Best Lemon Cake Recipe (Lemon Sponge Cake)

The best lemon cake recipe! This lemon sponge cake made with fresh lemon juice and zest is light, fluffy, soft, and moist. You will love this homemade cake made from scratch and filled with cream cheese frosting.

Moist lemon cake made from scratch so good you'll want to make it all the time!

I have some of my cake recipes up on the blog; from victoria sponge cake to my simple chocolate cake, cinnamon tea cake, and others.

This lemon cake is another great recipe I make frequently and would like to share with my blog readers. It's easy and simple to make, soft, fluffy, and every mouthful is a pleasure.

If you've been looking for the best lemon cake recipe, this is the one! Say hello to my easy lemon sponge cake recipe that ticks all the good boxes. Moist, light, modifiable, easy, and simple to make.

It's not domed, not overly browned or burnt, and definitely not dry. What you get is a light color, evenly baked, perfectly leveled cake. It's spongy, and not overly sweet. It's just perfect!

This recipe is so simple kids can make it under supervision.

Lemon Cake Recipe (Lemon Sponge Cake)

With this lemon sponge cake recipe, you only need 6 simple inexpensive ingredients to make it.

This lemon layer cake with cream cheese frosting is great for tea time, coffee time, celebration cakes, any party, or special occasion. You will love the taste and it's sure to wow your guests.

You can leave it plain without icing if you prefer or fill and cover in other types of frostings like buttercream, whipped cream, or just lemon drizzle. 

No complicated tools required and although this lemon cake makes use of the creaming method, you don't need a stand mixer. A hand mixer is lighter and that's what I mostly use for my cakes that require creaming.

You can expect this cake to be ready in 60 minutes. 25 minutes for making the batter from scratch and 35 minutes for baking. 

It does not make use of any artificial flavoring, stores well and can be made ahead.

This 8 inch lemon layer cake will serve up to 20 people. 

Tools you'll need 

Measuring scale

Mixer - You can use hand mixer or stand mixer.

Mixing bowl

Spatula

Cake pans - 2x8" round

Cake tester - Toothpick or skewer will do fine.

Cooling rack

Ingredients For Lemon Cake

The detailed ingredient list, measurements, and directions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Lemons - You will need the juice and zest.

Butter

Caster Sugar or Granulated sugar - Use caster as first choice. If not available, use granulated sugar which works just fine as well.

Eggs

Flour - Self raising or all purpose flour (Plain flour). Check notes for more information. 

Baking powder

FOR CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Cream Cheese

Butter

Icing sugar- This is also known as powdered sugar.

Lemon extract

How to Make Lemon Cake (Lemon Sponge Cake) 

Squeeze out the juice of the lemon and get the zest. Set aside. 

Prepare the cake pans by rubbing with butter then lining with parchment/baking paper.

Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl and set aside. 

Preheat the oven at a temperature of 150C/ 310F (fan) or 170C/350F (Conventional oven).

In a mixing bowl, add the butter and sugar.

Use an electric mixer to mix till it turns pale (light in color) and is fluffy. This process takes about 15 minutes and is called creaming. 

Break the eggs one at a time into the creamed butter/sugar mix and beat with the mixer till it comes together.

Add the lemon juice and zest and whisk till it's combined. 

Add flour/baking powder mix to the batter and use a spatula to fold it in.

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When it's come together, use the mixer to mix till smooth (This takes about 30 seconds. Do not overmix as overmixing might cause the cake to be dense).

Divide the cake batter equally into the two prepared cake pans. 

Put the pans in the preheated oven and bake for 30 -35 minutes or till a cake tester when inserted comes out clean. 

Bring out the cakes and leave them in the pan for 5 minutes before turning onto a cake rack to cool. 

When cakes are completely cooled, you can then fill and cover with frosting. 

Lemon Cake Filling and Frosting

Make a frosting of choice. I have 3 frosting recipes on the blog you can choose from - Buttercream icing, chocolate buttercream frosting, and cream cheese frosting recipe below.

I used lemon cream cheese frosting for this cake post. It was perfect with the right amount of sweetness and tartness. To make it, add butter and cream cheese into a bowl and whisk for 1 minute. Add icing sugar and lemon extract and mix till fluffy. It's then ready for use.

When you have made the frosting, and the cake is well cooled, place one of the cakes face up on a plate on a cake stand.

Add the lemon frosting and spread evenly on the cake. 

Place the other cake on it face down. 

Cover the top of the cake with the frosting (You can also cover the sides if you wish). 

Place cut up lemons on top as garnish (Optional)

It's ready to cut up and serve.

How to Store

If not filled or covered in frosting, you can store lemon cake on the countertop for up to 3 days. Just wrap it in clingfilm and leave it on the worktop. If frosted or filled with icing, you should store it in the fridge.

Put in air tight container or cake box to protect it from moisture and store in the fridge where it will last for up to 5 days. 

When ready to serve, bring it out of the fridge and leave it out for it to get to room temperature before serving.

Cold cake does not taste quite nice so you want the cake at room temperature to get back its fluffy, spongy texture. 

Tips for Making Lemon Cake

• Bring the ingredients to room temperature before using.

• It's best to use a digital measuring scale for accurate measurements. I don't advise cup measurements unless for liquid ingredients.

• If making this in a loaf tin to make lemon loaf cake, half the recipe and pour the batter into a loaf pan. 

• Don't rush the creaming process as this helps the cake to be soft and light.

• Don't leave the batter to sit for too long before putting it in the oven.

• Avoid overbaking as this might cause the cake to burn or dry out. 

• Do not overmix when the flour has gone in. Overmixing at this stage might cause the cake to be dense. 

• The best place to place the cake pans is on the rack in the middle of the oven. The cakes get even heat distribution and bake properly when placed in this position.

• Don't bake at high temperature as that will make the cake brown quickly at the top without having cooked inside.

• For the brand of the fan oven I use, I have found 150C/310F the best temperature to bake at. This might vary with the brand and type of oven.

• Do not open the oven door in the first 25 minutes of baking as doing this will cause heat loss and if this happens when the cake is not set, it will sink in the middle.

• Don't frost cake while it's hot. Leave it to cool completely before filling or decorating.

• You can bake it in the air fryer. Check out temperature and tips on my air fryer cake recipe post.

More Classic Cake Recipes

Madeira cake

Coconut cake

Banana cake

Cinnamon Apple Cake

Vanilla cupcakes

I hope you love this lemon cake recipe as much as we do. If you find this post helpful, rate it 5 stars and leave me a comment below. I love reading from you. Also share with your friends and families on Facebook, WhatsApp, and Pinterest.

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