Lemon Cake

Lemon Cake is an easy and delicious sheet cake recipe that’s loaded with lemon flavor and perfect for spring and summer special occasions!

There’s nothing like the taste of citrus to bring sunshine to your taste buds, and this scrumptious lemon cake is like springtime in a pan! Here in Maine, the temperatures have finally begun to hover above freezing. One day this week, it even rose to 65 degrees — that’s exciting stuff for us! Needless to say, spring is just around the corner. We may get a few more inches of snow between now and then (sigh),  but those sunshiny days give us hope that more are coming!

LEMON CAKE
Like this recipe? Pin it to your DESSERT pinboard!
Follow Real Housemoms on Pinterest

This Lemon Cake is one of my favorite things to make for warm weather get-togethers. Hopefully, that means I’ll be making this delicious sheet cake to share with friends and family soon! As a matter of fact, Easter is just a few weeks away, and this cheery treat is perfect to serve for the occasion. Among all the chocolate, fudge, jelly beans, and marshmallow critters that Easter brings, Lemon Cake is a refreshing recipe to serve up alongside all that sugary candy.

This cake is sophisticated enough for an intimate gathering with grown-ups, but it’s also a fan favorite among the kiddos. Personally, I’m a sucker for lemon-flavored anything! The secret ingredient in Lemon Cake is sour cream, which adds richness and keeps it moist, even days after baking. This dessert gets its zing from fresh lemon juice and zest and topped with a simple lemon glaze, it’s absolutely irresistible.

This yummy recipe is also a wonderful addition to spring potlucks or summer barbecues. Enjoying a forkful of this cake in the warm air at a picnic table or under a sky lit with fireworks… really, there’s nothing like it! Did I mention it tastes great when paired with these Strawberry Daiquiris? When the weather finally turns warm and special occasions roll around, bake this fresh, zesty Lemon Cake to enjoy while you share it with loved ones!

Want more lemon recipes?

• Lemon Drop Martini
• Lemon Poppyseed Sugar Cookie Bars
• Lemon Meringue Pie
• Lemon Pound Cake
• Lemon Blueberry Icebox Cake
• More dessert recipes…

Tools used to make this Lemon Cake recipe

Baking Dish: This baking dish is a must-have for any home cook. I actually have 3 of them in my cupboard, and each dish comes with a lid for storing leftovers or taking your dishes on the go.

Stand Mixer: I don’t know what I’d do without my stand mixer. I use it for just about everything…and I mean everything! Cakes, cookies, mashed potatoes, and shredding chicken!

Mixing Bowl: These mixing bowls get used just about every day at my house. The grip handle makes them easy to hold and the pour spout makes them perfect for batters!

Cooling Rack: I keep a few of these cooling racks in my kitchen so I’m ready for any recipe I want to bake.

Lemon Cake

This Lemon Cake is an easy and delicious sheet cake recipe that's loaded with lemon flavor and perfect for spring and summer special occasions!

Print Recipe Rate Recipe

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Resting time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: 15

Calories: 237kcal

Author: Rebecca Hubbell

Ingredients

Cake:

• 1½ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 lemon zested
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• ⅓ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9x13-inch pan with cooking spray and set aside.
• Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream, eggs, vanilla, lemon zest, and sugar.
• Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until fully combined.
• Next, fold the vegetable oil and lemon juice into the batter, making sure it's fully mixed.
• Evenly pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick placed in the center of the cake comes out clean
• Let sit in the pan for at least 10 minutes on the counter. Then, remove onto a baking rack.
• Prepare the glaze: stir together the powdered sugar and the lemon juice. If you want a thinner glaze, add more lemon juice.

Notes

Slightly adapted from The Love Nerds.

Nutrition

Calories: 237kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 103mg | Potassium: 129mg | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 145IU | Vitamin C: 6.8mg | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 0.9mg

Tried this recipe?Snap a pic and upload to your pin and let me know what you thought!