Lemon Cake with Lemon Buttercream

Learn how to make this delectable lemon cake with lemon buttercream! 

Fresh lemon is a versatile ingredient that can be paired with raspberry jam, blueberry filling, thyme, rosemary, olive oil icing, cream cheese frosting,

This lemon cake recipe is made with buttermilk, fresh lemon juice, and zest. 

I’ll walk you through how to use the creaming method. It’s where the butter, sugar, and vegetable oil get mixed on medium-high with a paddle attachment until the butter mixture is light in color. This is where the air gets incorporated into the batter, giving you those light and fluffy cake layers that everyone loves. 

This Lemon Buttercream Frosting is made with butter, powdered sugar, and a zesty lemon gel. 

Lemon buttercream is freaking delicious when made right. However, one of the most frustrating things when making a fruit frosting like lemon is how it ends up being watery or soupy and sliding off the cake or cupcake. 

This tutorial will show you the exact steps to get this whole flavor buttercream without watering it down. 

I love this recipe because you can swap out the lemon juice and zest for any other citrus, and it’ll come out perfect. You can use lime, orange, grapefruit, or even blood orange. Any bright citrus fruit would be delicious! 

Tips for success: 

• Read through all the ingredients and instructions so you can get a better idea of how much time and what you need to make this cake.
• A single batch of this cake recipe makes three to four 6-inch round cake layers or two to three 8-inch round cake layers. Make sure to fill each cake pan ⅔ of the way for best results. 
• In this cake recipe, you need 2/3 cup buttermilk; if you don’t have any buttermilk on hand, you can easily use ⅔ cup whole milk mixed with two teaspoons lemon juice or white vinegar to make your own. 
• Be careful not to overmix this cake batter, or else the cake will come out dense. Mix until all ingredients are well incorporated.
• You can bake the cake layers ahead of time. Wrap the cake layers in plastic wrap and freeze for up to one month. 
• You can make the buttercream a day ahead and refrigerate them overnight. Then take them out to come back to room temperature. 
• Make sure the buttercream is at room temperature before re-whipping; if needed, add 1 Tablespoon of heavy cream to make buttercream smooth. 
• Serve at room temperature and use a hot knife to get clean cake slices!

What Tools You May Need:

• 5-quart, Stand Mixer with mixing bowl & paddle attachment
• 3, 6-inch cake pans or 2, 8-inch cake pans
• Offset spatula 
• 8-inch or 10-inch white cake board 
• Serrated knife or cake leveler 
• Turntable 
• Cake scraper or bench scraper
• Whisk or sifter
• Rubber Spatula
• Non-Stick Cooking Spray and Parchment Paper
• Ice Cream Scooper with Trigger Release (for dividing cake batter evenly)
• Mixing bowls
• Measuring cups and measuring spoons 
• Cake Stand, optional
• Microplane, or zester
• Juicer (electric or hand) 

Here’s how to make this simple yet impressive made from scratch lemon cake with lemon buttercream! 

Let’s Get Started! 

How to Make this Zesty Lemon Buttermilk Cake 

1. Preheat the oven to 325 °F. Spray three 6-inch round cake pans with non-stick spray, line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper.
2. In a medium-size bowl, whisk and stir together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. 
3. In the stand mixer bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, and oil on medium-high for 5 minutes.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time to the stand mixer bowl and beat on medium until well incorporated.
5. Turn the mixer on low, add the flour mixture, followed by the buttermilk.  
6. Pour in lemon juice, vanilla, and zest. Mix on medium for another 30 seconds, then scrape down the sides of the bowl. 
7. Evenly distribute the cake batter among the three cake pans and bake for about 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
8. Remove cakes from the oven and let cool in pans for 10 minutes before inverting onto cooling racks to cool completely — wrap cakes in plastic wrap and place in the freezer to chill for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour or double wrap to store overnight. 

Lemon Gel for a Full Flavored Buttercream

1. In a small saucepot, whisk together lemon juice and cornstarch. Place the pot over medium heat for 2-5 minutes to bring to a boil, stir with a rubber spatula constantly to prevent it from burning on the bottom. 
2. Add lemon zest to the mixture. The lemon should be opaque and thick. Once thick, remove from the heat and place into the freezer to cool quickly. 

How to Make Creamy Lemon Buttercream 

1. In the stand mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
2. Turn the mixer to low and add the cold lemon gel, salt, and vanilla. 
3. Next, gradually add powdered sugar, followed by the heavy cream. Mix on medium-high speed for about 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. 
4. Before decorating, turn the mixer on low and mix for 2 minutes to push out any air bubbles, or use a rubber spatula to push out the air bubbles. (You may need to repeat this step when frosting the outside of the cake). 

Putting It All Together

1. Remove the cake layers from the freezer and unwrap the cake layers. Next, use a serrated knife to cut off the dome of the cakes to make the layers flat and even. 
2. Add a small amount of buttercream onto the center of the cake board. Layer one lemon cake, cut side up onto the cake board. Add a 2/3 cup of lemon buttercream over the cake using an offset spatula to spread buttercream and make it even. 
3. Place another cake layer cut side down over the top. Repeat the process for another layer — Crumb coat with lemon buttercream and freeze for 30 minutes. 
4. Add a thicker layer of buttercream to the cold cake. Use an offset spatula and cake scraper to make the sides as smooth as possible.
5. Cut fresh lemons into slices. Place the lemon slices and mint leaves on top of the cake. 
6. Serve the cake at room temperature and enjoy! 

You May Also Enjoy: 

• Strawberry Lemonade Cake That’s the Best Summer Treat (recipe)
• Sweet & Tart Lemon Meringue Pie Cake (recipe)
• How to Decorate Your First Cake (free course)
• Cake Decorating for Beginners (masterclass)  

I’m so excited to see your Lemon Cake with Lemon Buttercream creations. Please feel free to email me here at xokatierosario@gmail.com with any questions you may have; I’ll be happy to help! 

Happy Decorating! 

Hey, if you liked this tutorial, you really should check out Cake Decorating for Beginners, my signature masterclass. I coach you on everything I teach on these cake tutorials on a deeper level so that you can uplevel your baking and decorating skills. We 10x it to get the results you want most impressive cakes that your friends and family will love. Like any new skill, it’s essential to learn from the ground up to build a foundation so that you can take on any cake challenge. It is an investment your future self will thank you for. So check it out at XOKatieRosario.com/cake-masterclass. I will see you there! 

Watch The How-to Video Below: 

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