publish on which this batter is predicated already has further element about a number of the substances, which I received’t repeat in full right here.

• Lemon zest and juice – Powers the lemon flavour! Many of the lemon flavour comes from the zest, whereas the tartness comes from the juice.

• Pure lemon extract (oil), OPTIONAL – Comprised of lemons, this can be a concentrated oil that provides this cake somewhat additional lemon flavour leg-up. Regardless of how a lot recent lemon you place in a cake batter, I discover you’ll be able to by no means obtain the fairly similar flavour depth you’ll be able to with only a a small quantity of lemon extract (we simply use 1/4 teaspoon).

  It is available in little bottles like meals colouring, present in the identical baking part of shops. Nonetheless, when you don’t need to get a bottle particularly for this cake, I do get that. So simply skip it – I promise this cake nonetheless has enough lemon flavour!

• Flour – Simply plain/all-purpose flour works higher right here than cake flour. Nonetheless, when you can solely get cake flour, that works simply wonderful. The one distinction is that the cake floor turns into a bit cheesy the following day (probably not a giant deal on this frosted cake);

• Sugar – Superfine / caster sugar is finest because it dissolves extra readily. However extraordinary granulated white sugar is okay too. Please don’t try and substitute with brown sugar or any sugar substitutes;

• Butter – Unsalted, the default for baking;

• Eggs – Brisker is best, and at room temperature. Contemporary eggs fluff higher, and room temperature eggs fluff quicker than fridge-cold eggs. Should you don’t understand how, right here’s tips on how to test how recent your eggs are;

• Milk, full-fat – Simply plain previous cow’s milk! Low-fat does work too however rises marginally much less. Don’t substitute with non-dairy milk or buttermilk;

• Baking powder – For lifting energy. Should you don’t use yours commonly, be sure that positive it’s nonetheless good. Inactive baking powder is a typical hidden perpetrator of cake fails;

• Vanilla – For its stunning flavour which enhances the lemon so properly;

• Salt – Just a bit brings out the flavours of all the pieces else within the cake; and

• Oil – For a contact of additional moisture however extra importantly, it retains the cake recent for five days. Any impartial oil works wonderful right here – vegetable, canola, peanut and many others.

The batter for this cake is predicated on my Vanilla Cake. There, I’ve already offered complete course of steps in addition to the “why” within the technique. Moderately than repeating all of it, I’ll give attention to the necessities related to this specific cake.

1. Beat eggs and sugar for 7 minutes till tripled in quantity. That is the key to the fantastically gentle, plush texture of the cake!

2. Add dry substances – Whisk the dry cake substances in a bowl (ie. flour, baking powder, salt). Add the dry Components in 3 batches to whipped egg combine, mixing on Velocity 1 for five seconds after every addition. Cease as quickly as a lot of the flour is combined in.

3. Scorching milk combination – Whisk sizzling milk, melted butter, oil, lemon juice, lemon zest and lemon oil in your now-empty flour bowl. You will notice little lumps which is the zest.

   Lighten the new milk combination – Add a number of the egg batter into the new milk combination. The aim of this step is to lighten the new milk combination earlier than combining it with the batter so it’s included extra simply. The batter is fantastically aerated and this method thus helps protect all these air bubbles we created in Step 1.

4. Combine on low pace till just-combined. We don’t need to knock out all these air bubbles we created, bear in mind!

5. Cake pans – Divide the batter between the cake pans, then easy the floor.

   Bake for 23 minutes. In the event that they don’t all match on one shelf, put 2 on the center shelf and one on the shelf beneath. Take the highest 2 from the oven at 23 minutes, then transfer the underside one up a shelf and bake for an extra 2 minutes.

   Let the desserts stand for a couple of minutes within the pan then cool the wrong way up on a rack. Why the wrong way up? As a result of the load will will flatten out any slight doming on the higher floor so there’s no must trim to make the desserts degree.

