Lemon Velvet Cake w/ Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
Soft and fluffy lemon velvet cake frosted with a lemon cream cheese frosting! Full of lemon flavor and that signature buttermilk flavor.
Visual learner? Watch me make this lemon velvet cake from start to finish!
I think I have my seasons all mixed up! In my last post, I was raving about how I’m finally into all things cozy and Fall, and this past week I’ve been in a complete sunny Spring frame of mind!
I’ve been doing so much decluttering and “Spring Cleaning.” As I type this post, it’s 80 degrees, my windows are flung open, and I’m blasting Montell Jordan’s summer anthem, “This Is How We Do It.”
Oh and lemons! My goodness, I’ve been baking with lemons like Easter is right around the corner! Hello there lemon brownies, I’m coming for you NEXT buddy! I don’t know what is going on yall on, but I’m just rolling with it.
I mean, who says you have to wait until Springtime to bring on all things lemon anyway? Seriously, who made this rule? This year has been so unique that anything goes, and right now, let’s talk fresh, vibrant, happy lemons!!! Bring on the lemon velvet cake!!!
What is a Lemon Velvet Cake?
Have you ever had a lemon velvet cake? You may have heard it called a lemon buttermilk cake, but around here, if it’s got buttermilk, baking soda, and vinegar, it’s velvet, baby!! This combination creates such fluffy texture and that signature buttermilk flavor.
This soft and fluffy lemon velvet cake has lemon extract, lemon zest, and hot lemon water to create one light, fresh, lemony flavor that gets even better the next day!
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting For The Win!
No velvet cake would be complete with a signature sweet and tart cream cheese frosting! This lemon cream cheese frosting is so bright; it’s got lemon juice, lemon zest, and lemon extract! Yeah, it’s did not come to play games!
Adding Food Coloring…Or Not.
Without food coloring, this cake and frosting will be very, very light yellow. I like to add a few drops of color to get it a beautiful pastel yellow that screams fresh, lemony vibes to me. Thankfully, unlike red food colorings, there are plenty of beautiful natural yellow food coloring on the market if you are opposed to artificial color. Whole foods have a great one.
How to Make the BEST Lemon Velvet Cake
- DON’T OVERBAKE. I really hate to yell that out, but I want you to experience this cake in all of its divine moist and fluffy beauty. Velvet cakes get such a bad rap for being dry, usually due to overbaking the cake. They just don’t handle overbaking very well. The key is to take the cake out of the oven a few minutes before it’s done and allow it to finish baking as it cools down in the hot pan. This timing will vary depending on your oven, which is why it’s best to check cakes before the listed done time.
- Wrap warm cakes in plastic wrap. This wrapping technique is a trick I stole from a bakery. It’s optional, but man oh man does that trapped warmth create a moist and tender cake. When the cakes are warm (not steaming hot, or you’ll have a soggy cake), I like to wrap them in plastic wrap for a few hours or overnight.
There, you’re all set! Happy lemon velvet cake baking!
Get the Recipe: Lemon Velvet Cake + Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Cake
- 1½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup cake flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1¾ cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup butter-flavored shortening
- 2 eggs
- 1-2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon pure lemon extract
- 1 heaping teaspoon lemon zest, (from 1-2 lemons)
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
- 1/3 cup hot lemon water, (hot water mixed with 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice)
- 4-6 drops yellow food coloring
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- 2 (8 oz) cream cheese, room temperature
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure lemon extract
- 1 ½ heaping teaspoons lemon zest, (from 2 lemons)
- 4-5 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1-2 teaspoons lemon juice, (if needed)
- 4-5 drops yellow food coloring
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 325 F. Thoroughly grease and flour 2 (9-inch) dark cake pans. Set aside.
- In a large bowl sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl mix together sugar ,oil and shortening.
- Mix in eggs one at a time.
- Mix in vanilla extract, lemon extract and lemon zest.
- Combine dry ingredients into wet ingredients, alternating with the buttermilk.
- Mix together the distilled vinegar and lemon water and mix into the batter.
- Mix in the food coloring until your desired shade of yellow is reached.
- Pour batter evenly into prepared pans and shake pans to release any trapped air bubbles.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, checking it at the 25 minute mark and adjusting the time if needed. (see note)
- When moist crumbs cling to a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake, remove cake from oven. Let cakes rest in the pans until pans are cool enough to touch. The cake will continue to cook as it cools.
- Once cooled, carefully remove cakes from pan and place on a cooling rack to cool completely.
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a large bowl, mix together cream cheese and butter.
- Mix in vanilla extract, lemon extract, and lemon zest.
- Mix in powder sugar until creamy, adding lemon juice to thin it out if needed.
- Stir in food coloring if using.
- Place frosting in the fridge to allow it to firm up a bit before frosting.
- Stir the frosting until it's creamy and spreadable and frost the cakes.
- Garnish with additional lemon zest if desired.
Notes
- DON'T OVERBAKE. The key is to take the cake out of the oven a few minutes before it's completely done (when moist crumbs cling to a toothpick inserted into the center) and allow it to finish baking as it cools down in the hot pan. This timing will vary depending on your oven, which is why it's best to check cakes before the listed done time.
2nd time I made it for my Dad’s birthday, now turning 91, and celebrated yesterday. He says his sense of taste is not what it used to be, but BOY, can he taste this. He LOVES lemon, so it’s the perfect cake for him. Everyone loves it. (I just had another slice)! SO moist! I topped mine with homemade candied lemon slices, just one more punch of lemon! I find all her cakes are better the next day, so now I always plan to bake the day before it’s needed. I come to this site for all my cake needs. Just had her amazing Red Velvet a couple of weeks ago for my Daughter’s birthday, and next up will be her chocolate triple layer cake! Thank you for awesome cakes Monique!
Made this 2 times and icing was runny
Pro Tip: You can always add a little more powdered sugar to firm up any icing and achieve the right consistency.
Did you cream the butter for 4-5 minutes by itself first? Also, dont add the lemon juice. Finally, do not over mix the cream cheese.2 minutes on medium high speed should be good enough.
Hey what is cake flour here in the UK and what is the alternative for distilled vinegar
Cake flour is just very fine, low protein flour like you would use for pastries. You can make a substitute by sifting plain flour with a couple tablespoons of cornstarch (cornflour) per cup of flour. Distilled vinegar is just plain white vinegar. It almost seems like an artifact in this recipe. You would add vinegar to plain milk to make a buttermilk substitute. If you have real buttermilk there is no real reason for the vinegar. (Note: the star rating was required, but I haven’t actually made it yet. 3 stars is based on the existence of lemon extract and fake butter flavored shortening in the ingredients instead of the real things.)
You can add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to the milk and let stand for about 20 min before using.
2nd time baking cake and both times frosting is runny …what to do
Monique, thanks for this awesome lemon cake recipe. My frosting was runny but i just used a straw and kept on eating .
Mine too, but once I added quite a bit more confectioners sugar, probably equal to another cup, it thickened up. Then I left it in the fridge again to firm up. It was perfect after that!
Do not add the lemon juice.
Mix in more powdered sugar, a little at a time, and it will thicken.
Can I use this recipe to make cupcakes?
I didn’t think I would like it as I’m not a lemon fan, but boy was I wrong. This cake was AMAZING! I used all cake flour (no all purpose) due to a family member’s allergy, but it was perfect. In my opinion, this recipe makes waaaaay too much icing. I put a very liberal amount on the cake and still had a ton leftover which I used for something else. That’s the only negative thing I have… but it’s that really negative?