Enjoy the tangy sweetness of Lemon Butter Cake, a dessert that promises to tantalize your taste buds! Made with freshly zested lemons and a zingy lemon glaze, this recipe offers a unique combination of flavors that will make you come back for a second slice. Keep reading to discover how to bring this creation to life in your kitchen.
Lemon Butter Cake is a delightful treat that can be enjoyed year-round but finds special prominence in spring and summer gatherings. Its fresh and zesty flavor makes it a popular choice for garden parties and picnics. If you enjoy this cake, you might also want to explore our Pistachio Butter Cake recipe, another favorite in our collection of butter cakes!
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Ingredients
- Flour
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Milk
- White vinegar
- Lemon zest
- Lemon juice
- Butter
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Water
- Powdered sugar
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Prepare the Cake Batter
Zest and juice lemons. Mix vinegar and milk. Cream butter, sugar, and lemon zest. Add eggs. Combine dry ingredients and add to wet, alternating with milk. Add lemon juice, mix, and pour into pan.
Bake the Cake
Flatten the batter and bake at 350F for 60-70 minutes. Remove from the oven.
Make the Lemon Syrup
Boil water, sugar, and lemon juice. Take off heat.
Brush the Cake with Syrup
Brush the hot cake with the syrup, covering sides, and let it absorb. Repeat until all syrup is used.
Prepare the Lemon Glaze
Whisk powdered sugar and lemon juice together to make a thick glaze.
Glaze and Serve the Cake
Drizzle the glaze on the room-temperature cake, cut a piece, and enjoy!
Hint: For the best flavor, use fresh lemons for both zest and juice. Bottled lemon juice lacks the vibrant tang that fresh lemons provide, and the zest contains essential oils that enhance the cake's lemony character.
Substitutions
- Dairy-Free: Use almond milk instead of regular milk and plant-based butter instead of regular butter.
Variations
- Lemon Poppy Seed Cake: Add 1 tablespoon of poppy seeds to the batter.
- Lemon Blueberry Cake: Fold in a cup of fresh blueberries.
🍴 Equipment
Lemon Butter Cake Batter
- Grater: To zest lemons.
- Zesting gives flavor.
- Juicer: To juice lemons.
- Adds more lemon taste.
- Mixing Bowls: Separate bowls for wet and dry ingredients.
- Keeps things organized.
- Hand mixer: For creaming butter, sugar, and eggs.
- Makes batter smooth.
- Whisk: To mix flour, salt, and baking soda.
- Blends dry ingredients well.
- 9-inch Loaf Pan: To bake the cake in.
- Gives cake its shape.
Lemon Syrup
- Saucepan: For making syrup.
- Boils ingredients together.
- Brush: To brush syrup on cake.
- Spreads syrup evenly.
Most Useful Equipment
Apart from the oven, the hand mixer is most useful. It helps make the batter smooth and airy.
Storage
Store the Lemon Butter Cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate for up to a week.
Top tip
Don't rush the brushing of the syrup. Let the cake absorb the lemon syrup between each brushing to ensure it's evenly distributed throughout.
FAQ
You can use lemon extract but fresh zest is recommended.
Yes, wrap it tightly and freeze for up to 3 months.
No, but you can make substitutions as mentioned above.
Fresh juice is best, but bottled juice can be used if needed.
Yes, adjust baking time to 20-25 minutes.
It should be thick but pourable.
Insert a toothpick; if it comes out clean, it's done.
Yes, but the flavor may vary slightly.
Yes, berries like blueberries or raspberries work well.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
How to Make Lemon Butter Cake with the Perfect Glaze
Enjoy the tangy and sweet flavors of our Lemon Butter Cake recipe, perfect for any celebration!
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 10 servings
Ingredients
Lemon Butter Cake Batter
2 ½ cups (250g) Flour
⅓ tsp (1.65g) Baking soda
¾ tsp (2g) Salt
¾ cup (150g) Milk
2 tsp (10ml) White vinegar
1 ⅔ tsp (4g) Lemon zest
1 ⅓ tbsp (20ml) Lemon juice
⅔ cup (150g) Butter
1 ¼ cup (250g) Sugar
3 Eggs
Lemon Syrup
1 ⅓ tbsp (20ml) Water
1 ⅓ tbsp (20ml) Lemon Juice
1 ½ tbsp (20g) Sugar
Lemon glaze
1 cup (100g) Powdered sugar
1 ⅔ tbsp (25ml) Lemon juice
Instructions
Lemon Butter Cake Batter
- Lemon Butter Cake Batter
- Zest and juice your lemons and set aside
- In a bowl, mix the vinegar and the milk and set aside
- In a big bowl, cream the butter, sugar and lemon zest
- Add the eggs one at a time
- In another bowl, mix the four, salt and baking soda
- Add the flour mix to the butter mix in 3 times
- Alternating with the milk
- Add the lemon juice with your last addition of the milk
- And as usual, finish with the flour mix
- You now should have a thick and homogeneous lemon butter cake batter
- Grease and line with parchment paper a loaf pan
- Pour all of your batter in
- Flatten it up
- Bake at 350F for about 60-70minutes
- Take out of the oven
Lemon Syrup
- In a saucepan, bring the water, sugar and lemon juice to boil
- Immediately take off the heat
- Brush your cake that is freshly out of the oven with the syrup
- Don't forget the sides
- Let it absorb the syrup and brush again
- Use all of the syrup
Lemon glaze
- Whisk the powdered sugar and lemon juice together
- Adjust the quantities to get a really thick glaze
- Drizzle the glaze on your room temperature cake
- Cut a lovely piece and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 60-70 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Food safety
- Wash lemons thoroughly before zesting.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container to prevent spoilage.
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