You’ll know immediately whenever you contact the cake that it’s a really particular cake as a result of you’ll be able to really feel how plush and velvety it’s even on the floor.

Make sure to let it cool absolutely earlier than frosting, in any other case it can soften your frosting!

Ah, that magic fluffy frosting that’s 100% easy but not cloying and overly-sweet like buttercream! This frosting makes use of a flour-based roux because the thickener which is whipped up with icing sugar / powdered sugar and butter.

It’s gained a little bit of a cult following for good motive. 🙂 For this cake, we’re making a lemon-flavoured model of the recipe.

All you want is butter, milk, sugar, salt, lemon and … flour. “Flour??”, I hear you cry. YES. That’s what thickens this right into a frosting texture and offers it its trademark gentle and fluffy mouthfeel. It’s a classic frosting approach from the times earlier than cream cheese frosting was ever a factor. The precise identify is “Ermine Frosting” or “Boiled Milk Frosting” – learn extra about it right here within the unique recipe.

I promise you’ll not detect even the faintest little bit of flour as soon as completed – not in texture and positively not style.

Why salt? As with the cake, just a bit brings out the flavours of all the pieces else within the frosting. You received’t style it!

First, we make the roux. It’s identical to how we begin creamy-sauce savoury meals like Mac and Cheese, solely it’s candy and we take it a lot additional till it’s very thick.

1. Thickening roux for frosting

1. Milk, sugar, flour – Stir the sugar and flour in a dry saucepan over medium warmth – this simply toasts the sugar calmly to deliver out some flavour. Then slowly pour the nice and cozy milk in as you whisk (this avoids lumps).

2. Cook dinner over medium warmth till it thickens in a thick, dolloping-texture custard. The vary of thickness doable is definitely fairly broad – I’ve made it approach thicker and it nonetheless labored completely. In truth, the frosting holds its construction longer, and it pipes with sharper, extra outlined edges regardless that it’s simply as fluffy. Simply don’t take it off when it’s nonetheless watery. 

3. Scrape roux right into a bowl.

4. Cowl roux with cling wrap, urgent onto the floor to stop a pores and skin from forming (or use paper when you’re plastic-conscious). Now, and really importantly, enable to completely cool in any other case it can soften the butter. It is going to turn into like a thick, pasty, totally unappetising jelly. At this stage you could begin doubting me. Have religion and bear in mind this can be a actual, age-old frosting approach – I didn’t simply get up yesterday and make it up! 😂

   Cooling the roux / making forward – I often cool on the counter for 20 minutes then refrigerate for half-hour or so to hurry issues up. Don’t let it get fridge-cold as a result of in any other case it received’t combine collectively properly with the room temp butter (as a result of the temperatures are too totally different). You too can go away it in a single day within the fridge however take it out about 1 hour previous to de-chill it and convey to room temperature.

Now, we whip it up like some other frosting.

2. Whip frosting

5. Beat butter till creamy – only for a few minutes. We don’t want it to turn into aerated as a result of we can be whipping the mixed combination such as you do whipped cream. At that stage it can fluff up extra.

6. Add dollops of the roux in, beating as you go. Take 1 minute or so so as to add all of the roux in batches, it will guarantee your frosting stays easy.

7. Beat, beat, beat – Add the lemon zest, juice and a pinch of salt, then beat for one more 2 to three minutes, identical to you’re whipping up a giant bowl of cream. Solely beat till it’s acquired a whipped cream consistency. As soon as it does, cease beating. Don’t beat greater than 4 minutes as a result of this will activate the starch within the flour and make the frosting undesirably sticky.

8. Voila! Your Fluffy Lemon Frosting is completed, prepared to make use of!

This Lemon Frosting behaves identical to buttercream. So you’ll be able to unfold it or pipe it into stunning swirls, even into sky-high mounds on Cupcakes when you needed to!

