Moist lemon cake recipe with lemon curd filling and seven minute frosting, homemade from scratch with simple ingredients. Super soft and moist.
After going through loads of lemon cake disasters in the kitchen, I can now safely say this is the ultimate moist lemon cake recipe made from scratch. It's bursting with zesty lemon flavor, thanks to the use of fresh lemon juice and lemon zest. I also enhanced the lemon flavor by filling and topping this cake with lemon curd. A few other great lemon desserts to try include my Lemon Pound Cake and Lemon Bundt Cake.
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How to make moist lemon cake recipe from scratch?
- Whisk together- All dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
- Mix in- Eggs, oil, lemon juice, or emulsion oil and lemon zest.
- Add in- Sour cream and mix until just combined.
- Pour batter- In two round greased/floured cake pans.
- Bake- Until inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Make- The lemon curd and frosting.
- Place cake- On a cake stand, top it off with frosting and lemon curd, then place the other cake on top.
- Frost cake- Roughly with frosting.
- Pour- Some lemon curd on top of the cake with some berries.
- Keep refrigerated- Until ready to serve.
Variations for best lemon curd cake
- Lemon poppyseed cake- Give a different overall flavor and texture by adding in some poppyseeds to the batter.
- Glaze cake/ Drizzle cake- With this tasty Lemon Drizzle Icing instead of the 7 minute frosting.
- Decorate cake-Using Fondant Flowers, Royal Icing Flowers, or Homemade Sprinkles. You can also use fresh edible flowers, thin lemon slices, or dried lemon peels.
- Use other cake pan sizes– For example, you can use mini pans to make several mini cakes or just make one large rectangle cake for easy decorating.
- Try other frostings- Such as Marshmallow Frosting, Lemon Frosting, or Blackberry Buttercream, Strawberry Buttercream, or White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting.
- Try other fillings- Such as Chocolate Whipped Cream, Homemade Vanilla Custard, Homemade Vanilla Pudding, Homemade Caramel Sauce, or Blueberry Pie Filling.
- Add other berries- Such as strawberries, black raspberries, or blueberries.
- Add other extracts- Almond extract would be amazing, but you can also try others, such as vanilla, lemon, or even maple.
Tips and techniques for easy homemade lemon layer cake
- Use full fat sour cream- This lemon layer cake might be the softest cake I have ever made because of the use of sour cream. Be sure it is full fat, original sour cream for the perfect amount of moistness.
- Don't over-mix the batter- Because it will make your cake more chewy and less soft.
- Use a spatula to apply frosting- Because this helps to give it that rough, naked look.
- Use a combination all-purpose and cake flour- Because it yields the best texture.
- Use lemon emulsion oil rather than lemon extract- Because it doesn't evaporate when baking and has a stronger taste and fragrance. If you must use extract, try to use the best quality extract you can find.
- If you don't have sour cream use plain greek yogurt- Because it yields similar results as long as it is thick, good-quality greek yogurt.
- Don't use store-bought lemon juice- Because fresh lemon juice tastes so much better and gives the best flavor!
- Don't skip on lemon zest- Because it adds a lot of flavor to this lemon cake.
Storage of lemon raspberry cake-
Fridge- Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freezer- Cakes can be frozen separately for one month. Then thaw and apply the frosting, curd, and berries before serving.
More easy lemon desserts-
- Easy Lemon Bars (Lemon Squares)
- Lemon Fudge (2 Ingredients)
- Lemon Meringue Pie
- Lemon Cake Balls (Cake Truffles)
- Lemon Cupcakes (With Cream Cheese Frosting)
- Easy Lemon Cookies
Recipe
Moist Lemon Cake Recipe
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Ingredients
Lemon Cake
- 1 cup All-purpose flour
- 1 cup Cake flour
- 1½ cups Sugar
- ⅔ cup Oil
- ⅔ cup Fresh lemon juice
- 3 Eggs
- ¾ cup Sour cream
- 1 tablespoon Lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon Lemon emulsion oil or lemon extract
- 1 teaspoon Baking powder
- 1 teaspoon Baking soda
Filling, frosting, decoration
- Homemade lemon curd
- Seven minute frosting or Buttercream icing
- 1 cup Fresh raspberries and blackberries
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl,whisk together the cake flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda.
- Now, add eggs, oil, lemon juice, or emulsion oil and lemon zest. Mix until everything is smooth
- Add sour cream and mix until just combined. Don't over-mix!
- Pour this batter in two round greased/floured cake pans (Dimension: 8x2). Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- While the cake is baking and then cooling down, make lemon curd and frosting.
- Place one cake on a cake stand and top it off with a thin layer of frosting and lemon curd. Place the other cake on top of all this. Press your cake down with your hands (some of the frosting and curd will come out from the sides but don't worry about it!)
