Lemon Cake with Raspberry Filling
I originally made this lemon cake with raspberry filling for my sister’s birthday 6 years ago. It seems like a lifetime ago!
It seemed fitting to remake it for my sister’s birthday this year.
The components of the cake are still the same. It’s made with fluffy lemon cake layers and filled with a delicious and bright raspberry filling.
I stuck with the lemon cream cheese frosting too, but made it a bit sturdier to make it easier to decorate with.
The updated frosting recipe is based on my tried-and-true cream cheese buttercream frosting.
Substitutions and Swaps
While I love this lemon cake recipe just the way it is, I know some of you might not have all these ingredients on hand!
Below are some swaps and substitutions that can be made.
- All-purpose flour – This recipe turns out best with all-purpose flour, but you can use cake flour or a gluten-free flour blend in its place if needed.
- Unsalted butter – If you only have salted butter, you can use it in place of the unsalted butter. Just be sure to omit the salt that this recipe calls for. You can also use vegan butter in its place.
- Egg whites – If you can’t find pasteurized egg whites in a carton, you can use 5 fresh egg whites or 3 whole eggs.
- Sour Cream – You can also use buttermilk, whole or skim milk, full-fat yogurt, or alternative yogurt or milk (almond, soy, oat) if you’re dairy free.
- Lemon zest – Fresh lemon zest really enhances the raspberry flavor. In a pinch, you could use lime zest. You can also use 2 tsp lemon extract in its place in the frosting and cake batter. However, the flavor won’t be quite as bright.
- Raspberries – This recipe can also be made with strawberries in place of the raspberries!
- Cream cheese – You can use additional unsalted butter in place of the cream cheese if you don’t have any or don’t like cream cheese frosting.
The Star of the Show: The Raspberry Cake Filling
While the lemon in this cake brightens up its flavor, the real star of the show is the raspberry filling.
I prefer making the filling from scratch, but if you’re short on time, you can also use your favorite raspberry jam.
If you decide to make this raspberry filling, you’re in for a real treat.
By reducing the raspberry mixture on the stove, the flavor is concentrated to make an incredibly delicious cake filling.
I’m going to be totally honest, it’s a bit of extra work. But it is 100% worth it!!
This raspberry filling is packed with that delicious tart raspberry flavor we know and love. It also has a thick, sturdy texture that makes it the perfect cake filling.
This filling can be made days in advance, so I recommend making it ahead of time.
Letting this filling sit also helps it thicken and develop its flavor.
Tips for Making the Best Lemon Raspberry Cake
- Make the raspberry cake filling ahead of time to let it thicken and develop its flavor.
- Don’t add too much raspberry filling between the cake layers! It can make the cake super difficult to stack and frost.
- Pipe a thick ring of frosting around the perimeter of the cake layer before adding the raspberry filling. This will help keep the filling in its place and prevent it from oozing out of the sides.
- Use fresh lemon zest! It really amps up the flavor of this cake.
- Ingredients at room temperature mix together better. Set out any cold ingredients ahead of time.
- Make sure your buttercream is the right consistency before frosting your cake! It will help give your cake proper structure and make it easier to decorate.
- If your cake layers turn out less than perfect, I recommend reading my cake troubleshooting guide to see where things might’ve gone awry.
- Decorate your cake with fresh raspberries and lemon spirals to make it look as good as it tastes.
Making This Lemon Cake with Raspberry Filling in Different Sizes
This recipe can also be used to make different sized cakes. You can also half or double the ingredients to make a half or double batch!
You can make two 8″ round cake layers with one batch of batter. Bake the cake layers at 350°F/175°C for 34-36 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
One batch of batter can also be used to make one 8×8-inch square sheet cake. Bake it at 325°F for 36-42 minutes. Once cooled, spread a layer of raspberry cake filling or raspberry jam on top of the cake and pipe the lemon cream cheese frosting on top of the filling.
The final variation of this recipe is lemon raspberry cupcakes!! This recipe can be used to make about 18 regular-sized cupcakes.
Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full and bake for 18-20 minutes. Fill the center of each cupcake with the raspberry filling and top with a swirl of lemon cream cheese frosting.
Making This Lemon Cake in Advance and Storage Tips
I recommend making your cake layers in advance and freezing them. It breaks the process up and makes it more approachable.
