No-Fail Lemon Cake Recipe
This is the best lemon cake recipe ever! It’s rich, moist, and loaded with lemon flavor; truly a lemon lover’s dream. If you’ve been searching for a go-to, lemon cake recipe, this is it! Starting with a lemon cake mix, you’ll end with moist lemon cake layers and smooth cream cheese frosting. It’s a refreshing, show-stopping dessert that’s surprisingly easy to make.
WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS SIMPLE LEMON CAKE
- Easy and Stress-Free: Starts with a lemon box mix; no leavening agents required.
- Super-Moist Texture: Butter, oil, and sour cream keep this lemon cake moist for days!
- Bright Lemon Flavor: Lemon box mix and lemon extract do the trick on this one- no actual lemons needed!
- Perfect for Any Occasion: Easter brunch, birthdays, or a weeknight dessert.
- Leftovers: Leftover slices freeze beautifully for a convenient piece of lemon cake any time a craving hits.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR THIS LEMON CAKE
- Lemon Box Cake Mix: Flour, sugar, and leavening— all built in. It delivers the perfect lemon cake flavor, with room to add ingredients that take it to the next level.
- All-Purpose Flour: Gives the cake more structure, so it holds up better for layering and has more of that homemade texture we all love.
- Granulated Sugar: Bumps up the sweetness just a bit and keeps the cake soft and moist.
- Unsalted Butter: For the cake, melted butter adds richness and that classic buttery flavor, while keeping the cake super moist; way better than using just oil! For the buttercream, can’t have buttercream without butter!
- Sour Cream: Sour cream is the secret to a super moist cake with just the right amount of tang—it makes the texture so much better.
- Vegetable Oil: Adds extra moisture and keeps the cake soft even after chilling. This is one of those ingredients that make a big difference!
- Milk: Milk adds moisture to keep the cake tender and soft, helping all of the ingredients come together. I prefer using whole milk with a higher fat content- but 2% or skim will work just as well!
- Vanilla Extract: A dash of vanilla extract balances the strong lemon flavors beautifully.
- Lemon Extract: Bumps up that lemon flavor to the perfect zing!
- Eggs: Eggs give the cake structure and lift, add moisture and richness, and help create that light, fluffy texture.
- Salt: Balances flavor and sweetness.
- Powdered Sugar: The base of the buttercream—it adds sweetness and helps create that smooth, fluffy texture that’s perfect for spreading or piping.
- Cream Cheese: The magic ingredient that turns regular buttercream into cream cheese frosting.
- Heavy Whipping Cream: Heavy cream helps make the buttercream extra smooth, creamy, and easy to spread—it also adds a little richness and can be used to adjust the consistency.
TIPS FOR PERFECT CAKE LAYERS
This lemon cake recipe is super simple to follow, and nearly fail-proof in my opinion. But these baking tips will help you achieve the perfect cake texture, every time!
BEFORE BAKING:
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Let your butter, eggs, milk, and sour cream come to room temperature before mixing. This helps the ingredients combine more evenly, resulting in a smoother batter and a finer crumb.
- Precise Measuring: Use a food scale for accuracy, especially when measuring flour. Too much flour can make your cake dry and dense. Spoon flour into your measuring cup and level it off with a knife for the most accurate measurement.
- Pan Preparation: Prep your pans with a baking spray, or homemade pan release. My absolute favorite is Wilton Bake Easy Spray. I have never had a cake stick when using this spray! You can also use parchment paper rounds at the bottom of the pans for extra insurance.
MIXING INGREDIENTS & BAKING:
- Mixing Technique: “Don’t over-mix the batter!” This is a common phrase in the baking world. Believe it or not, with recipes using a box cake mix, this isn’t the case! When you beat air into a cake mix recipe, something special happens. With that being said, don’t be afraid to use your hand mixer on a medium-high setting until your batter is smooth and all ingredients are fully incorporated!
- Don’t Overbake: Overbaking can lead to a dry and crumbly texture. Use a toothpick or knife and insert into the center of the cake – if it comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, it’s good to go. You can also gently press your finger into the top of the cake, if it springs back slowly, it’s done!
AFTER BAKING:
- Cooling: Let your cake cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before removing it. This allows the cake to set and prevents tearing when being moved.
- Storage: Be sure to store properly to lock in that moisture! I recommend double wrapping the cake layers in plastic wrap, and storing in the freezer until you are ready to frost with buttercream.
HOW TO MAKE BOX CAKE BETTER
- Easy Upgrades: Doctored box cake recipes are convenient, and seriously so good. Adding a few ingredients like butter, vanilla extract, and sour cream, create a homemade taste with the perfect texture.
- Flexibility: You can customize a doctored box cake however you’d like. Add-ins like chocolate chips, pudding mixes, or flavored extracts can transform a basic cake mix into something truly gourmet. People won’t believe it started with a cake mix!
- Consistency: Box cake mixes provide an extremely reliable base, no measuring baking powder or baking soda, and the end result is always consistent. Doctored cake mix recipes also allow you to add your personal touch, and shows off your unique flavor and style.
