Ever since I discovered the unique texture of these cupcakes, I’ve wanted to bring it into a layer cake. An excess of lemons in the fridge led to this lemon-scented cake that’s layered and topped with the silkiest, tangiest, lemon-iest cream cheese frosting. Adding lemon zest to frosting is an absolute game changer and I don’t know why I waited so long to do it! The cake is soft, moist, a bit like a pound cake in texture but somehow light all at once. It’s so good and I hope you love this as much as I do!

The cake recipe is from King Arthur Baking and it was breaking Instagram a couple of years ago! A combination of hot milk, butter and oil leads to a cake that tastes like it has a lot more fat than it actually does. It’s so flavourful and while I kept the vanilla in there, the addition of lemon zest takes it into citrusy territory that’s just right.

I use lesser sugar in this cake, the way I did in the cupcakes and it still turns out beautiful and goes perfectly with the frosting. And speaking of the frosting, with almost equal amounts of butter and cream cheese and enough icing sugar to sweeten but not make it super thick, it spreads on easily and remains soft and creamy like I want it to be. Yes you can add more sugar and chill it for longer if you prefer your frostings thick, but it’s magical this way!

Would. You. Look. At. That. Crumb. It’s the kind of cake that even after refrigeration doesn’t become too hard (unlike most butter cakes), but it does taste best when brought back to room temperature because the frosting gets a chance to soften as well. It freezes and thaws beautifully too!

Feel free to double the frosting recipe if you like a lot of it! I used a thinner layer in the middle but you do you. Either way, I hope you have fun making and eating this!

Please read the recipe notes before beginning.

Lemon Layer Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Soft lemony cake layered with a zesty lemon cream cheese frosting!

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 50

Total Time: 1 20

Makes: 8 large slices

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Ingredients

For the cake

1 and 1/4 cups caster sugar (240 gms)
2 tsps lemon zest (from 4 to 5 Indian lemons)
4 eggs, at room temperature (see notes)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour (240 gms)
2 tsps baking powder
2 tbsps lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup whole milk (250 ml)
4 tbsps butter, at room temperature (55 gms, salted or unsalted)
1/3 cup vegetable oil (80 ml)

For the frosting

100 gms unsalted butter, at room temp
150 gms cream cheese, at room temp
1 tsp lemon zest (I used 2 Indian lemons)
1 cup icing sugar, sifted (100 gms)
2 tbsps cream, at room temp (whipping cream preferred, regular is ok)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 160 C. Grease a 9 inch round springform tin and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the sugar and lemon zest. Rub the zest into the sugar with your fingertips until the sugar is fragrant and slightly moistened. Now add the eggs and vanilla.
Use the whisk attachment and beat for 3 to 4 minutes on high speed until very thick and light in colour. When you lift up the whisk, the batter should fall in ribbons back into the bowl. If this doesn't happen, continue beating because this step is crucial to the perfect texture. You can also use a hand mixer but make sure the bowl is very large and deep.
Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt. Pour in the lemon juice. Switch to the paddle attachment if using a stand mixer and beat on low speed until just combined.
Now in a small saucepan, heat the milk until it's hot but not boiling. Take it off the heat, then add the oil and butter to the milk, stirring until the butter has dissolved.
With the mixer running on low speed, pour this hot milk mixture in a thin stream into the bowl. If using a hand mixer, an extra set of hands is useful at this step so that you can continue beating the batter, otherwise pour it in gradually, alternating with beating the batter.
Give the batter a quick stir by hand to make sure it's evenly mixed and there's no bits of flour stuck to the bottom. It is a fairly runny batter.
Pour into the prepared tin and smoothen for top. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes until lightly browned on top and a toothpick poked in the center comes out clean. The top might dome a bit, but will be levelled off before frosting.
Allow to cool completely at room temperature.
To make the frosting, beat the butter and cream cheese with a hand mixer on low medium speed, until smooth and creamy. Add the lemon zest and beat briefly to combine, then add the icing sugar. Beat again until the sugar has incorporated, then add the cream and beat again till smooth. Place it in the fridge for about 20 minutes before frosting the cake. The frosting isn't super thick, but if you prefer to add more sugar to thicken it, you can.
Slice the cake horizontally in half using a long, sharp knife. Lift off the top half carefully and place it on a tray. Spread half the frosting over the lower half, then place the top half back on it, pressing down lightly.
Spread the rest of the frosting on the top and let it spill over the sides. Smoothen the sides to give it a 'naked look'. Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes, then decorate with more lemon zest and dig in!
Enjoy immediately or store in the fridge in an airtight tin for 5 days. Best eaten at room temperature so that the frosting softens. The cake also freezes and thaws beautifully. Happy baking!

Notes

*For an eggless version of this recipe, check this out, but I have not tried a layer cake version of it.

*You could bake this in two pans as well if your oven can fit them, as the original King Arthur Baking recipe does. I've also made cupcakes with this batter and you can see them here!

*Feel free to double the amount of frosting if you want a thicker layer in the middle and on the sides.

*The lemon in the cake is more subtle than it is in the frosting. You could leave out the vanilla and add more zest, but in cakes with eggs, I really do prefer to have some vanilla as well.

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