The Lemon Cake That Feels Like Home
There is just something about lemon that feels both comforting and bright at the same time. This lemon cake is soft, tender, and generously iced with a simple lemon glaze that melts into every bite. The flavor is bold but balanced - fresh, saturated, and unmistakably lemon without being sharp or overbearing. It’s the kind of cake that feels familiar the moment you taste it, offering just enough sweetness to linger over one more slice.
I have always loved lemon. Given the choice between chocolate and citurs - I will chose lemon- every.single.time. Lemon bars and lemon pound cake have long been my favorites - the deeper and bright the lemon flavor, the better. However, my love for lemon did not start in my own kitchen. When I was young, from about the age eight until my early teens, I would make my dad lemon bars foir his birthday ever year. They came from the Krusteaz box mix, and it was his request without fail every year. Later when he moved from Washington to Oregon, I would only see him during the summers in Oregon and make those lemon bars again, at least once a summer. Looking back, I am certain my love for lemon came from him - passed down through simple traditions, shared desserts, and time spent together in the kitchen.
This lemon cake feels like the continuation of that story - familiar, joyful, and deeply rooted in memory. It’s a recipe rooted in memory. It’s a recipe meant to be shared, sliced generously, and enjoyed without much fuss. Below, you’ll find the recipe and step-by-step instructions, along with the photos to guide you through the process, so you can bake this soft, bright cake and bring a little of that feeling into your own kitchen.
Bright Lemon Cake with Icing
Yields: 9 x 13 sheet pan cake
Ingredients:
196g Unsalted Butter, Room Temp
300g Granulated Sugar
1T Lemon Zest
1/2t Salt
1t Vanilla Extract
3 Lg Eggs, Room Temp
2 Lg Egg Yolks, Room Temp
2T Sour Cream
80g Lemon Juice
250g All Purpose Flour
1/2t Baking Soda
Instructions:
Prep: Preheat your over to 350 degrees; prep cake pan with cooking spray and parchment paper
Step 1: In a stand mixer fixed with a paddle attachment, cream butter, lemon zest, and sugar together for 2 to 3 mins.
Step 2: On speed 1, slowly add eggs, yolks, and vanilla until combined.
Step 3: In a separate bowl mix together dry ingredients, and in a third bowl mix together remaining wet ingredients. Alternating add to butter mixture. Be sure to only mix together only until incorporated, do not overmix.
Step 4: Remove bowl from stand mixer, using a rubber spatula pour into prepared cake pan and level batter.
Step 5: Bake for 20 to 25 minutes then remove from oven and let cool.
Step 6: While the cake is cooling, prepare the lemon icing below.
Lemon Icing:
2T Unsalted Butter, Melted
4T Lemon Juice
240g Powdered Sugar
Pinch of Salt
Instructions:
Step 1: Mix together melted butter, salt, and lemon juice
Step 2: Pour liquid mixture into powdered sugar and mix together with a whisk ensuring no lumps remain
Note: Pour icing over cake once it is cool otherwise the hot cake with absorbed the icing and change the texture of the cake.
Make it Gluten Free: Replace the flour with 1:1 gluten free baking flour that contain xanthan gum already. I recommend Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Baking flour (blue bag) or King Arthur Gluten Free Measure for Measure; add an additional 1T oil or 1T milk. Let batter rest 15 - 20 mins in bowl before pour into pan so that the GF flour can take the time to absorb moisture - this prevents dryness and grittiness. Bake at same temp but you may need to add 5 mins to the bake time.
Make it Dairy Free: Swap the butter out for a plant-based butter substitute, it behaves closest to butter, avoid tubs that say spread, anything that says “light” or coconut oil alone. Replace sour cream with Violife DF Sour Cream at the same ratio. For the frosting, use a dairy free cream cheese, I recommend Violife cream cheese, but it is important to note that DF cream cheese is softer so chill the frosting for 20 -30 mins before spreading.