- Time-Saving: Doctored box cake recipes are absolutely delicious, without spending hours in the kitchen.
LOVE DOCTORED CAKE RECIPES? TRY THESE NEXT!
- The Ultimate White Almond Cake
- The Best Triple Chocolate Layer Cake
- White Chocolate Raspberry Cake Recipe
- The Best Red Velvet Cake You’ll Ever Have
Well, that’s a wrap – the perfect lemon cake recipe! A fail-proof, easy, delicious lemon cake — the kind of recipe people don’t stop asking about. Whether it’s for a special occasion, or simply because you’re in the mood for a good piece of cake, this recipe delivers every time!
Continue below for the easy-to-follow recipe, dig in, and enjoy every bite!
Print Lemon Cake Recipe
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 25 slices 1x
Description
This is the best lemon cake recipe ever! It’s rich, moist, and loaded with lemon flavor; truly a lemon lover’s dream. Starting with a lemon cake mix, you’ll end with moist lemon cake layers and smooth cream cheese frosting. It’s a refreshing, show-stopping dessert that’s surprisingly easy to make.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Lemon Cake Layers
- 1 Box Lemon Cake Mix (Duncan Hines)
- 1 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
- 3 Eggs (Room Temperature)
- 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter (melted)
- 1 cup Sour Cream
- 1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
- 1 cup Milk
- 1 1/2 Teaspoon Lemon Extract
- 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 7 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar
- 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
- 1/2 cup Cream Cheese
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 – 3/4 cups Heavy Whipping Cream or Milk
Instructions
For the Lemon Cake Layers:
- Preheat & Prep: Preheat oven to 345°F. Prepare (4) 6 inch cake pans or (3) 8 inch cake pans with baking spray or a homemade pan release. You can also use parchment paper rounds at the bottom of the pans for extra insurance.
- Melt Butter: In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave the butter at 15-30 second intervals until completely melted. Set aside.
- Wet Ingredients: Measure sour cream and milk into a small, microwave-safe bowl. If not already at room temperature, microwave for 30 seconds to bring to room temperature and set aside.
- Eggs: If eggs are not room temperature, add whole eggs (with shell) into a bowl with warm water and let sit for 5-10 minutes. Crack eggs into a separate bowl, and set aside. Doing this gives you a chance to fish out any unwanted egg shells!
- Dry Ingredients: Add flour, sugar, lemon cake mix, and salt to a large mixing bowl. Use a whisk or spoon to gently combine the dry ingredients.
- One Bowl: Combine all ingredients into the larger bowl containing the dry ingredients. Don’t forget to add the vegetable oil, lemon extract, and vanilla extract!
- Mix It Up! Whisk or mix ingredients together with an electric hand mixer
(affiliate)
, starting on low and increasing speed to med-high. Scraping bowl periodically to make sure all ingredients are incorporating and not stuck on the bottom. Mix until batter is smooth and fluffy, usually 1-2 minutes! - Pour into Pans: Pour batter into prepared cake pans. If you can, use a food scale
(affiliate)
to evenly distribute batter between pans for consistent cake layer size. - Bake: Bake for 30-32 min for 6 inch pans, and 28-30 min for 8 inch pans. Insert a toothpick or knife into the center of the cake – if it comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, it’s good to go. You can also gently press your finger into the top of the cake, if it springs back slowly, it’s done!
- Cooling: Let cakes cool in pan for 10-15 minutes, and transfer to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling.
- Storage: Double wrap your cake layers in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to decorate, simply take out and frost straight from frozen—no need to thaw!
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- Whip the Butter: Start by adding the room temperature butter and cream cheese to a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high for 30 seconds-1 minute, scraping the sides of the bowl at least once during this time.
- Vanilla & Salt: Add the vanilla extract and salt.
- Start Heavy Cream: Add 2 tablespoons of heavy cream and continue mixing until incorporated. Scrape the bowl.
- Powdered Sugar: Lower mixer speed to the lowest setting, and start adding the powdered sugar in 1-2 cup increments. Add a tablespoon of heavy cream or milk between each.
- Mix It Up! Slightly increase the mixer speed to help blend these ingredients, but do not turn on too high or you will whip too much air into the buttercream.
- Reminder: Scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl to make sure all of ingredients are incorporated and to avoid any clumps of butter or powdered sugar.
- Last Step: Mix on low-medium until all ingredients are incorporated, this could take a few minutes. At this point you should have perfectly smooth, cream cheese frosting!
Notes
For a more detailed look at the cream cheese frosting, visit the full recipe here.
For a taller cake, use (4) 6 inch cake pans.
For a stiffer buttercream, add less than recommended amount of heavy cream.
For ultra-creamy buttercream, add a max of 12 tablespoons of heavy cream.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
DISCLOSURE: Some of the links provided on this page are affiliate links. This means if you choose to make a purchase through these links, we may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend products we believe will benefit our readers. Your support helps us continue providing quality content.
