Luscious Lemon Cake with Lemon Cream Frosting Recipe

For my birthday this past year, my husband decided he wanted to make me a birthday cake. He said that I bake cakes for everyone else for their birthdays and he thought I should have the gift of a specialty cake too.  When he asked me what kind of cake I wanted, I told him I wanted something I had never made or eaten before.  I wanted a lemon cake that actually had lemon in the cake, not just a white cake topped with lemon frosting.  

Did it deter him that I did not have a recipe for him to use?  No, it did not.  If anything, he got really excited about baking a cake that no one we know had ever made before.

He searched high and low, through my recipe books and I think even online for a lemon cake recipe. Truthfully, I didn't realize I had given him such a difficult task.  I am the only family member who loves everything lemon.  When it comes to cakes, most of the family prefers either German chocolate or chocolate cake.  For many years, my mother has made me a lemon meringue pie for my birthday, which is her specialty.

I went to visit my parents the day before my birthday.  When I returned home, my husband had made me a luscious lemon cake with lemon frosting.  He even sprinkled lemon zest on the top! It is one of the best gifts I have ever received and most definitely the best cake I have ever eaten.  I truly appreciate his thoughtfulness and determination.  What makes it even more special is that it is the first cake he had ever baked.  He has helped me prep for cakes before, but he had never been the cake chef before. 

He agreed to let me share his lemon cake recipe here, but I won't share my baker.  

Lemon Cake with Creamy Lemon Frosting Recipe

Prep Time	Cook Time	Ready In	Yields
1 hr.	35 min.	3½ hrs.	1 Cake

     Note:  Before you begin, set out your butter. It needs to be a room temperature  Then, zest 3 large lemons

Lemon Cake Ingredients 

• 2¼ cups Swans Down Cake Flour
  
• 1 Tablespoon baking Powder
  
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 
  
•  4 large egg whites
• 1¼ cup buttermilk (we like the Bulgarian buttermilk)
• 1½ cups sugar 
• 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter - room temperature
  
• 2 Tablespoons grated lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon pure lemon extract

 

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350° 
2. Butter & flour two 8" cake pans
3. Set 8" cake pan liners in pans and butter them   
4. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together buttermilk & egg whites (set aside buttermilk mixture)
5. In a large bowl, combine the cake flour, baking powder and salt.  (set aside flour mixture)
   
6. In a separate large bowl, combine sugar & lemon zest by rubbing them together with your fingers until moist.  Add the butter and beat on medium speed for 3 minutes.  Beat in lemon extract.
7. Gradually mix flour mixture and buttermilk mixture into your sugar-zest mixture, alternating the flour & buttermilk mixture & beating well after each addition until batter is smooth 
8. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean
9. Let Cool for 5 minutes, remove from cake pans.  
10. Remove cake pan liner by gently rolling it off the cake
11. Let cool completely, approximately 1 hour
12. In the meantime, set out cream cheese & butter for lemon frosting recipe so they can warm to room temperature

 

Lemon Frosting Recipe

• 8 ounce cream cheese - softened
  
• 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter - room temperature
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
  
• 2 ¾ cups powdered sugar - sifted
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice - freshly squeezed
• 1 Tablespoon grated lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  

Directions

1. Using a mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth
2. Slowly add powdered sugar, salt, lemon zest, 1 Tablespoon lemon juice, vanilla extract
3. Beat on high speed for several minutes, then add the remaining 1 Tablespoon to lemon juice if desired for taste 
4. Frost the cake, decorate with lemon zest if desired & serve

 

This cake should be refrigerated 

 

 

Cake Pan Liners

 

I started using cake pan liners several years ago with my German chocolate cakes.  I found that they allow me to remove the cake easily from the pan and they keep the cake from breaking apart during removal.  

 

To remove the liner, after I place the cake layer on a plate (bottom side up) I gently roll the liner off the cake.  In spite of what advertising claims, the liner will stick slightly, which is why I choose to roll it (like cowboys roll cigarettes) instead of pulling it off.

 [250 Pack] 8 Inches Non-Stick Parchment Paper - Round White Baking SheetssCheck Price

 

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Lemon Cake with Lemon Cream Frosting Recipe Written by:

© 2021 Cynthia Sylvestermouse
 

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