I believe this Moist Lemon Butter Cake may be the best lemon cake I’ve baked, with a tender buttery crumb packed with fresh lemon zest and juice and a silky cream cheese topping kissed with lemon.
I can’t stop thinking about this Moist Lemon Butter Cake. It somehow lands between bright and rich, and it’s the sort of thing that makes you reach for another slice before you even notice.
The secret for me was using plenty of unsalted butter so the crumb stays silky, and a tangy cream cheese topping that cuts through sweetness. This isn’t a museum cake, it’s a little messy, a touch tangy, and oddly addicting.
If you like Lemon Cake Moist treats or dig through Lemon Based Recipes, you’ll want to try this, even if you just want to see what makes it so different.
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour: Provides structure and carbs, gives cake body but can be a bit dense sometimes.
- Unsalted butter: Adds richness, tender crumb and lots of flavor, makes cake moist and buttery.
- Granulated sugar: Sweetens and helps browning, also keeps texture fine, too much makes it cloying.
- Eggs: Bind ingredients, add protein and lift, yolks give richness whites help structure.
- Lemon zest and juice: Bright citrus notes, adds tang and aroma, cuts sweetness with fresh acid.
- Sour cream or Greek yogurt: Adds moisture and gentle tang, makes crumb tender and richer without heaviness.
- Cream cheese topping: Creamy, tangy frosting that balances sweet, adds luxurious mouthfeel and slight tang.
- Powdered sugar: Sweetens smoothly, dissolves into frosting for silky finish, avoid too grainy texture.
Ingredient Quantities
- For the cake:
- 1 3/4 cups (210 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks / 226 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/4 cups (250 g) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest (about 2 lemons)
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) whole milk or buttermilk
- 1/2 cup (120 g) sour cream or plain greek yogurt
- For the cream cheese topping:
- 8 ounces (225 g) cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons / 56 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 to 1 1/2 cups (120 to 180 g) powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- Optional: extra lemon zest or thin lemon slices for garnish
How to Make this
1. Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C). Grease and line a 9 inch round pan or a 9×5 loaf pan with parchment. Zest the lemons before you juice them so you don’t waste any flavor.
2. Whisk together 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon fine salt in a bowl. Set aside.
3. In a mixer or with a hand mixer beat 1 cup (2 sticks) softened unsalted butter and 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add 3 room temperature eggs one at a time mixing well after each, then beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla and 2 tablespoons lemon zest. Scrape the bowl down so nothing gets missed.
4. With the mixer on low, add the dry mixture in about three parts, alternating with 1/2 cup whole milk or buttermilk and 1/2 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt so you start and end with the dry. Mix just until combined do not overmix or the cake will be tough. Fold in 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice by hand until evenly incorporated.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake at 350 F for about 40 to 50 minutes for a loaf or 35 to 45 minutes for a round, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs and the top is golden. If the top is browning too fast loosely tent with foil.
6. Let the cake cool in the pan 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack and cool completely before frosting. If you try to frost while it’s warm the topping will slide right off.
7. For the cream cheese topping beat 8 ounces softened cream cheese with 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) softened unsalted butter until totally smooth. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla and a pinch of salt. Gradually beat in 1 to 1 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar until you reach the sweetness and thickness you like.
8. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice to the frosting to taste to get that bright lemon tang and beat until glossy. If the frosting is too loose chill it 15 to 30 minutes to firm up before spreading.
9. Spread the frosting over the fully cooled cake, garnish with extra lemon zest or thin lemon slices if you want, and chill for cleaner slices. Store leftovers covered in the fridge up to 4 days and bring to room temperature a little before serving for best flavor.
Equipment Needed
1. 9 inch round cake pan or 9 by 5 inch loaf pan
2. Parchment paper and nonstick spray or softened butter for greasing
3. Electric mixer or hand mixer
4. Mixing bowls (large and medium)
5. Measuring cups, measuring spoons and kitchen scale (optional)
6. Microplane or zester
7. Rubber spatula and whisk
8. Wire cooling rack and toothpick or cake tester
9. Fine mesh sieve or sifter for powdered sugar
FAQ
Moist Lemon Butter Cake Recipe Substitutions and Variations
- All-purpose flour: swap with cake flour for a lighter crumb. Use 1 cup AP = 1 cup cake flour, or make your own by measuring 1 cup AP, remove 2 tbsp and stir in 2 tbsp cornstarch then sift. Whole wheat pastry flour works 1:1 for a nuttier, slightly denser cake.
- Unsalted butter: if you’re out, use salted butter and cut the added salt to about 1/4 tsp. For dairy-free, use melted coconut oil or a neutral oil (canola/vegetable) at 3/4 cup oil per 1 cup butter, the cake will be a bit more tender and moist.
- Granulated sugar: swap with light brown sugar 1:1 for a deeper, caramel-y flavor and a moister crumb. Or use honey/maple syrup — about 3/4 cup liquid sweetener for 1 cup sugar and reduce other liquids by ~3 tbsp, batter may brown faster.
- Cream cheese (topping): substitute mascarpone 1:1 for a smoother, milder topping, or use Neufchatel/low fat cream cheese 1:1 to cut fat. If your substitute is softer, chill the frosting briefly before spreading so it holds shape.
