Lusty Lemon Layer CAKE
- 30m Prep Time
- 40m Cook Time
- 2h Ready In
A soft and fluffy lemon layer cake with cream cheese frosting, packed with fresh lemon zest. Perfect for celebrations like baby showers or rehearsal dinners.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- butter for greasing
- 5 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 3 cup buttermilk at room temperature
- 2 tbsp vanilla extract
- 4 cup sugar
- 7 lemons zest
- 7 large egg whites
- 1 1/4 lbs cream cheese at room temperature
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 3 large lemons zest
- 7 cup confectioners' sugar sifted
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
Nutrition (per serving, estimated)
Estimated based off 14 of 15 identified ingredients (per 100 g food data, scaled by amount).
Vitamins & minerals
- Calcium: 309 mg
- Iron: 4.6 mg
- Magnesium: 43.1 mg
- Phosphorus: 305 mg
- Potassium: 519 mg
- Zinc: 1.44 mg
Let's Prepare
Collect
Gather these ingredients — no prep needed yet.
- 5 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 2 tbsp vanilla extract
- 4 cup sugar
- 7 large egg whites
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
Prepare
- 1 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- butter, for greasing
- 3 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
- 7 lemons, zest
- 1 1/4 lbs cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3 large lemons, zest
- 7 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
Let's Cook
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Step 1.
Thoroughly butter three 9-inch cake pans, making sure to coat the sides, and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Butter the parchment and set the pans aside. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper and set them aside. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
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Step 2.
In a large bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together. In a small bowl, combine the buttermilk and vanilla.
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Step 3.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar, and lemon zest on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Add the egg whites one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Reduce the speed to low. Add the flour mixture and the buttermilk mixture in three alternating batches, beginning and ending with the flour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again and pour the batter evenly into the prepared pans.
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Step 4.
Bake until the cake springs back when you touch the center with your finger and is pulling away from the sides of the pan just a bit, 30 to 40 minutes, rotating the pans front to back and top to bottom halfway through baking. The cakes will be puffed and golden brown on top. Let the cakes cool in the pans until you can touch the pans comfortably, about 15 minutes, then flip the cakes out onto the lined baking sheets to cool completely before frosting.
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Step 5.
While the cakes cool, make the frosting. In the clean bowl of a stand mixer, mix the cream cheese, butter, and lemon zest until no lumps remain. Add the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla and mix until smooth. Frost between the layers, around the sides, and on top of the cake with the frosting.