• Lemon slices and recent flowers – As proven within the photographs above, I simply completed the cake with a easy frosting on the floor then embellished it with lemon slices and edible flowers. (Planting my very own edible flowers is without doubt one of the finest issues I’ve ever put in my backyard! Should you’ve ever thought of planting your personal, do it! They’re fully low upkeep and are nonetheless thriving 9 months after planting.)

I simply realised what a whole fabrication the photograph above is. Take a look at that pathetically slim sliver of a slice. As if I’d ever minimize myself a slice that tiny. What was I considering?? 😂

As a result of this Lemon Cake has milk and butter within the frosting, it’s best to retailer it within the fridge. However as with every cake, it have to be delivered to room temperature earlier than consuming. No person needs to eat chilly, agency frosting! It have to be creamy, fluffy and melt-on-the-mouth!!! – Johnsat x

Lemon Cake with Fluffy, Less-Sweet Lemon Frosting Recipe

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Serves: 12 Prep Time: 20 minutes Cooking Time: 30 minutes 30 minutes

Nutrition facts: 339 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

Ingredients

• 2 cups plain / all purpose flour (cake flour OK too, Note 1)
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder (check it's still active, Note 2)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 4 large eggs (50 – 55g / 2 oz each), at room temp (Note 3)
• 1 1/2 cups caster / superfine sugar (granulated/regular ok too, Note 2)
• 115g / 1/2 cup unsalted butter , cut into 1.5cm / 1/2” cubes (or so)
• 1 cup milk , full fat (Note 5)
• 3 tsp vanilla extract , the best you can afford (Note 6)
• 3 tsp vegetable or canola oil (Note 7)
• 3 tbsp lemon zest (from 2 lemons)
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp natural lemon extract (lemon oil) , recommended but not essential (Note 8)
• 6 1/2 tbsp flour, plain/all purpose
• 1 1/3 cups milk (full fat best, low fat ok, 0% fat no good)
• 1 1/3 cups caster / superfine white sugar (or granulated/ordinary)
• 300g / 1 1/3 cups unsalted butter , softened
• 3 tsp lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
• 4 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan) for 20 minutes before starting the batter (Note 9). Place shelf in the middle of the oven.
2. Cake pans: Grease 3 x 20cm / 8” cake pans with butter, then line with parchment / baking paper. (Note 10 more pan sizes) Best to use cake pan without loose base, if you can.
3. Whisk flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
4. Beat eggs for 30 seconds on speed 6 of a Stand Mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, or hand beater.
5. With the beater still going, pour the sugar in over 45 seconds.
6. Then beat for 7 minutes on speed 8, or until tripled in volume and white.
7. Heat Milk-Butter: While egg is beating, place butter and milk in a heatproof jug and microwave 2 minutes on high to melt butter (or use stove). Do not let milk bubble and boil (foam is ok). If you do this ahead, cover and keep hot while beating eggs.
8. Gently add flour: When the egg is whipped, scatter 1/3 flour across surface, then beat on Speed 1 for 5 seconds. Add half remaining flour, then mix on Speed 1 for 5 sec. Add remaining flour, then mix on Speed 1 for 5 – 10 sec until the flour is just mixed in. Once you can’t see flour, stop straight away.
9. Lighten hot milk with some Egg Batter: Pour hot milk, vanilla, lemon juice and zest and oil into the now empty flour bowl. Add about 1 1/2 cups (2 ladles or so) of the Egg Batter into the Milk-Butter (don't need to be 100% accurate with amount). Use a whisk to mix until smooth – you can be vigorous here. Will look foamy.
10. Slowly add milk: Turn beater back on Speed 1 then pour the Milk mixture into the Egg Batter over 15 seconds, then turn beater off.
11. Scrape and final mix: Scrape down sides and base of bowl. Beat on Speed 1 for 10 seconds – batter should now be smooth and pourable.
12. Pour batter into pans.
13. Knock out bubbles: Bang each cake pan on the counter 3 times to knock out big bubbles (Note 10 for why)
14. Bake 23 minutes or until golden and toothpick inserted into centre comes out clean.
15. Remove from oven. Cool in cake pans for 15 minutes, then gently turn out onto cooling racks. If using as layer cakes, cool upside down – slight dome will flatten perfectly. Level cake = neat layers.
16. Frost with provided Lemon Frosting, or Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting from this Lemon Blueberry Layer Cake recipe.
17. Thickening roux: Place flour and sugar in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds.
18. Add milk: While whisking constantly, slowly pour the milk in (this ensure it's lump free). As the milk gets hotter, it will start to thicken – stir constantly so the base doesn't catch.
19. Thicken roux: Cook until the mixture thickens in a thick, dolloping custard – see video for texture. (Note 13 tip)
20. Cool: Remove from heat and scrape into a bowl. Cover with cling wrap, pressing down onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Cool completely (20 min counter then 30 min fridge), but do not let it get fridge cold. (Note 14) It will firm into a very thick paste.
21. FROSTING – cream butter: Beat butter with either a handheld beater or stand mixer (with whisk attachment) for 3 minutes until it's smooth and changes from yellow to very pale yellow, almost white.
22. FROSTING – add roux: While beating on speed 5, add the roux one heaped tablespoon at a time. Take about 1 minute to add it all. Once all added, add lemon zest and juice, then whip for 2 minutes until you can see that it is stiff enough to hold peaks liek whipped cream. Do not whip more than 4 to 5 minutes (this will activate starch and make it sticky).
23. Flip a cake layer upside down (for level surface). Spread with 3 – 4mm / 0.12 – 0.16" frosting. Top with another upside cake layer, spread with ore frosting. Cover with final cake layer then use remaining frosting to cover top and sides.

