Lemon Layer Cake – A Cozy Kitchen

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This Lemon Layer Cake is tender, moist, and vivid with citrus, making it a straightforward centerpiece for spring and summer time gatherings. The layers may be baked forward and assembled when prepared.

After the vacations, I usually attain for recipes that really feel contemporary and lightweight. Citrus is at its finest in winter, and this lemon layer cake is a straightforward method so as to add a bit brightness whereas we look forward to spring.

Substances You’ll Want for Lemon Layer Cake

Contemporary lemons – Each the zest and juice are used to present the cake a clear, pure citrus taste with out tasting sharp or synthetic.
All-purpose flour – Gives construction whereas nonetheless permitting the cake to remain tender and slice cleanly.
Butter – Provides richness and helps create a tender, moist crumb that holds up nicely in layers.
Sugar – Sweetens the cake and balances the acidity of the lemon, holding the flavour vivid however not bitter.
Egg whites – For a lighter, airier cake texture.
Cream cheese – Creates a tangy, easy frosting that balances the sweetness of the cake.

For the remainder of the elements, please consult with the recipe index card under!

The right way to Make Lemon Layer Cake

Prep the pans and oven. Preheat to 350°F. Grease and line two spherical 8-inch baking pans. Combine the dry elements collectively. And infuse the sugar with the lemon zest.

A KitchenAid Stand Up Mixer beating sugar and butter together.

Cream the butter and sugar collectively. Beat the lemon sugar combination with the butter till gentle and fluffy. Non-compulsory: add yellow meals coloring for a sunny hue.

Egg whites being mixed with milk in a measuring cup.

Mix moist and dry elements. In a measuring cup, combine milk, egg whites, and strained lemon juice. Rotating between the liquid and dry elements, add them in two batches to the butter combination.

Divide batter evenly between the baking pans, easy the tops, and bake 25–32 minutes till a toothpick comes out clear. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then switch to a wire rack till room temperature.

Make frosting by beating cream cheese till easy. Beat within the butter, then add in powdered sugar, salt, vanilla, and heavy cream till fluffy.

To embellish with lemons, take out among the frosting (1/4 cup into two bowls). And add meals coloring. Yellow to at least one bowl and inexperienced to the opposite.

Frost the cake with remaining frosting. Begin with the primary cake layer, 1/2 cup white frosting, then the subsequent layer, and a crumb coat over the entire cake. Chill for 20 minutes after which add a second layer over white frosting.

Adorn with lemons. Pipe yellow frosting into small rounds and add a inexperienced “V” on prime for stems. Easy as wanted with a humid fingertip. Chill briefly if desired, slice, and serve.

Suggestions and Tips

Make this recipe forward! Bake the cake a day prematurely, let it cool fully after which wrap it in plastic wrap. Frost and embellish how you want the subsequent day.

Storage – Retailer this cake coated at room temperature for 2-3 days.

Adorning shortcuts – Skip piped lemons for a easy frosting end, or add sprinkles for a playful contact.

Meals Coloring – I like to recommend utilizing about 5-6 drops of meals coloring gel which is thicker with a stronger pigment. In case you’re utilizing meals coloring, I’d say to make use of about 3-4 drops so it doesn’t have an effect on the consistency of the cake.

Egg yolks – Use your leftover egg yolks for my do-it-yourself lemon curd! Which might actually be good layered in between this cake.

Extra Cozy Lemon Recipes

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Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting:

To Make the Layer Cake:

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and line three 8-inch baking pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk collectively the flour, baking powder and salt. Put aside.
Within the bowl of a stand-up mixer with the paddle attachment (alternatively you are able to do this in a big bowl with an electrical mixer), add the sugar and lemon zest. Beat the 2 collectively. It will launch all the aromatic oils within the lemon zest and infuse them within the sugar. We would like this, we’d like this.
Add the butter and vanilla extract; beat till gentle and fluffy, about 2 to three minutes. Add within the oil and beat till easy. If you’d like the cake to be yellow in colour, add the yellow meals coloring gel. That is in fact optionally available.
In a measuring cup, pour within the milk, egg whites, and add the strained lemon juice.
Flip the mixer to low velocity and, alternating between the dry elements and the liquid elements, add them to the butter/sugar combination, till the batter is comparatively easy.
Pour the batter evenly into the three ready baking pans and easy it out till it reaches the edges. Switch the desserts to the oven to bake for 22 to 25 minutes, till a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clear.
Enable the desserts to chill within the pan for about 10 minutes after which invert onto a cooling rack and funky to room temperature. It’ll most likely take hour.

To Make the Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting:

Within the bowl of a stand-up mixer with the paddle attachment (or a medium bowl utilizing an electrical hand mixer), add the cream cheese and beat it till easy. I like to do that or else the cream cheese frosting can have little clumps of cream cheese. Subsequent, add the butter and beat it till easy, about 15 seconds.
Add the powdered sugar, salt, vanilla and heavy cream. Beat for a full 2 minutes to make sure fluffy, scrumptious frosting.

To Make the Lemons for Ornament:

To 2 small bowls, add about 1/4 cup of frosting to every. You’ll be able to eyeball this. One will probably be our lemons (yellow) and one other will probably be our stems (inexperienced). Add a drop or two of yellow meals coloring to at least one frosting bowl. And add a drop or two of inexperienced meals coloring gel to the second frosting bowl. Combine till easy. Switch the yellow frosting to a piping bag fitted with a #3 spherical piping tip.
Switch the yellow frosting to a piping bag fitted with a #1 spherical piping tip.

To Adorn the Cake:

Place one cooled cake layer on a cake board. Add about 1/2 cup of white frosting to the highest of the primary layer and easy out into a skinny even layer. Place the second cake layer on prime. Repeat with the third layer. Add a skinny crumb coat of white frosting to the cake and easy the highest and sides. Switch the cake to the fridge to relax for about 20 minutes. Then add a second layer of white frosting to the cake.
So as to add the lemons, pipe on rounds of frosting; they’ll find yourself wanting like lemons as soon as we add the tops. Add as many as you want. Make them any dimension you want, too. Dip your finger in a little bit of water and faucet the tops of the lemons to make them seem smoother.
Pipe on a small “V” form on the prime of every of the lemons. It will make it appear as if they’ve a stem.

Suggestions and Tips:

Make this recipe forward! Bake the cake a day prematurely, let it cool fully after which wrap it in plastic wrap. Frost and embellish how you want the subsequent day.
Storage – Retailer this cake coated at room temperature for 2-3 days.
Adorning shortcuts – Skip piped lemons for a easy frosting end, or add sprinkles for a playful contact.
Meals Coloring – I like to recommend utilizing about 5-6 drops of meals coloring gel which is thicker with a stronger pigment. In case you’re utilizing meals coloring, I’d say to make use of about 3-4 drops so it doesn’t have an effect on the consistency of the cake.
Egg yolks – Use your leftover egg yolks for my do-it-yourself lemon curd! Which might actually be good layered in between this cake.