- Now, use a spatula to frost the entire cake roughly with frosting.
- Finally, pour some lemon curd on top of the cake and place some berries here.
- Keep this cake refrigerated until you are ready to serve.
- Note: Prior to serving, if any frosting or curd has come out from the sides along the center of the cake, just run a spatula around the cake again. And you are done!
Notes
- Read all my tips above.
- Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
An automated tool is used to calculate the nutritional information. As such, I cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information provided for any recipe on this site.
Heather Johnson
What temperature do you bake this lemon cake? I'm assuming 350 degrees? Also my curd didn't ever thicken.... any tips?? I did cook for 10 minutes but maybe I didn't have it hot enough?
Abeer Rizvi
Oops! I was fixing something else on that post and accidentally deleted that. Yes, the temperature is 350 degrees. Thanks for letting me know.
The curd will thicken the longer you cook...it will start sticking to your whisk/spoon. With my stove settings, my curd thickens in 10 minutes. Maybe cook yours for a bit longer and see what happens. Keep me in the loop
Miranda
Oh my goodness, this cake is so gorgeous! I've been looking for a new lemon cake recipe, thanks!
Abeer Rizvi
Thanks Miranda. I am in loveeeee with this cake too. I hope you enjoy it and if you have any questions, feel free to message me.
Rose Theobald
I want to make this just for my family. They seem to like cakes made in a 9x13 pan. Do you think I could make this in a 9x13 pan? Thanks so much, Rose
Rose Theobald
Also I assume you add the lemon emuslion oil with the lemon juice and zest?
Abeer Rizvi
Yes! I do... Thanks for catching that! Fixed it
Abeer Rizvi
I don't think that should be a problem BUT your baking time would probably be shorter. Keep a close eye at it after 25 minutes. Also, remember your cake won't be as tall as my cake since you will be spreading the batter in such a big pan. Let me know how it goes...
Rose Theobald
Well I'm going to have to try this again, I think I left it in the oven too long and it got a bit dry and after reading the comments I was afraid my curd wouldn't set so I cooked it til it was the consistancy of pudding(to long), and it really is thick. But what I did was to treat it like a poke cake by poking holes in the cake and pouring the curd over the cake right after I made it. Pretty good.
Abeer Rizvi
That poke cake sounds delicious! I wanna try that now too...hahaha
Helen Going
Hi Abeer,
this recipe sounds FAB! I have been trying to make the middle layer for my wedding cake....thank heavens my friend is doing the other layers....and I have had a couple of really disappointing attempts at lemon cake. They just didn't taste tangy and while I attempted adjustments because we are at altitude...4500 feet...the cakes were just blah.The first one rose fast and sank spectacularly. The second one was just dry and heavy. I am going to try this version and if all else fails I am going to use your suggestions on jazzing up a pilsbury cake. Wish me luck!
Do you have any suggestions re cooking this cake at altitude?
Abeer Rizvi
Hey Helen... Congrats on your upcoming wedding! This cake is spectacular, especially if you are fond of the lemon flavor. I would suggest using buttercream icing rather than 7 minute frosting for your wedding cake since 7 minute frosting is not that stable.
I don't have personal baking experience with high altitudes but I think you are supposed to increase the oven temperature by 25 degrees and lower the baking time by 10 minutes. Have you tried that yet?
You said you tried another cake recipe that sank. I think that cake didn't get a chance to fully cook in the center and should have been baked longer in the oven. I always like to gently tap the center of my cake with my finger at 40 minutes to see if it jiggles. It it does, I let my cakes bake longer and just watch them like a hawk...hehehe.
I have a great tutorial on my blog for making cake mixes taste awesome. So check that out if you go that route. You can add more lemon zest to it and give it a stronger kick.
If you have any questions about this recipe or the cake mix recipe, please feel free to reach out and I would be happy to help. Good luck!
Helen Going
Hi Abeer, our wedding was yesterday and everything went sensationally well. Your Lemon cake was simply AMAZING. I don't have enough superlatives. It was moist, light and lemony....which was a far cry from my first attempts. For the filling, I made a Swiss meringue buttercream and lemon curd and mixed 2 1/2 c of buttercream with 1/2 cup of the lemon curd....frosted a circle of buttercream around the cake, spread the filling and then added a few dollops of the curd. It was so lovely and I am so grateful for all your experimentation and work on this because it will be forever my go-to cake recipe.
Abeer Rizvi
OMG Helen! That cake sounds delicious! I am soooooooo happy to hear your wedding cake was a success and your comment truly made my day! Thank you! Hope you are enjoying your honeymoon and some of that leftover cake now
Waunita
I am going to make your lemon cake for my Grandsons wedding next week do you know how to double or even triple the recipe?
Abeer Rizvi
I have never done that. I wish I could help more. But, if you end up doubling or tripling, please let me know how it goes...Congrats on your grandson's wedding!