Notes

To ensure success:
Read recipe from start to finish before starting;
Make sure your baking powder is not past its expiry – here’s how to check;
Fresh eggs make the cake rise properly (old eggs don’t aerate as well);
Work in order of steps per recipe;
Don’t incorporate add-ins like funfetti (they sink); and
Once you start, keep going until it’s in the oven. Do not at any point leave batter sitting around – bubbles will subside!
Stand Mixer speeds are for a Kitchen Aid and also for hand beaters.
RECIPE NOTES
1. Cake flour works just fine with this recipe, but butter and vanilla flavour, and crumb is ever so slightly better using plain  / all purpose flour. Also, cake flour makes the cake surface sweaty and sticky the next day.
2. Caster / superfine sugar are finer grains than regular / granulated sugar so it dissolves when whipped with the eggs. Granulated / regular sugar sometimes doesn’t fully dissolve which doesn’t affect the cake rise or texture but can leave some very brown sugar specks on the surface / sides. Not a big deal – just visual if serving undecorated.
3. Eggs – important to be at room temp as they fluff better when whipped which is key to the fluffy texture of this cake. Also, fresher eggs aerate better = better rise. Old eggs don’t fluff as well. 
Quick way to warm up fridge cold eggs – place in a large bowl, cover with warm tap water (just warm, not hot), leave for 5 minutes. Wipe dry (to avoid residual water dripping into bowl), then use per recipe.
Large eggs –  50 – 55g / 2 oz per egg this is the industry standard of egg sizes sold as “large eggs” in Australia and the US. If your eggs are significantly larger or smaller in size, just weigh your eggs and use 200 – 220g / 8 oz in total (including shell) or 180 – 200g / 7.3 oz in total excluding shell (this is useful if you need to use a partial egg to make up the total required weight. Just crack eggs, whisk THEN pour into a bowl to measure out what you need).
4. Baking powder – dead baking powder is a common problem with cake fails, even if not past the expiry date. Here’s how to check yours is still good.
Baking soda (bi-carb) won’t make the cake rise quite as well. If you have no choice, then use 3/4 teaspoons of baking soda.
5. Milk – if you sub with lower fat milk then the texture of the crumb becomes a little less tender. Do not substitute with non-dairy milk, such as soy or almond milk.
6. Vanilla come in all sorts of qualities. I use Vanilla Extract. Better quality (more expensive) = better flavour, but I think vanilla bean paste is wasted in cakes. 
7. Oil – just 3 teaspoons makes a noticeable difference to the tenderness of the crumb AND keeps the crumb moist for days.
8. Natural lemon extract – To give the lemon flavour a slight boost! Comes in small bottles like food colouring. Not essential, but does drive home that lemon flavour in a way you can’t achieve using just juice and zest (unless you use way more which compromises cake rise).
9. Oven preheating – 30 minutes preheat is recommended to ensure no loss of heat when the oven door is opened. Never use the rapid heat function on your oven for baking, no matter how fancy your oven is!
10. Cake pans:
Type – The batter is quite thin so to ensure no leakage, do not use a cake pan with a loose base. Springform is ok but use butter to firmly fill the gap and for extra insurance, try to cut the paper for the base slightly larger so it goes slightly up the wall.