Pro Tips
1) Bring stuff to room temp. Eggs, butter and cream cheese mix way smoother and trap air better when theyre not cold. If you forget, put eggs in warm (not hot) water for 10 minutes and soften butter/cream cheese in 5 to 7 second microwave bursts till just pliable, dont melt.
2) Measure flour right. Spoon it into the cup and level off or better yet use a scale. Too much flour is the number one reason cakes come out dry or dense, and you wont be able to fix it later.
3) Mix gently and scrape the bowl. Overbeating after you add the flour makes the cake tough, so add dry and wet in layers and stop as soon as you cant see streaks. Fold in lemon juice by hand at the end so you dont knock out the air.
4) Keep the cake moist and even. If the top browns too fast tent lightly with foil, rotate the pan once halfway through baking, and for extra moisture brush the cooled cake with a quick lemon simple syrup (equal parts sugar and lemon juice heated till sugar dissolves) before frosting.
5) Frosting finesse. Beat cream cheese and butter until totally smooth before adding powdered sugar, sift the sugar so its lump free, add lemon juice 1 teaspoon at a time to control consistency, and chill the frosted cake briefly for cleaner slices.
Moist Lemon Butter Cake Recipe
I believe this Moist Lemon Butter Cake may be the best lemon cake I’ve baked, with a tender buttery crumb packed with fresh lemon zest and juice and a silky cream cheese topping kissed with lemon.
12
servings
474
kcal
Equipment: 1. 9 inch round cake pan or 9 by 5 inch loaf pan
2. Parchment paper and nonstick spray or softened butter for greasing
3. Electric mixer or hand mixer
4. Mixing bowls (large and medium)
5. Measuring cups, measuring spoons and kitchen scale (optional)
6. Microplane or zester
7. Rubber spatula and whisk
8. Wire cooling rack and toothpick or cake tester
9. Fine mesh sieve or sifter for powdered sugar
Ingredients
-
For the cake:
-
1 3/4 cups (210 g) all-purpose flour
-
2 teaspoons baking powder
-
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
-
1 cup (2 sticks / 226 g) unsalted butter, softened
-
1 1/4 cups (250 g) granulated sugar
-
3 large eggs room temperature
-
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-
2 tablespoons lemon zest (about 2 lemons)
-
1/4 cup (60 ml) fresh lemon juice
-
1/2 cup (120 ml) whole milk or buttermilk
-
1/2 cup (120 g) sour cream or plain greek yogurt
-
For the cream cheese topping:
-
8 ounces (225 g) cream cheese, softened
-
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons / 56 g) unsalted butter, softened
-
1 to 1 1/2 cups (120 to 180 g) powdered sugar, sifted
-
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
-
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-
Pinch of salt
-
Optional: extra lemon zest or thin lemon slices for garnish
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C). Grease and line a 9 inch round pan or a 9×5 loaf pan with parchment. Zest the lemons before you juice them so you don't waste any flavor.
- Whisk together 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon fine salt in a bowl. Set aside.
- In a mixer or with a hand mixer beat 1 cup (2 sticks) softened unsalted butter and 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add 3 room temperature eggs one at a time mixing well after each, then beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla and 2 tablespoons lemon zest. Scrape the bowl down so nothing gets missed.
- With the mixer on low, add the dry mixture in about three parts, alternating with 1/2 cup whole milk or buttermilk and 1/2 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt so you start and end with the dry. Mix just until combined do not overmix or the cake will be tough. Fold in 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice by hand until evenly incorporated.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake at 350 F for about 40 to 50 minutes for a loaf or 35 to 45 minutes for a round, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs and the top is golden. If the top is browning too fast loosely tent with foil.
- Let the cake cool in the pan 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack and cool completely before frosting. If you try to frost while it's warm the topping will slide right off.
- For the cream cheese topping beat 8 ounces softened cream cheese with 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) softened unsalted butter until totally smooth. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla and a pinch of salt. Gradually beat in 1 to 1 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar until you reach the sweetness and thickness you like.
- Add 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice to the frosting to taste to get that bright lemon tang and beat until glossy. If the frosting is too loose chill it 15 to 30 minutes to firm up before spreading.
- Spread the frosting over the fully cooled cake, garnish with extra lemon zest or thin lemon slices if you want, and chill for cleaner slices. Store leftovers covered in the fridge up to 4 days and bring to room temperature a little before serving for best flavor.
Notes
- Below you’ll find my best estimate of this recipe’s nutrition facts. Treat the numbers as a guide rather than a rule—great food should nourish both body and spirit. Figures are approximate, and the website owner assumes no liability for any inaccuracies in this recipe.
Nutrition Facts
- Serving Size: 133g
- Total number of serves: 12
- Calories: 474kcal
- Fat: 29.4g
- Saturated Fat: 17.9g
- Trans Fat: 0.71g
- Polyunsaturated: 2.9g
- Monounsaturated: 8.8g
- Cholesterol: 91mg
- Sodium: 257mg
- Potassium: 86mg
- Carbohydrates: 48.5g
- Fiber: 0.6g
- Sugar: 35g
- Protein: 5.1g
- Vitamin A: 300IU
- Vitamin C: 2.7mg
- Calcium: 48mg
- Iron: 0.82mg