You can also make the lemon cream cheese frosting ahead of time, or save any leftover frosting! It can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Be sure to give it a good stir once it thaws to get the consistency nice and smooth again.
This raspberry cake filling can be made up to two weeks in advance. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge.
A frosted cake can last in the fridge for a week or in the freezer for a month. The buttercream locks in all the moisture, keeping the cake fresh and delicious!
Let Me Know What You Think
If you make this lemon cake with raspberry filling, please tag me @chelsweets and use the #chelsweets so I can see your beautiful creations!!
And don’t forget to leave a comment and rating below.
Lemon Raspberry Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
Lemon Raspberry Cake Layers
- 2 cups granulated sugar 400g
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon zest 6g
- 2 cups + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour 270g
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 6g
- 1/2 tsp fine salt 3g
- 2/3 cup (1 1/3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 150g
- 2/3 cup carton egg whites or 5 large egg whites, room temperature 155g
- 1 cup full-fat sour cream, room temperature 255g
- 1 Tbsp vegetable or canola oil 15g
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 4g
- 1 cup fresh raspberries, halved optional
Raspberry Filling
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 226g
- 1/2 cup full-fat cream cheese, room temperature 113g
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice 12g
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon zest 6g
- 1/2 tsp fine salt 3g
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 4g
- 5 cups powdered sugar 625g
Optional Cake Decorations
- 1 additional pint fresh raspberries
- 3 small lemons
Instructions
Lemon Raspberry Cake Layers
- Preheat the oven to 350°F /175°C and grease and line 3, 6-inch cake pans or 2, 8-inch cake pans. I used 6-inch cake pans.
- Add 2 cups of granulated sugar and 1 Tbsp fresh lemon zest into the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl. Massage the sugar and zest together with your finger tips to release the oil in the zest.
- Add 2 cups + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, and 1/2 tsp salt into the lemon sugar. Use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or hand mixer to mix on a low speed until combined.
- Mix in 2/3 cup (1 & 1/3 stick) unsalted butter slowly into the dry mix, on a medium-low speed. Continue to mix until no large chunks of butter remain and the mixture becomes crumbly.
- Pour in 2/3 cup or about 5 egg whites and mix on low until just incorporated and the batter looks wet.
- Mix in 1 cup of sour cream, 1 Tbsp vegetable oil, and 1 tsp vanilla extract. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula.
- Divide batter evenly between the prepared cake pans. If desired, place 1 cup of fresh raspberries that have been cut in half on top of the cake batter.
- Bake for 30-34 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs. Allow the pans to cool for 10 minutes, then run a small offset spatula around the perimeter of the pan to separate the cake from the pan.
- Place cake layers into the freezer for 30 minutes to accelerate the cooling process. Once the layers are fully cooled, carefully flip the pans and remove the layers.
- Use a serrated knife to level the tops of the layers right before you plan to assemble your cake.
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- Beat 1 cup of unsalted butter and 1/2 cup of cream cheese on a medium speed for 30 seconds with a stand mixer and paddle attachment or hand mixer until smooth.
- Add in 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, 1 Tbsp lemon zest, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste. Beat on low until incorporated.
- Slowly mix in 5 cups of powdered sugar on a very low speed, 1 cup at a time. Mix on low until the desired consistency is reached. If the frosting is too thick, add in additional lemon juice (1 Tablespoon at a time). If the frosting is too thin, add in more powdered sugar (1/4 cup at a time).
- Place the frosting in a large piping bag and secure the top with a rubber band.
Assembling This Lemon Raspberry Cake
- Stack and frost cake layers on a greaseproof cake board or flat plate, using a dab of frosting to help stick the first cake layer to the board.
- Pipe a thick ring of frosting on top of the cake layer. Spread about 1/4 cup of the raspberry filling inside the ring of frosting. Pipe a layer of lemon cream cheese frosting on top of the filling.
- Repeat with remaining cake layers then chill the cake in the fridge (30 minutes) or freezer (10 minutes) to help the cake filling firm up and make it easier to cover the cake in a crumb coat.
- Spread a thin coat of frosting around the cake and smooth the frosting using a bench scraper. Chill the cake again in the fridge (30 minutes) or freezer (10 minutes) until the crumb coat is firm to the touch.
- Add a second, thicker layer of lemon cream cheese frosting to the cake and smooth using an icing comb.
- Decorate as desired! I chose to make a ring of fresh raspberries and lemon peel spirals, and dust them with a bit of powdered sugar.
