Lush Lemon Layer Cake
Lemon Cake is one of the hardest cakes to master, until now. This all natural dessert will have you wanting more and more. Lush Lemon Layer Cake is the perfect cake for your next celebration.
Ingredients
Lemon Cake Layers
- 704 g granulated sugar
- 376 g AP Flour
- 198 g cake flour
- 113 g unsalted butter
- ½ cup canola oil vegetable or any neutral oil
- 4 medium lemon zest
- ⅔ cups fresh lemon juice
- 4 eggs room temp.
- 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
- 1¼ cup milk room temp.
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 3 tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. salt
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- 16 oz. cream cheese room temp.
- 113 g unsalted butter room temp.
- 2 medium lemon zest
- 4 tbsp. fresh lemon juice up to 6 tbsp., if needed
- 700 g powdered sugar more if needed
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. clear vanilla extract
Instructions
Lemon Cake Layers
- Preheat oven to 325℉, and prepare two-round 9" baking pans, or three-round 8" baking pans.
- In a mixing bowl, add the butter, lemon zest and sugar and mix for at least 3 minutes until well combined. It's best to zest over the mixing bowl and not separately for best results.
- Add the canola oil and mix for another minute or two.
- Prepare your flours together, and alternate between adding by a ¼ or ⅓, both the flours and milk into your batter mix. Mix between each addition.
- Add your baking soda, baking powder, salt and vanilla extract. Mix until well combines.
- After, add your lemon juice and apple cider vinegar. Mix well before moving forward.
- Lastly, add your eggs one at a time. Mix briefly between each egg addition into the batter.
- Pour batter between each cake pan evenly.
- Bake your cake for at least 50 minutes, or until a toothpick reveals a cooked cake.
- Set aside and let cool for at least 1 hour until it reaches room temperature or even cool.
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a mixing bowl, mix together cream cheese, salt, butter and zest together for 5 minutes until extremely creamy
- Add the vanilla extract and mix again.
- Add half of the powdered sugar and mix again until smooth.
- Pour in the fresh lemon juice. It's always best to start small, since everyone has their own lemon taste preference. 4-6 tablespoons are usually the perfect amount.
- Mix the juice in very well. Then add the second half of the powdered sugar. Mix until creamy and stable. Since this frosting is liquid/dairy heavy, additional powdered sugar may be needed, based on weather climate. Creamy, but stable is what you'll need for the perfect frosting.
Assemble Cake
- Place a thin layer of frosting, evenly with an offset spatula on a cake board, drum or plate.
- Place the first layer of cake on the board. Level cake, but cutting the cake evenly on top for a flat surface if needed.
- Add an even layer of the frosting o top of the cake surface. Spread with the offset spatula.
- Place second layer of leveled cake on top of the frosted first layer. Push down gently to adhere. Make sure cake is level before proceeding. If you have more layers, repeat this process.
- Next, crumb coat your cake. This is an important step. Set aside cake for at least 30 minutes.
- Place cake in fridge for 20 minutes after letting it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. The coldness of the fridge will harden the buttercream, to allow placing the final frosting coat easier.
- Rewhip your frosting for a minute or two. This will help make your frosting fluffier again.
- Remove cake from fridge and frost your cake again and the top and sides with a thick, yet even coat of frosting. Use your spatula and/or a bench scraper to get the best visual results for your frosting.
- Decorate as you like.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
A stable frosting is one that can hold it's shape, but allows for a smooth and even application on the cake as both the filling and frosting.
ex. high chocolate ratio ganache, Italian buttercream
An unstable frosting cannot holds its shape, and most likely need constant refrigeration. High dairy frostings with lack of binder, or weather-effected frostings that change significantly due to the climate are hard to manage.
ex. whipped cream frosting, butter only American buttercream
Powdered sugar can help with being a binder for most frostings due to its cornstarch content.
Nutrition
Calories: 876kcalCarbohydrates: 136gProtein: 9gFat: 35gSaturated Fat: 16gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 117mgSodium: 527mgPotassium: 164mgFiber: 1gSugar: 102gVitamin A: 944IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 133mgIron: 2mg
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