This lemon velvet cake is luscious and easy to make. The crumb is tender and moist. A homemade cake does not have to be hard!
Layers of soft lemon cake wrapped in a luscious lemon frosting, this citrus twist on a velvet cake is a must make. The best part is that this recipe is super simple to make.
There’s no butter to soften or crazy ingredients to get. You’ll have the cake in the oven in no time, and you’ll be thanking your lucky stars after the first bite!
I originally shared this recipe back in 2017. It was fabulous then, but I didn’t really like the way the cake was decorated.
It was such a good cake the first time around, I knew it was worth a revisit. It’s not terrible having an excuse to go back and remake some of our favorite cakes after all!
I found the recipe on the Tumbleweed Contessa way back when. Her fluffy lemon velvet cake caught my eye, and I knew I had to make it.
You know I love a good homemade cake, but spare time for complicated baking is always hard to come by. Luckily, there are some great, simple homemade cake recipes out there.
This one instantly caught my eye as something quick and approachable. For whatever reason, it sort of reminded me of my devilishly good chocolate cake.
Of course, besides the fact they both contain flour and sugar, they really aren’t that similar. But I was drawn to it anyway.
I have been craving bright flavors. This winter has been dragging on, and I will take any hint of sunshine I can get, even if that is just in the form of lemons.
In the heat of the summer, the tang of citrus is also welcome, but it can’t be all orange creamsicle cheesecake all of the time. So this lemon cake is perfect for summer gatherings as well!
I couldn’t wait to whip this up and share it at family dinner. It came together as quickly as I had imagined. If the idea of homemade cake is scary to you, I hope you’ll make the leap and give it a try.
There are so many recipes that are really almost as easy as the box mixes. Plus, you get the satisfaction of knowing you did it yourself!
This delicious cake was really well received. It had a really nice crumb, and it served like a dream.
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It looks great with a batch of frosting spread over it. But I made a little extra lemon sweetened condensed milk frosting to pipe a side design on top to jazz it up.
The keys to a tender cake
Don’t overbake the cake. Velvet cakes have a tendency to dry out quickly if you bake them too long.
To get the most tender airy cake, take it out as soon as it bounces back when lightly touched with a finger. If you prefer the toothpick test, go ahead and take it out when a crumb or two comes out on the toothpick. The cake will continue to cook a bit after you pull it from the oven.
What Makes it a Velvet Cake?
Velvet cakes are typically very soft and delicious with an airy texture. The most popular and likely original version is the red velvet cake.
The vinegar and buttermilk in the batter help give the cocoa powder a reddish tint. Of course, a ton of red food coloring helps to enhance it!
In this lemon version, of course, we didn’t add any cocoa powder. Also, lemon juice replaces the vinegar.
You still get the benefits of the acid, but with the flavor of lemon! Another thing that makes velvet cakes stand out from others is that most of them use oil instead of creamed butter as the base.
This makes them even more affordable and quick and easy to make. You don’t have to wait for the butter to soften. Just grab the oil and go!
While you would traditionally use buttermilk in a velvet cake, most people don’t always have buttermilk on hand. Instead, you can put a teaspoon of lemon juice into a cup of milk before I gather the rest of the ingredients.
By the time you are ready to use it, the acid has had a chance to work its magic on the milk. It does the job quite nicely without having to use any special ingredients.
Though my brother and sister-in-law keep powdered buttermilk on hand for things like this and pancakes. I should pick up a can sometime and see what I think!
Can I bake the cake ahead of time?
Yes, cakes freeze well. Allow it to cool slightly on a wire rack.
When the cakes are cool enough to handle, wrap them in plastic wrap. (Be careful, the cakes are fragile when warm.) Once they are really wrapped well, put them in the freezer until you are ready to use them.
You can frost them frozen or defrost them before putting on the buttercream. Either way works, it is a matter of preference.
Lemon Velvet Cake
Ingredients
- 2½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 1½ cups vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk or 1 cup milk soured with 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- optional: yellow food coloring
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F and grease two 9 inch cake pans
- In a medium bowl, whisk together 2½ cups all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon baking powder until completely combined and free of clumps.
- In a large bowl, beat together 1½ cups vegetable oil, 3 large eggs and 1½ cups granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add 1 cup buttermilk, 1 teaspoon lemon extract, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1 Tablespoon lemon juice, whipping until combined.
- Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just mixed and then spoon cake batter into prepared pans. If desired, add a few drops of yellow food coloring to enhance the color.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the top of the cake springs back after being lightly touched with a finger.
- Cool in pans for 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
Video
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Lemon Velvet…you are so creative!! Yum!! XOXO 🙂 PINNED!!!
Thanks, Kelly!
Mmmmm, I love lemon, this cake looks delicious! I pinned it for later. Will definitely be making this soon.
Yay! I hope you love it!
I'm a total sucker for lemon desserts! This cake looks super and so delicious.
I am too, especially when it's hot out! Thank you so much!
Hi Carlee, I'm on a bit of a blogging go slow at the moment, but can see I've been missing out on some good recipes! A good lemon cake is up there with a good chocolate cake in my book, especially made with lemons straight from the tree. I wonder if this recipe would work with oranges when they are ready. Could be worth a try!
xx
Now you have me curious as well. I can't see why it wouldn't work and that sounds DELICIOUS!
My husband and I would have to fight over this cake! Delicious!
You'll just have to make two 😉
Our brains must have been on the same wavelength this weekend. Lemon is it! This cake looks so good and I love the velvet part! I did cheat and use a box cake, but you are right, it really isn't that much more difficult to make a scratch cake. Thank you for sharing. I'm pinning and sharing this.
Your cupcakes look amazing! Thanks, Amy!
Yum!! I'm a sucker for lemon – I used to be all about chocolate but I don't know what happened! I have seen recipes for that condensed milk frosting so I'm very interested to know more – can't wait for the post.
I think you might be the frosting queen! I'm off to see the creamsicle cheesecake!
Mollie
I still love my chocolate, but I have a newfound love for lemon too.
I will wear my new title proudly, thanks Mollie!
Now I'm craving lemon frosting like crazy. It must be contagious :). This cake is just perfection, Carlee! Have a great week!
I should have started with the disclaimer that the cravings are contagious!
I just went to lemon heaven!! What a beautiful cake that I know is bursting with flavor!!
Thanks, Andrea! It was so good!
That was a nice cake. There was just the right amount of lemon flavor too! That's not always easy to do but you got it right for this cake. And it held together when you cut it!
It really did serve like a dream and was so good. Thanks =)