Video
Notes
Making This Lemon Raspberry Layer Cake in Advance
I recommend making your cake layers in advance and freezing them. It breaks the process up and makes it more approachable. This raspberry cake filling can be made up to 2 weeks in advance if stored in an airtight container in the fridge. A frosted cake can last in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to a month. The buttercream locks in all the moisture, keeping the cake fresh and delicious! If you cut into the cake and have leftovers, use any remaining frosting to cover the cut section to keep it moist and store in the fridge for up to a week.Nutrition
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Here’s a trip down memory lane! This is what the original version of this cake looked like in 2014.
So fun that your sister visited! Love the pic of you two. That cake sounds so delicious! Wow! No wonder you loved it growing up! And it looks so beautiful!
Thanks, we had a great time together!! And the cake turned out just how I had hoped 😀
That cake looks simply amazing!!
Thanks 😀
Good Morning! I made this cake last night and it was quite dense! Should there also be baking soda included to help it rise?
This is a butter cake base, so it is much more dense than a sponge cake! It also bakes relatively flat, which is how the recipe is supposed to be formulated! If you want a lighter cake base, I’d recommend trying a sponge cake base next time!
Hi Chelsea, I want to make this cake but I want it to be a huge 4-layer cake. I have 7-in cake molds. Do you know how to convert this recipe to accommodate different pan sizes?? Please advise!!
yes! Calculate it using the area of a circle x the height of each layer you want! This recipe makes 4 7 inch layers that are about 1 inch when leveled. So calculate the volume that this recipe makes (2 x pi x radius squared), and then figure out how many batches of batter you’d have to make to get the size of layers you need! hope that helps 🙂
Hi!! What would be your thoughts on this? If I have made extra compote and after I put the batter in the pans, I swirl some compote lightly through the batter before baking? Making this today and thought I’d ask! Thanks so much!
It might require you to bake it slightly longer, but i think it would taste great! The top will probably brown a bit more than normal though.
Have you used this recipe for a wedding cake? I am thinking about using it for a 12 inch and 8 inch tier- 3 layers in each tier.
Hi Janna,
I haven’t, but I bet that would be a delicious wedding cake!
What size lemons do you use? I have lemons but they are giant. I know they have others that are much smaller.
I used medium sized lemons, so you probably can use 1-2 large lemons. Hope that helps, happy baking!
Can this recipe be made into cupcakes? 🙂
Can we use frozen raspberries???
I haven’t made it yet but ir looks so yummy and moist!! Could it be made in a 9×13 Pyrex??
Made this today and it was absolutely delicious! Everyone couldn’t stop talking about how good it was. I did four seven inch layers and it turned out great! Thank you so much for such an awesome recipe!
Chelsey …. This cake. It’s divine. I’ve made SO many of your cakes. I’ve had wonderful luck with all of them, but this one really stands out. I only made the cake layers. They are light, fluffy, tender, moist, and FULL of lemony flavor. I was worried I might have needed to add lemon extract, but nope! The flavor shines through brilliantly. I filled the cake layers with lemon curd and covered with lemon buttercream (semi-naked style). Thank you for sharing this recipe (and all of your recipes) with us!
How do you make the lemon spirals?
Hey Chelsea! Just wondering could you use this frosting for a semi naked cake?
Hi just made the cake yesterday. When I did the frosting it turns out more off white. I am assuming that it is because of the butter and lemon juice and zest that goes into it. Any idea how I can make it crisp white like in your picture?
Otherwise I haven’t tried the cake yet but it looks good. Thank you for the recipe.
Guys. This cake is divine. I made it once and now is my most requested flavor combo. Husband and I will make extra for us every time there’s an order. Chelsea is AMAZING as well as all of her recipes!
Did this recipe change in the last few days?
@V g, I was wondering because I have a printed copy and the measurements are different
It made a super yummy cake. Took way less egg white to wet the ingredients (need only about 4 eggs). Took a while of reading above the recipe to find to cook it at a moderate oven temperature. Was super sweet – like a dessert. The raspberries cooked in it made it pretty special and looked fantastic too.
Used raw raspberries served on the side to offset sweetness. Was loved all round. Couldn’t achieve the lemon twist decoration – always uncurled. A yummy cake! Thanks!
Looking to making this for a birthday in the next few days. How do you make the lemon curls?
