Lemon Buttermilk Cake with Lemon Glaze โ An easy buttermilk cake with big lemon flavor!! Soft, fluffy, and foolproof if you like puckering up!!
Easiest From-Scratch Lemon Buttermilk Cake
My daughter loves lemon desserts and I had a ton of lemons and some buttermilk to use. Lucky for her, I made a buttermilk lemon sour cream cake. And lucky for me too because in the past couple years, lemon desserts have really been growing on me.
If you’re a lemon lover, you’ll love the perfectly tart yet just sweet enough big pop of lemon flavor this soft and fluffy buttermilk cake has.
I used my favorite, foolproof, no mixer, buttermilk cake recipe and worked in lemon three ways: lemon juice, lemon zest, and lemon extract.
If I’m eating a lemon dessert, I want to know it’s there. Hint-of-lemon isn’t really my style. Go big or go home.
I love this cake base because itโs fast and easy to make, and the cake always turn out supremely moist, springy, and fluffy thanks to buttermilk, sour cream, and oil. That trifecta of moisturizing and tenderizing ingredients makes it impossible to have a dry cake.
The lemon glaze really helps boost the overall lemon profile of the cake. It’s zingy, tangy-yet-sweet, and after pouring the glaze over the warm cake, it seeps into the cake, and makes it even moister, softer, and more lemony.
What’s in Lemon Buttermilk Cake?
To make the lemon buttermilk cake itself, you’ll need:
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Lemon zest
- Egg
- Buttermilk
- Sour cream
- Lemon juice
- Canola oil
- Lemon extract
And to make the lemon glaze for the cake, you’ll need:
- Confectioners’ sugar
- Lemon juice and zest
How to Make Lemon Buttermilk Cake
This truly is such a simple lemon buttermilk cake recipe! Here’s how you’ll make the scratch lemon cake and the lemon cake glaze:
- Stir together the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet in another.
- Then, combine the two and turn the batter into a greased 8×8-inch baking pan.
- The lemon buttermilk cake needs to bake until the center is set and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Once the homemade lemon cake comes out of the oven, set it aside to cool while you make the lemon glaze.
- The lemon glaze for the cake is whisked together in under a minute and is poured over the still-warm (but not piping hot) cake.
- The lemon buttermilk cake then needs to rest on your countertop for at least an hour before slicing and serving.
Is There a Buttermilk Substitute I Can Use?
This lemon buttermilk cake should be made with real buttermilk for the best results.
I suppose potentially you could sour regular milk with 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar mixed with 1/2 cup of 2% or whole milk, let it stand for 5 to 10 minutes, and then use it in the recipe.
You can use powdered buttermilk instead and prepare it as instructed on the package.
Can the Lemon Extract Be Substituted?
You could technically substitute the lemon extract with vanilla extract, but I don’t recommend doing so as that would seriously diminish the lemony flavor of this cake.
Also, do NOT substitute lemon oil for the lemon extract. They’re two different products and can’t be used in place of each other!
Can I Double This Lemon Cake Recipe?
Yes, you can double this lemon cake recipe from scratch and bake it in a 9×13-inch pan instead. Note that the baking time may need to be increased.
Can I Use Cake Flour Instead of All-Purpose?
Possibly, but I’ve only made this lemon buttermilk cake recipe as instructed so I can’t speak to whether cake flour would deliver the same results and if you’d have to alter other things in the recipe.
Tips for Making Lemon Buttermilk Cake
Lemon Juice – Freshly squeezed lemon juice is a must when making this homemade lemon cake. The pre-bottled stuff just doesn’t taste the same and since this is a lemon cake you really should use real lemon juice for best results and flabor.
Glaze – When making the lemon glaze for the cake, you may need to add a little extra lemon juice or powdered sugar to get it to the right consistency. The glaze should be on the thicker side, but easily pourable.
Don’t Need to Wait – Note that it’s fine to pour the lemon glaze onto the still-warm cake. You don’t want the cake to be super hot, but warm is fine. It’ll actually cause the glaze to penetrate into the cake a bit more.
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Lemon Buttermilk Cake with Lemon Glaze
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 ยผ cups all-purpose flour
- ยพ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- pinch salt, optional and to taste
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 large egg
- ยฝ cup buttermilk
- โ cup sour cream, lite is okay (plain Greek yogurt may be substituted)
- ยผ cup lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons lemon extract, vanilla extract may be substituted
Glaze
- 2 cups confectionersโ sugar
- โ cup lemon juice, or as necessary for consistency
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest, or to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray; set aside.
For the Cake:
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, optional salt.
- Whisk in zemon zest; set aside.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk*, sour cream, lemon juice, oil, and lemon extract.
- Add the wet mixture to the dry, mixing lightly with a spoon or folding with a spatula until just combined. Small lumps will be present, donโt overmix or try to stir them smooth.
- Turn batter out into prepared pan and bake for about 28 to 31 minutes, or until center is set and not jiggly, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter.
- Place pan on a wire rack and allow cake to cool. While cake cools, make the glaze.
For the Glaze:
- In a medium bowl, add 2 cup confectionersโ sugar, 1/3 cup lemon juice, and whisk until smooth. As necessary, add additional lemon juice (or sugar) to reach desired glaze consistency. I used slightly over 1/3 cup lemon juice. Glaze should be easily pourable.
- Evenly pour glaze over cake (doesnโt have to be fully cooled), smoothing it lightly with a spatula if necessary, but glaze will likely just slide into place.
- Allow cake to cool in pan uncovered for at least 1 hour (or overnight and cover with a sheet of foil) before slicing and serving so glaze can set up. Cake will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Easy Lemon Desserts:
Lemon Lemonies โ Like brownies, but made with lemon and white chocolate! Dense, chewy, not cakey and packed with big, bold lemon flavor!
Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting โ Soft, fluffy, moist, very lemony cupcakes from scratch! Easy one-bowl, no-mixer recipe for cupcakes that taste like theyโre from a bakery!
Soft and Chewy Lemon Cookies โ Packed with big, bold lemon flavor for all you lemon lovers! They’re soft, chewy and not at all cakey!!
The Best Lemon Bars โ Truly the best classic lemon bars!
Strawberry Lemonade Bars โ Imagine crossing lemon bars with a strawberry pie. These easy bars taste like strawberry lemonade! Sooo good!
Blueberry Lemon Cake with Lemon Glaze โ The cake is packed with sweet, juicy blueberries and while thereโs lemon in the batter, itโs the lemon glaze that really brings out the tartly-sweet lemon flavor that complements the blueberries so well.
The Best Lemon Loaf (Better-Than-Starbucks Copycat) โ Took years but I finally recreated it!! Easy, no mixer, no cake mix, dangerously good, and SPOT ON!!
Lemon Olive Oil Cake โ My new FAVORITE lemon dessert of all time!! Lemon zest, juice, extract, and Limoncello add so much AMAZING lemon flavor to this EASY, ridiculously moist no-mixer cake thatโs unique and INCREDIBLE!!
Lemon Coconut White Chocolate Gooey Bars โ The lemon base is soft and chewy, thereโs coconut and white chocolate chips for extra texture, and sweetened condensed milk peeks through the top.
Originally published October 14, 2014 and republished March 17, 2023 with updated text.
This cake is really good & so easy, although yours is much prettier than mine! ย The glaze (which is delicious) dripped down the sides of the cake, so there was not much left on top.ย
Please ย tell me how you lined the foil? And, is itโs purpose to keep the glaze on top of the cake?
Thanks for another great recipe.ย
No it’s just for easier cleanup but it is not mandatory.
The photos I take and the presentation come with years of practice and very steady hands. Don’t worry if yours doesn’t look exactly like mine!
Very moist and lots of flavor for this cake, we loved it! I cut down the sugar but had the glaze and it all combined perfectly. Will do this one again, thank you!
Very moist and lots of flavor for this cake, we loved it! I cut down the sugar but had the glaze and it all combined perfectly. Will do this one again, thank you!
Thanks for the five star review and Iโm glad that the cake was great even with reduced sugar!
Hi, Averie. Would this recipe work for a 9.5โ Bundt pan? Should I double it?ย
Not sure I have only made the recipe as written. Do a Google search on volumes of both pans and then decide if you need to double the volume or not.
Hi Averie, am looking for a recipe for buttermilk lemon cake and glad to find this recipe of yours. I have powdered buttermilk, so will appreciate your advice on the quantity i should use for powdered buttermilk. would it also be 1/2 cup of powdered buttermilk?
Thanks in advance!
They all differ a bit. I would follow the box instructions to get yourself 1/2 cup liquid buttermilk, add how much ever water + powder is called for.
Thanks Averie! cant wait to try out this recipe!
Hello, Iโm so excited to try this one! Thanks for sharing. By the way, around how many lemons are needed for this, given the need for the cake and glaze? :)
I would say at least 3 to be safe. It really depends on how big they are, how ripe, how juicy, etc.
Hi. Can I use this recepie to make cupcakes?
yes
Are you able to double this recipe and make a 9×13 cake?
yes
Thanks for the recipe….I love the lemon zing in the glaze!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you loved the lemon zing!
Thank you so much for this recipe! I made it over the weekend and it was everything! The perfect amount of lemon flavour and sweetness! I’m sure I’ll be making this frequently, as it was such a great hit!
Thanks for the five star review and Iโm glad you will make this cake again and that it was great for you!
Hello Averie,
I normally don’t leave reviews but I just gotta say… I love love love your recipes! I’ve tried the yellow cake recipe and this lemon buttermilk one and they’re both absolutely delicious. My parents were recently diagnosed with diabetes so I decided to tweak this recipe by using white whole wheat flour instead of all purpose as well as truvia instead of regular sugar and it still turned up very moist and delicious! Thank you! Will definitely be turning to your website for more inspirational recipes :)
I’m glad you are loving my recipes and that you’ve made lots of cakes already and will be trying more!
Hi I just wanted to know if cake flour would work OK?
I have only made it with all-purpose so not sure.
Hi Averie,
I love your easy recipes and I am truly looking forward to trying this cake as like your daughter I love everything lemon too! You mentioned that this is your usual buttermilk cake recipe however I noticed that you used 1 1/4 cups of a.p. flour in this lemon buttermilk cake recipe and in the funfetti cake recipe you used 1 cup a.p, flour. Would you please clarify if I have to use 1 or 1 1/4 cup.
Thank you so much and have a wonderful summer
All recipes vary slightly in the exact amounts of flour, sugar, etc. used. Use the amount listed for this recipe. And use the other amount for the other recipe.
Hello.
Is it possible to have recipie printed for grams instead of cups?
You are welcome to enter the measurements into a converter tool but that is not a service I provide.
Hi! I am a big fan of lemon desserts and I cant wait to bake this cake. I have two questions though. As I find glazes way too sweet, I want to make this as an 8 or 9 inch round cake with lemon or orange mousse. Is this cake appropriate for a mousse cake? Like, this recipe as a base, put it in a round pan and adding a generous amount of mousse? I love lemon mousse but ive only made it on a chocolate or vanilla base. Thanks in advanceโก
Monica
I honestly would just bake the cake once as written, see what you think for yourself, and then start tweaking and experimenting. Enjoy!
This recipe looks so good, I mixed in some blueberries and it smells wonderful!
Sounds like a winner!