Don’t have 3 cake pans? Fill one 20cm/8″ cake pan with 2/3 of the mixture (bake 32 min) and the other with 1/3 (bake 23 min). Split the larger one in half once cool.
Baking on different shelves – If they don’t all fit, put 2 on the middle shelf and one on shelf below. Take out top 2 at 23 minutes, then move bottom one up and bake for further 2 minutes.
Cake pan sizes – click here for a useful table of different cake pan sizes, cake height and bake times.
11. Knock out big bubbles by banging pan on counter that causes irregular holes inside crumb and unsightly bubble brown spots on the surface. Does not burst the tiny bubbles that make the cake rise – they are too small to bang out!
12. Cake sweetness note – sweeter than Asian cakes, less sweet than typical Western butter cakes. Please do not reduce sugar – 1 1/2 cups is minimum required to make the eggs foamy enough to rise.
13. Roux thickness – Thicker texture = thicker frosting texture but won’t make the frosting dense, it’s still fluffy and spreadable but it just makes it “sturdier” with sharper edges when piped.
14. Cooling roux down – Roux needs to be at room temp (17 – 20°C /63-68°F  in order to incorporate with the butter. If too hot, will melt butter. If too cold, won’t blend in with butter. You can leave in fridge overnight but take it out 1 hour prior to using (to dechill – otherwise it won’t mix well with softened butter).
14. Different measures in different countries – tablespoon and cup sizes differ slightly from country to country. In most recipes, the difference is not enough to affect the outcome of the recipe, but for baking recipes, you do need to be careful.
This cake recipe has been specifically tested using both US and Australian cups (the two countries with the greatest size variance) and the cakes were exactly the same. So you can have confidence that this recipe can be used no matter which country you are in – only exception is Japan (cup sizes are considerably smaller (200ml) so please use weights provided).
For absolutely certainty, opt to use the weights provided (click Metric toggle button above ingredients). Professional kitchens only use weights.
15. Storage – if not frosting immediately once cooled, cover surface with baking paper (surface gets tacky), then wrap in cling wrap immediately then place in an airtight container. Do not leave it sitting around for hours once cooled, cakes go stale quite quickly. Leave out rather than in fridge, unless it’s super hot where you live. Keeps in freezer for 3 months.
Frosted or wrapped unfrosted cake keeps perfectly for 4 days (practically like freshly made). Still good on Day 7 but a bit less moist.
Once frosted, store in fridge – will keep for 4 to 7 days per above – and bring to room temperature before serving. Nobody likes cold stiff frosting – we want it creamy!
16. Nutrition per slice, assuming 12 servings, cake and frosting. Eat salad tomorrow.

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Sarah Miller

Hi, I’m Sarah Millar!
I’m a food blogger who loves creating quick and easy recipes that bring big flavor without the fuss. Cooking doesn’t have to be complicated — and I’m here to share simple, fast food ideas that anyone can make at home. When I’m not in the kitchen, you’ll usually find me tasting new dishes, exploring cafés, or coming up with fresh food hacks to make everyday meals more fun.

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