Can i please ask when u say we can use 3 eggs instead of egg whites….what size of eggs?
This was super moist and super delicious! I didn’t add the raspberry in the cake though, but did everything else the same. Looking forward to making more of your cakes!
Does this. Ake need to be refrigerated? I made it today but won’t eat until tomorrow afternoon.
I’m making this cake on Tuesday (16th) for my mom’s 70th birthday. I’m wondering what size pans you used for your 3 layers?
Hi, could I use frozen strawberries instead of fresh to fold in the cake? And can I use a half butter half oil instead of just butter?
Hey Chelsey! I want to make this cake soon!!! Can this recipe be used to make cupcakes aswell?
For your lemon raspberry cake the picture shows a 3 tier cake but the directions do not include what size pans for a 3 tier only for 2 tiers or an 8×8. Frustrating for someone trying to imitate the pic. Also, please include a “jump to recipe” button at the beginning of recipe. I am an experienced baker and usually don’t need to read all the tips and hits, I just want to see the recipe. Thanks!
Hi Chelsweets! I am making a wedding cake for my friend and she has requested a raspberry cake. Do you think this recipe would be sturdy enough for a 12 inch bottom tier?
Thank you!
Love this recipe and use it frequently!! Do you think it’s stable enough for a wedding cake? Also- if making three 10’ rounds, would you quadruple this recipe?
Thank you so much for helping!
Hi!
If i wanted to do a plain lemon buttercream can i just omit the cream cheese, or should i add in an extra half stick of butter?
Thank so much! I love your recipes
@Julie Suarez,
Did you receive an answer to your question? I am wondering top.
I made this cake for a wedding. I used 9 inch cake layers for one tier and four 6.5 inch layers for top tier. I used 4 batches of batter. 6.5 pans had 1 and a half cups of batter in them and the rest spread across the 9 inch pans. I also used 3 batches of icing and 2 batches of raspberry filling (3/4 batch left over). Everyone loved the taste of this cake.
Hi Chelsey,
Do you think this cream cheese buttercream would hold up to the stripe decoration method? I’m going to do a lemon blueberry variation for my daughter’s birthday and I’m envisioning yellow and blurple stripes but I also want the cream cheese flavour and I’m not sure if a pure cream cheese frosting would suit.
Thanks,
Shan
Hi Chelsea!! I tried this recipe today and its amazing! The cakes were so moist and fluffy! I got three 6inc cake and they came out flat on top! Love it. Cant wait to frost them tomorrow!
Hi! Am I missing where it says how to prepare the pans? And what temperature to bake at? I can’t find that info! Thank you!
@Baker, You can make two 8? round cake layers with one batch of batter. Bake the cake layers at 350F for 34-36 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
Question in your YouTube video you state you out in 3/4 cup sour cream rm temp. Is this suppose to be in your recipe? I am making this for a baptism sunday and just want to make sure I get it right. Thank you!!
Will I be able to make this as a tiered cake for a wedding?would it be sturdy enough? DoI put parchment paper on my pans or butter the whole pan? And how long would the cake last on room temperature?thanks.
I am making this cake for first time and the cooking times are different. I am using 9 inch pans and there isn’t a cooking time listed. I’m ready with all my ingredients, please advise
To make 3- 8in layers would you just make a 1.5x batch?
would this cake work for a layered cake? Say a 12, 9, 6 wedding cake?
If I only have salted butter on hand so I decrease the salt in the cake?
Hey Chels!
I made this cake last night into two 8” pans.
I doubled the frosting recipe as I also hoping to frost a small 6” cake after. The amount yielded was barely enough to frost the 8”.
It also was not your typical frosting that I’ve made before. Looks very different than the frosting in the picture.
Just made this for Easter! It was incredible! I made it in the 8” pan and then cut those layers in half creating 4 total layers for that raspberry goodness to go between. I had plenty of frosting (I did add an extra TBS of zest and lemon juice) as I was going for a strong lemon frosting. My only regret was not frosting in the very middle with the raspberry. We had enough, and it didn’t occur to me. I did a super cute Easter decor top but not sure how to attach a pic here. Thanks for a great recipe. Can’t wait to check out others!
I’ve made a different lemon cake for years but never like it. So I tried this and LOVE IT!!! OMG!!! Everyone loved the cake, the filling, the frosting (along with your sugar cookie recipe). Thank you for always making me seem so impressive!
