The Best Lemon Cake from Scratch is a homemade yellow cake with a luscious lemon flavor, topped with tangy lemon buttercream frosting.
We are in shut down mode due to Covid-19, so there's a whole lot of baking going on around here. And mask making too, but that's another blog post.
When your 14 year old son says, "Mom, can you make a lemon cake?" Then you make a lemon cake.
I wasn't sure if I had all the needed ingredients but then I discovered my old friend in the fridge - lemon oil. It lasts forever and is perfect for making lemon flavored desserts. Being low on butter, I used shortening for the frosting which turned out great.
I basically made up this recipe according to what I had available in my pantry and refrigerator. I honestly wasn't sure how it was going to taste. The end result was way better than expected. Luke helped me with the recipe from start to finish and we were both very pleased with our lemon cake. In fact, it was so delicious, we named it the Best Lemon Cake from Scratch!
What makes this cake the best?
Light & airy - This is not a dense cake. It's soft and delicate.
Not too sweet - The cake itself is not super sweet.
Triple lemon flavor - This cake gets its lovely lemon flavor from 3 sources - lemon zest, lemon oil and lemon juice.
Perfect cake/frosting ratio - The sweet, lemony frosting paired with the light and airy lemon cake is the perfect combo.
Tips on making The Best Lemon Cake from Scratch
Ingredients - Get out all of your ingredients for the cake first, to make sure you have everything you need.
Room Temperature - Make sure all of your ingredients are room temperature. This is important for the success of your cake.
Parchment Paper - Line your cake pans with parchment paper so the cake doesn't stick. Then spray with cooking spray.
Measure, Measure, Measure - Baking is a science, measuring your ingredients is so important in all cake recipes.
Cool Cakes - It's so important to completely cool the cake layers BEFORE frosting the cake.
Crumb Coat - Fill the cake layers, then do a very thin layer of frosting on the top and sides to cover up the crumbs.
Chill Cake - Put the crumb coated cake in the refrigerator for an hour so the cake is easier to frost and slice to serve.
Why use Lemon Oil instead of Lemon Extract
Flavor Boost - Lemon oil has a very strong lemon flavor which is just wonderful!
Pure & Natural - Most lemon oils are all natural which is always a bonus. It tastes like real lemon as opposed to lemon extract.
Tastes Great - Adding food grade lemon oil to your dessert recipes is always a good idea if you're a big fan of lemon flavor.
How to make a Cake Flour Substitute
I love using cake flour in my cakes as it gives them a more delicate crumb than all-purpose flour. But if you don't have any, don't worry, you can make your own. Simply mix together 1 ¾ cups of all purpose flour and ¼ cup of cornstarch to make 2 cups of cake flour. Double this cake flour recipe to make 4 cups so you will have enough for this lemon cake recipe which is 3 cups.
Baking at home with your kids and/or family is so much fun. Staying home to stay well isn't so terrible. When life gives you lemons, make lemon cake!
Sending love and hugs from my kitchen to yours.
xoxo,
Lise
Tools for success
9-Inch Round Cake Pans (Set of 3)
9-Inch Round Parchment Cake Pan Liners
Note: The above items are affiliate links.
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The Best Lemon Cake from Scratch
Ingredients
For the cake
- 3 cups cake flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 1 cup milk room temperature
- 1 teaspoon lemon oil - food grade substitute with ½ teaspoon lemon extract if you can't find lemon oil
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 5 drops yellow food coloring
For the frosting
- 1 cup vegetable shortening (or softened butter) I used Crisco
- 16 ounces powdered sugar or 4 ½ cups
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice Note: I used 1 large lemon for this recipe, zest and juice
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
For the cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 3 (9-inch) round pans with parchment paper. Spray with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (cake flour, baking powder and salt). Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium until creamy. Add sugar and oil. Beat until combined. With mixer on low, add eggs, one at a time. Beat on medium until incorporated. Turn mixer on low, then alternate adding milk and flour mixture. Once it's mixed together, turn mixer up to medium and beat for one minute. Add lemon oil, lemon zest and food coloring. Stir.
- Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool.
For the frosting
- Beat vegetable shortening on medium speed with an electric or stand mixer. Beat for 3 minutes until smooth and creamy.
