Lemon Layer Cake
Lemon Cake is everything you want in a sweet, yet zingy cake! Tender moist layers of refreshing lemon cake are smothered with a tart but sweet frosting.
Servings: 12 slices
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 cups cake flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar divided
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 4 eggs separated
Frosting
- 4 egg whites
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 pound unsalted butter softened
- 3 tablespoons lemon zest
- pinch of salt
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Prep 2, 8-inch round cake pans by spraying them with nonstick cooking spray. Use a parchment round on the bottom of the pan and spray that again with cooking spray. Dust the whole inside of the pan with flour and tap out the excess.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, sift together cake flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar.
- In a small bowl, mix melted unsalted butter, buttermilk, vegetable oil, vanilla, fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, and egg yolks until combined.
- In a separate, clean bowl of your stand mixer, use the whisk attachment to beat the egg whites until foamy, about a minute. Lower the speed to medium-low and add in the remaining ¼ cup of sugar while the mixer is still running. Allow the egg whites to beat until stiff peaks form, just about a minute. Set aside.
- With the bowl containing the flour mixture, use the whisk attachment on low and slowly add the butter mixture to your flour while mixing, about 15-20 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the whisk and mix again at medium-low until the mixture is combined, about 15 more seconds. Fold in about ½ of the whipped egg whites until combined, then gently fold in the rest, taking care to make sure it’s fully incorporated and no streaks remain.
- Pour your batter into the prepared cake pans. Bake for 30-45 minutes, or until the tops of the cakes bounce back when touched and a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool the cakes in the pans for about 10 minutes before flipping them upside down on a cooling rack and removing the pans. Allow the cakes to cool upside down on the cooling rack. This will make the tops of your cakes nice and level.
- Once the cakes are cooled, wrap them individually in plastic wrap and store in the fridge overnight, or at least 4 hours. Chilling the cake layers makes it easier to frost without getting crumbs in your frosting.
- When the cakes are done chilling, use an offset spatula to ice your cake with the frosting, using it for the filling as well.
Frosting
- Set a small pan on the stove. Put about an inch of water in the pan and bring it to a simmer over medium-low heat. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg whites and sugar. Place the bowl over the water, making sure the water doesn’t touch the bowl.
- Whisk constantly until a thermometer reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the bowl and use the whisk attachment of your mixer to whip the egg whites on high until you have medium stiff peaks and the bowl has cooled to room temperature.
- Switch to the paddle attachment and, with the speed at medium, add in the butter 1 tablespoon at a time until it is all incorporated. Add in the lemon zest and salt and turn the speed up to medium-high. Mix until the frosting becomes thick. It may take a bit, and it may look like it has curdled, but trust the process and keep mixing! It will come together for a nice, smooth, rich frosting. Keep the frosting in an airtight container at room temperature until the cake layers are ready to be frosted.
Nutrition
Calories: 684kcal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 45g | Saturated Fat: 26g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 157mg | Sodium: 351mg | Potassium: 98mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 51g | Vitamin A: 1279IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 98mg | Iron: 1mg
QR code
Scan this QR code with your phone's camera to view this recipe on your mobile device.
