Spring has sprung! Hallelujah! Time to get our hands in the dirt, prepare our vegetable gardens, dust off our sandals, get a pedicure with our bestie, and plan a shopping trip for a pretty new Easter dress. Bye-bye scarves, boots and jackets…Hello sandals, shorts and sundresses. The daffodils are blooming, the trees are busting out with new leaves and the bluebirds are building a nest in our birdhouse. No-one is happier than me that winter is finally over, spring has sprung, and summer is on it’s way…WOO-HOO!!!
If you’re hosting Easter this year or if you’re asked to bring an Easter inspired dessert to a celebration I have the perfect cake for you. This lemon cake captures all the wonderful things about spring with its light and lemony goodness. There’s a lovely lemon cake that’s not too sweet hiding under the light and creamy lemon infused buttercream frosting, all topped with candied slices of lemons. If you are a lover of all things lemon you are going to absolutely love this velvety, lusciously lemony, cake.
For the cake:
Preheat oven to 350℉.
Generously grease two 8-inch cake pans, set aside.
Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl; flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Stir the dry ingredients together and set the bowl aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer cream together softened butter and sugar until it’s light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
Add the eggs and the egg whites, one at a time until combined with the creamed butter mixture.
Add the dry ingredients, a cup at a time, to the wet ingredients until well combined and there are no lumps in the batter.
Add wet ingredients; lemon juice, buttermilk, lemon zest, and vanilla extract. Mix until well combined.
Mix on high speed until you have a smooth creamy batter, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Divide batter evenly between the two greased cake pans.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean.
Remove the pans from the oven and allow cakes to cool for 15 minutes. Turn cakes out of the pans and allow them to cool completely on a wire rack.
For the frosting:
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the softened cream cheese and softened butter on high speed, until light and fluffy.
Reduce speed to low and add powdered sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest (reserve some of the zest for garnishing the cake). Stir on medium-high speed until well combined.
Frost cake using an offset spatula, using a generous layer of frosting in between the two layers of cake.
Garnish with lemon zest and lemon slices if desired. Cover cake and refrigerate until ready to serve.
This cake is one of my favorites. I love how easy it is to make, it’s not too sweet, and both the cake and the frosting are infused with lemony goodness. Adding candied slices of lemon on top makes for such a festive, colorful, and pretty presentation too.
Coming soon, How To Make Candied Lemon Slices. Sign up for Nature Way’s email updates and the recipe will be delivered directly to your inbox.
Luscious Lemon Velvet Cake
Equipment
- stand mixer highly recommended
- 2 8-inch round cake pans
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1¾ cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 stick butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- 4 tbsp lemon zest
- ⅓ cup lemon juice
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the frosting:
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 stick butter, softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon zest
Instructions
For the cake:
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- Generously grease two 8-inch cake pans, set aside.
- Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl; flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer cream together softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add eggs and the egg whites, one at a time until combined with creamed butter mixture.
- Add the dry ingredients, a cup at a time, to the wet ingredients until well combined and there are no lumps in the batter.
- Add wet ingredients; lemon juice, buttermilk, lemon zest, and vanilla extract. Mix until well combined.
- Divide batter evenly between the two greased cake pans.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean.
- Remove pans from oven and allow cakes to cool for 15 minutes.
- Turn cakes out or there pans and allow them to cool completely on a wire rack.
For the frosting:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the softened cream cheese and softened butter on high speed, until light and fluffy.
- Reduce speed to low and add powdered sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest. Stir on medium speed until well combined.
- Frost cake. Garnish with lemon slices if desired. Cover cake and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Did You Make This?
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For God so loved the world he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
John 3:16
Remember…Jesus ❤️’s you!