- Add powdered sugar, lemon juice and water with the mixer running on low. Increase to high speed and beat for 3 minutes. Fill and frost cooled cake layers. (Add lemon zest for extra lemon flavor.)
- Note: If the frosting is too thick, you can add a little more water. Just add one tablespoon at a time, then mix thoroughly until you get the consistency you like.
Notes
Nutrition
Wanted to share a photo of my son. When he's not baking, he loves catching fish. Actually, fishing is his number one favorite pastime right now.
You might also like Classic Southern Red Velvet Cake
Or Boston Cream Pie Birthday Cake
All text and images © Lise Ode for Mom Loves Baking. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or link back to this post for the recipe. Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be accurate. This post may contain affiliate links.
Lindsi Edwards says
I have a friend who is gluten intolerant. Can I make this with gluten free flour?
Lise Ode says
Hi Lindsi, Yes, I think you could do that. I haven't actually tested this recipe with gluten free flour but I've tried a lot of regular cake recipes and replaced with gluten free flour and it worked. I like the Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free Flour. Let me know if you try it.
Christen says
Would you be able to color the icing or would it separate with the lemon juice? Also, are the time and temps for baking in a 9x13 pan the same? Do you thing the came would be able to hold up to being cut and shaped into a fish and then iced? Thank you so much!
Lise Ode says
Yes, you can color this frosting. Bake longer for a 13x9 pan. Probably more like 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. If you want to cut into a shape, it would probably be best to refrigerate the cake overnight before cutting.
Eva Tatum says
Can you use 1 nine inch rectangle pan instead of the 2 8 inch pans.
Lise Ode says
Yes, you could use a 13x9 rectangular pan instead of two 8-inch round pans.
Wanda Hake says
Although you list lemon oil, lemon zest and lemon juice in your lead-up to the actual recipe, as the three reasons this cake is so lemony.....you do not hav3 lemon juice in your recipe. Oops.
Lise Ode says
Hi Wanda, The lemon oil and zest are in the cake and the lemon juice is in the frosting. I hope that answers your question. Enjoy!
Charlotte Moore says
I LOVE lemon. I would want to eat the whole cake if I had it in the house. My husband does not care for lemon too much. This really looks tasty.
Colleen M says
Hello,
Just wondering if you knew how many cups of batter this recipe makes.
Thanks
Lise Ode says
Hello Colleen, I'm sorry that I don't have that answer for you. Let me know if you make it and figure it out. Happy Baking!
Shanika says
My family loved it! I used 2% milk with the recipe and another for the icing. Best cake ever!
Lise Ode says
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed it, Shanika!
Minza Lydia says
Hi, I just can't get enough of this cake.
Its came out 👍.
Thank you so much for the receipe😍😍😍😍
Lise Ode says
You're welcome! I'm so glad you like it!
Dana says
Does the cake need to be stored in the refrigerator or is covered in a cake stand on the counter ok?
Lise Ode says
On the counter, covered in a cake stand is fine for 2-3 days (if your house is air conditioned/not too hot). After that, I would place in the refrigerator (If there's any left at that point). Enjoy!
Lisa says
This was the most amazing cake I have ever made! Thank you for sharing!!
Jean says
Is the milk whole if so, can you use 2 percent? Daughter has milk allergy. Thanks
Lise Ode says
Jean, Yes, you can substitute any milk. You could even use almond milk if you don't want to use regular milk.
Brenda says
Can you use buttermilk instead.
Lise Ode says
You can try it, although buttermilk is much thicker which will make your batter thicker and change the texture of the cake.
Heather says
Hello,
In the method part I can’t see where you add the lemon oil or the zest? Is it with the flour and milk additions?
Thanks!
Lise Ode says
OH my goodness, you are right! You can add the lemon oil and zest when you add the food coloring. Sorry about that.
Lisa Barger says
Hi! I am a lemon lover!! It is my favorite flavor! Where did you purchase your lemon oil? Thank you!
Lise Ode says
I got it from Amazon. Scroll to bottom of post for a link to buy it. 🙂
Vanessa says
I just baked this cake tonight found my lemon oil at Michaels