Does anyone know if this recipe has changed in the last couple months? I swear there used to be lemon juice in the batter & I can’t find the original recipe I used to use all the time?! Thanks in advanced
@Chloe, Don’t know about the original recipe as I am new to this site but there is 1/4c fresh lemon juice in the recipe for the batter.
Would it be okay to add in one layer of lemon curd?
Hi Cathy,
For sure, that would be delicious!!! Happy baking 🙂
Can the lemon cream cheese buttercream be frozen? If yes, for how long?
Hi Julie,
It totally can be frozen, and will stay good in the freezer for up to a month! Just transfer it to the fridge to gradually thaw it before you want to use it and bring it to room temperature. Hope that helps, happy baking!
I made this cake for a wedding and it turned out wonderful, but I also made fresh lemon butter and put in the bottom tier and raspberry filling in the top tier was a spectacular hit
Thanks for the recipe
That sounds absolutely incredible Lynn!! I want a slice!!! 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing!
Great article you shared, Thanks for sharing such type of precious article.
Hey Chels! Would it be possible to sub the sugar for honey? I was thinking maybe 1.5 cups honey. I’m trying to incorporate honey into a lemon cake. This recipe is my favorite! I just wanted to get your thoughts on it before I tried it! TIA!
Hi Kelly,
I’m worried the honey would change the texture of the cake layers, and I’m not sure if you would really be able to taste it in the layers! I’d think that maybe adding a generous drizzle on top of the frosting between the layers and/or using a honey buttercream might be an easier way to give it a stronger honey flavor. If you try it, I’d love to hear how it goes!
@Chelsweets, I made a test batch first. I used a local clover honey. I added about 1/2 cup of honey. And 300 grams of sugar. I personally didn’t like the texture. It was a bit more dense than I prefer. But was very moist. Everyone else in my family liked it. I ended up making just the lemon cake. And adding a honey simple syrup I made. I didn’t boil the honey and water. 2 parts honey, 1 part water. I heated the water just enough so when I added the honey, it would dissolve. I used about 2-3 tbsp over each 8 inch cake after baking, as they were cooking. That was much better! Then made a cream cheese honey buttercream. It was pretty amazing! I’ve been adding the leftover honey syrup to my hot tea ? Thank you for replying!
So good to know!! And I love that, it sounds like it turned out so delicious!! That’s so smart to incorporate the honey into the simple syrup like that. Thank you for sharing 🙂
This is hands down the best cake I’ve ever made. The flavors were simply amazing I received so many compliments!
Aw so happy to hear that Kayla!!! 🙂 Thank you for sharing!!
Can I replace the raspberries with blueberries or will the consistency not be right? Thanks!
This cake is amazing! I’m a home baker and have received rave reviews about this cake. This cream cheese frosting is STABLE and so great for layered cakes (yasss) Thanks for another really great recipe. Also obsessed with your chocolate and coffee cakes
Hi Kassy,
So happy to hear that!! 🙂 Thank you for sharing!!!
Would you suggest doubling or tripling this recipe for a 1/2 sheet cake?
Hi Andrea,
Great question! I would recommend tripling this recipe to make a 1/2 sheet cake (13×17 inches) that bakes up to be about 1-inch tall. Hope that helps, happy baking!
Hey, I was wondering if this could be turned into cupcakes. I assume you’d need to adjust baking time, but would that be the only repercussion?
Hoping to make this for easter this year.
Let me know!
Hi Tia,
Great question! This recipe can be used to make about 3 dozen cupcakes. Fill the liners 3/4 full and bake at 350 F / 175 C and bake for 20-22 minutes. Hope that helps, happy baking!
Can this be made into a sheet cake (single layer)? If so what would be the best way to incorporate the filling?
Hi Jenn,
Great question! You can make either 1 or 2 sheet cake layers with this recipe. You can make 1 thicker layer and cut it horizontally to fill it, or you could leave it uncut and just spread the filling on top of the cake, then add the frosting on top of it. You can also bake 2, shorter sheet cake layers and put the filling between them.
One batch can make 1, 9 x 13-inch cake layer that is about 2 inches tall. Bake for 40-50 mins at 350 F / 175 C, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Bake time can vary a lot based on the type of pan you use, if you use heating cores, and your oven. I recommend using heating cores (like these: https://amzn.to/3ShscwX) if you have them to help large cake layers like this bake more evenly and quickly.
