Lemon Cake
This Lemon Cake is the perfect treat. Every bite of the soft crumb and smooth cream cheese frosting is bursting with lemon flavor.
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 lemon, zested
- 3 tbsp lemon juice, about 1-2 lemons
- ½ cup butter, melted & cooled slightly
- ⅓ cup whole milk, room temperature
- ⅓ cup sour cream, room temperature
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 4 tbsp butter, softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar, also called confectioners sugar
- 1 lemon, zested
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Optional Garnish
- Extra lemon zest
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat your oven to 350F.
- Grease an 8x8 inch square cake pan with butter, then line it with parchment paper, leaving some overhang to help you get the cake out later.
- Mix together the dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda) in a bowl and set aside.
- To a large mixing bowl, add the sugar and the lemon zest and rub together with your fingers. This helps infuse the sugar with lemon flavor.
- Using a whisk or handheld mixer, mix the butter into the sugar and lemon zest.
- Mix the milk into the butter and sugar, then mix in the sour cream.
- Add the eggs and mix them in until fully incorporated.
- Mix in the lemon juice and vanilla.
- Mix in the dry ingredients, careful not to overmix.
- Pour batter into the cake pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with only a few crumbs. Remove cake from the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes.
- Remove the cake from the cake pan and place on a cooling rack to cool completely.
Frosting
- With a handheld mixer, beat together the frosting ingredients until smooth.
- Frost the cake, then garnish with more lemon zest, if using.