Katie Thompson
Hello lovely Abeer!
I would like to thank you for this recipe, I made a huge wedding cake for my brother's big day made this lemon cake as a lighter option on the side. I had been looking for the perfect lovely cake to use up all the beautiful lemons which are exploding off the trees here in Australia, and yours was it! I sandwiched it with lemon curd, cut into dainty squares and piped whipped cream on top and everyone raved about it!!
It is going in my collection of favourites! I also love that you demand full fat sour cream - you're a woman of my heart! Life's too short!
Abeer Rizvi
WOOOHOO! Congrats on your brother's wedding and thank you so much for your feedback.
And yes... when I want a truly decadent cake, everything must be full fat. Who the heck wants to eat a flavor-less cake? Right?! lol
Shaw
Hi...just want to ask if you grease up the pan or just leave it like that...no bottom lining?
I want to try it today...hope you reply,thanks
Abeer Rizvi
I always grease and flour my cake pans.
You can also grease/flour just the sides of the pan and place a circular sheet of wax paper at the base.
Kat
I few years ago I had an amazing lemon-cranberry cake, no icing or frosting, just a dusting of powdered sugar. The cake had cranberries (fresh) all throughout it and I loved it. It was from a bakery that isn't around anymore.
I've tried several lemon-cranberry cake recipes the last 3 years and all of them are not right. I think it's because the cakes aren't fluffy enough or moist enough. I've tried a bundt with a cranberry topping, a pound cake, a tart-like cake (kind of a mix), a sponge cake and a couple others.
My question is, do you think you're lemon cake recipe (which looks to be really moist) would be able to handle cranberries as an addition?
Abeer Rizvi
That sounds like a delicious cake. Sometimes, the simplest cakes are truly the best cakes.
As for your question... without having tried the addition of cranberries myself, I really can't say what the results would be like. But, I am very curious and when I try it, I would be sure to add a note in this post. If you try it before me, please let me know as well.
Katyna Smith
I made the lemon cake today, without the cranberries, just to see if it was going to be the right texture and flavor and it is perfect. I will be trying it with cranberries (if I can find them this late in the season) the next time I make it. Thank you for the recipe!
Abeer Rizvi
I am so happy to hear that! Hope you find some cranberries and I can't wait to hear how it turns out with this addition...
Renee
Could this cake be made as a semi naked cake? Do you think it would be firm enough if the layers were wrapped and frozen before it's all assembled?
Abeer Rizvi
I always freeze my cakes before putting them together. So, I don't see any reason why freezing an assembling would not work...
Jordan
I made a vegan version of this cake and it was amazing! I simply substituted applesauce for the eggs (ratios can be found online) and vegan Tofutti sour cream. I made frosting with Earth Balance vegan butter and powdered sugar and added some poppy seeds. Delicious, moist recipe and it's not too sweet - thank you!
Abeer Rizvi
That sounds really good! Thank you for sharing your vegan lemon cake recipe version. I am sure it would be very helpful to my readers!
Jill Kane
Hi Abeer, I've searched everywhere for a lemon cake recipe to make a 21st birthday cake. The birthday girls request. I think you're recipe will be perfect. When you say tin size 8x2 is that inches? I'm in NZ we work in cm. I have to make a two tier cake. Quite a challenge! Can I double your recipe or do I make individual batches then mix together? Appreciate any advice.
Thanks Jill
Abeer Rizvi
Hi Jill... These measurements are in inches. Also, I have doubled this recipe in the past and didn't have any problems BUT I always prefer making individual batches to be safe... it's just a quirk of mine...lol.
Barb W
Can this be done as cupcakes and if so how many would you say it would make?
Abeer Rizvi
I have not tried this recipe as a cupcake. So, I really don't know... Sorry!
Tanya Reeves
Hi could I add poppy seeds to this cake?
Abeer Rizvi
Yes, absolutely!
Annette W.
Hi, can you use store bought lemon curd?
Abeer Rizvi
Yes, absolutely. It will save you some time!
Tammie
I absolutely recommend this recipe!!! It would be my fourth attempt at making lemon cake and I won’t make any other recipe but this one. Good job!
Jane
Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you! This is the best lemon cake recipe! My friends and I have already made it 4 times. For anyone else living 5000 feet above sea level, you don't have to change a thing. Love it!
Abeer Rizvi
Yayyyyy! That makes me so happy. Good to know about the high altitude too.
Marie
OMG OMG OMG! This is the best lemon cake ever! Holy smokes. I just made it tonight and used a super fluffy and lower sugar american buttercream on it since thats all I had time for. So good. Light, moist, lemony. Perfect! Thanks for the amazing recipe!
Abeer Rizvi
Yayyyy! I am so glad you agree it's the best too. I have tried so many recipes and this one always rocks!