Or you can also make 2, 9×13 inch cake layers that are about 1 inch tall. Bake them for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Hope that helps and that the cakes turn out great!
Hi,
I followed all the instructions but the cake doesn’t cook trough ??? look at tips on line and stays partly raw despite at least 15 more minutes in the oven
Hi Justine,
I’m so sorry to hear that, that is absolutely wild! Were you by chance using any cold ingredients, or frozen raspberries? If the batter is cold to start with or you use ingredients that aren’t at room temp, sometimes it can cause the cake layers to bake up like this or take a lot longer to cook through. Is there a chance that’s what might have happened? If not, we can keep troubleshooting together until we figure it out!
I was hoping to use this recipe to do a half sheet cake. Do you think I should double it?
Super delicious! I made it for my daughter’s 17th birthday and we all loved it. I will definitely be making this again. The cake is exactly how I like it– moist, a little dense, but soft (not springy like a box cake) but spongey. I used raspberry jam from a jar and it was yummy and easy. The cream cheese lemon frosting was so amazing!
I am so happy to hear that Rachel 🙂 I totally agree!!
I forgot to mention I like my buttercream less buttery so I added a little more lemon juice and 2-3 cups more powdered sugar (I like about 3 1/3 cups powdered sugar for every 1/2 cup butter) and with the cream cheese in there I guessed until it was the right consistency.
Great to know, thanks for sharing Rachel!
Didn’t this recipe used to have lemon juice in the actual cake? It’s not showing up anymore.
Hi Andrea,
It did! I’ve made it with and without the lemon juice over the years, and honestly all the lemon flavor comes from the zest! The lemon juice really didn’t add any flavor, so I removed it. You can still add the 2 Tbsp of lemon juice if you want that the prior version had though! Hope that helps, happy baking!
Hi, it’s my sister in law’s birthday today. She asked for a lemon raspberry filled cake. I was looking at recipes and found your recipe. The instructions were easy to follow and it came out perfect. I was a little nervous about the raspberry filling, but it came out great too! I love to bake but a decorator I’m not. But I know she will love it. Thank you, Linda
Hi Linda,
That makes me so happy to hear. What a sweet gift for your sister-in-law! I’m so glad the instructions were easy to follow and that everything came out perfectly (especially the raspberry filling. I know that can feel a little tricky the first time!. And honestly, the love and care you put into baking it is what matters most. I’m sure she’s going to absolutely love it. Thanks so much for sharing!
How much milk or buttermilk is needed if substituting?
Hi Paige,
It’s a 1:1 swap, so the same amount of sour cream that the recipe calls for 🙂 Hope that helps, happy baking!
Hi! Can you leave the cakes uncovered in the fridge overnight before assembly? Same with frosting? Thanks !!
Hi Claire,
If the cake layers are left uncovered in the fridge overnight, they’ll dry out pretty quickly. I recommend wrapping each layer tightly in plastic wrap (or even slipping them into a large zip-top bag) before refrigerating. For frosting, usually you can leave it out for a day at room temperature, but not this frosting because it has cream cheese int it! I’d recommend popping it in an airtight container so it doesn’t form a crust or pick up fridge smells and storing it in the fridge overnight. The next day, just let the frosting come back to room temp by pulling it out of the fridge a couple hours before you want to use it, and giving it a quick re-whip before using. Hope that helps, happy baking!!
Did this recipe previously have lemon juice and buttermilk in the cake recipe? I thought I remembers the last time I made it having lemon juice in the cake and buttermilk instead of the sour cream. It doesn’t taste as lemon-y as it has in the past when I made it.
@Megan, ignore that! I just saw your reply to someone a couple of months ago and that answers my question! Thank you for sharing all of your incredible recipes!!
No worries at all Megan!! Love that you checked the comments section to see if you could find the answer 🙂 I hope your cake turns out amazing!!
I want to make this cake but I am curious as to why there is no lemon juice in the recipe for the cake, only lemon zest. Is something missing?
Great question Deborah! Nothing is missing. I just use lemon zest in the cake layers because it adds a lot of fresh lemon flavor without affecting the texture. Lemon juice can make cake layers more dense or a little tough, so I prefer to get the lemon flavor from the zest and then add the juice in fillings, frostings, or curd where it really shines. Hope that helps, happy baking!!