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The Ultimate Lemon Cake

A bright and moist lemon cake layered with creamy frosting and lemon curd, perfect for any celebration or as a delightful dessert.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 36 minutes
Total Time 56 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Cake, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 350
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Cake
  • 1 cup Oil (canola, vegetable, coconut, or olive)
  • 3 large Eggs
  • 1 1/3 cups Buttermilk or Whole Milk
  • 2 tablespoons Fresh Lemon Zest
  • 1 tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice
  • 2 cups Sugar
  • 2 cups Flour
  • 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
For the Frosting
  • 1 cup Salted Butter (softened) Make sure it is softened for better consistency.
  • 8 ounces Cream Cheese (softened) Soften before mixing.
  • 4 1/2 to 5 cups Powdered Sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Fresh Lemon Zest
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Bean Paste
For Assembly
  • 8 ounces Lemon Curd Can use store-bought or homemade.

Method
 

Preparation
  1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
  2. In a large bowl, cream together oil, eggs, buttermilk, lemon juice, and lemon zest for two minutes.
  3. Stir in sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well blended.
  4. Generously spray two 9-inch or three 8-inch cake pans with nonstick cooking spray.
  5. Divide the batter among the prepared pans.
Baking
  1. Bake 8-inch cakes for 20-26 minutes, or 9-inch cakes for 30-36 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
  2. Cool the cakes completely.
Frosting
  1. For the frosting, cream softened butter and cream cheese for 4-5 minutes until light and fluffy.
  2. Add powdered sugar, lemon juice, vanilla, and lemon zest, then mix until combined.
  3. Chill the frosting.
Assembly
  1. Once the cakes are cool, remove them from the pans.
  2. Spread lemon curd and then frosting on the first cake layer.
  3. Repeat with the second layer (and third, if you used three cakes), spreading lemon curd and frosting on all sides of the cake.
  4. Chill the assembled cake for 20-30 minutes to let the frosting set.

Notes

Make sure your butter and cream cheese are softened before mixing for the best frosting consistency. Use fresh lemons for zest and juice for a brighter flavor. Don’t skip chilling the frosting; it helps it set better and makes it easier to spread. Adjust the amount of lemon curd to your taste for a zippier cake! Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.