Lemon Cake Recipe: Best Moist Cake with Cream Frosting posted by Ashton on May 20, 2026 Pin Share Tweet Email Jump to Recipe This rich lemon cake recipe tastes incredible with my favorite cream cheese frosting and raspberries! – Ashton It’s that time of year! And no, I’m not talking about squeezing into a swimsuit and looking effortlessly cool by the pool. What I’m talking about is SUMMER FOOD! Burgers, s’mores, and all things lemon and berry. This homemade lemon cake is my current obsession — a fresh lemon cake so bright and sunny it practically sings. Whether you’re baking it for Mother’s Day, a summer cookout, or just a random Tuesday that needs a little sparkle, this moist lemon cake recipe is the one. I literally can’t even. The first lemony-berry recipe you must make is Lemon Blueberry Scones. Or maybe these Lemon Blueberry Sweet Rolls (all that frosting!!). And don’t forget this Strawberry Lemon Cake. Amazing. But then you must come back and make this lemon layer cake with the most amaaaaaaaaazing cream cheese frosting, topped with fresh raspberries. Lemon + cream cheese frosting + raspberries = EVERYTHING. 🍋🍋 Continue the LEMON joy with us in this roundup of our best lemon desserts! 🍋🍋 Why Is This Lemon Cake Recipe So Good? That Ina knows her way around a spatula, know-what-I’m-sayin? This perfect lemon cake starts with a beautiful, thick cake batter loaded with fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, and alllllllll the unsalted butter and granulated sugar in the universe. We’re talking a genuinely fresh lemon flavor that punches through every single bite. Don’t be scared. Step away from the swimsuit. The batter comes together in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment — beat your butter and sugar mixture at medium-high speed until fluffy, then reduce to medium speed when adding the dry ingredients. Don’t skip the lemon extract either; it’s a total game changer for that extra-lemony punch. Tips for the Perfect Cake Batter and Layers Okay, let me give you a little rundown of the cakes so you feel totally confident going in! First things first: make sure your ingredients — eggs, sour cream, and unsalted butter — are all at room temperature. Cold ingredients = heavy crumbs and sad textures of cake. No thanks! Sift your all-purpose flour (or cake flour for an extra tender crumb!) into a large bowl with your other dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together your wet ingredients. If you want an even fluffier, bright cake, some bakers use only egg whites instead of whole eggs — the added egg whites lighten everything beautifully and avoid any extra egg-y flavor from the egg yolks. Line your cake pans or cake tins with parchment paper, grease the sides, and you’re golden. The recipe works in a loaf pan, on a sheet pan, or as a full lemon layer cake in two 9-inch rounds — truly so versatile! The Lemon Syrup and Glaze Situation Once your cake layers come out of the oven and cool — use a cake tester to make sure the center is done! — the real magic begins. Have you ever poured a lemon soak over your cakes before frosting? It was new for me last year and honestly a total revelation. You make the lemon syrup in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, combining fresh lemon juice, granulated sugar, and a couple minutes of stirring until dissolved. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve for a silky-smooth lemon mixture, then pour it generously over the top of the cake layers while they’re still slightly warm so the lemon soak soaks right in. This is BY A MILE the best part of this whole situation. You can also drizzle a simple lemon glaze over the top once cooled — it makes for the most gorgeous, glossy finish on your lemony cake. I am obsessed. If you love citrusy bakes, also check out this Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake — she’s stunning. The Best Frosting for a Fresh Lemon Cake After the lemon syrup goodness comes the frosting, and oh my goodness, we have OPTIONS. The classic here is cream cheese frosting — standard cream cheese, unsalted butter, and powdered sugar, but with a generous splash of fresh lemon juice stirred in at low speed. That splash of citrus is the clincher. It’s also the best buttercream situation for this cake if you want to pipe it beautifully from a piping bag. Alternatively, you could whip up a fluffy lemon buttercream using an electric mixer at medium high speed — beat your butter until pale, then add powdered sugar and fresh lemon juice and vanilla extract, scraping the bottom of the bowl as you go. Want something extra dreamy? Spread homemade lemon curd between the cake layers before frosting. Be still my heart. And if you’re a fan of different flavors, a lemon version of a lemon cheesecake-style filling is incredible too. Decorate the top of the cake and sides of the cake with fresh lemon slices — so pretty! Make It Your Own — Variations and Storage Can we talk about how many different types of cake recipes you can spin from this one basic lemon cake recipe? It’s honestly a new fan favorite around here for good reason! Swap vegetable oil for butter for a more olive oil cake-style moist crumb. Experiment with buttermilk mixtures in place of sour cream for a slightly tangier flavor profile. Use organic eggs if you can — I swear the more orange yolk adds such a rich color to the cake batter. Add a baking sheet under your cake pans in the oven as it bakes — it catches drips and helps the oven bakes evenly. If you have leftover frosting, add a splash of purpose flour-free lemon curd and use it as a dip for Lemon Meringue Pie Dip vibes! Store your finished cake in an airtight container — it’s honestly even better the next day once the lemon soak has really settled in. Now go make this perfect lemon cake from a handful of simple ingredients. You have to make this! Happy baking, friends! 🍋 Continue to Content Ina's Lemon Cake Yield: 16 Rich lemon cake that tastes incredible with my favorite cream cheese frosting and raspberries! Print Ingredients 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened 2 1/2 cups sugar, divided 4 eggs lemon zest from 5 lemons 3 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, divided 3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature 1 teaspoon vanilla extract For the Cream Cheese Frosting: 8 ounces cream cheese, softened 1/2 cup butter, softened 4 cups powdered sugar 1 tsp vanilla 1 tbsp lemon juice Instructions Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease and line with parchment paper two 9-inch round baking tins. Beat together the butter and 2 cups of the sugar. Mix in the eggs, one at a time. Add the lemon zest. Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the dry ingredients, 1/4 cup lemon juice, the buttermilk, and the vanilla and mix well. Divide the batter between the two cake pans, and bake for about 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Meanwhile, make the simple syrup: over medium-high heat, mix together 1/2 cup lemon juice and 1/2 cup sugar until the sugar has completely dissolved. Set aside. Make the frosting: beat together the cream cheese and the butter. Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time, scraping down the sides as needed. Mix in the vanilla and 1 tbsp lemon juice. When the cake has finished baking, use a fork to poke holes all over the cake. Divide the simple syrup between the two cakes and pour over top. Assemble the Cake: Once the cakes have cooled COMPLETELY, you can layer them with the cream cheese frosting. Keep refrigerated until 1 hour before serving.
Under frosting, were does the shorting fit in?? Shorting …..does this equal like the solid shorting, like Crisco? Or can butter be used?
You can use butter for sure. I just like to use a butter-shortening blend. Half shortening and half butter 🙂
I have made this cake to colleagues at work! And oh boy! Did they ever fell in love with it! I have been asked to make it again, and tonight I am making another one for them! Absolutely fun and deeeeelish cake to make. Thanks so very much!
