Easy Lemon Cake – A delicious, moist all-in-one lemon sponge. Perfect for a teatime treat, cake sale or as a birthday or celebration cake.
PLUS – Make this cake in any size of round, square or rectangular tin with my handy ingredients calculator.
One question I get asked again and again is how to adapt my Vanilla Birthday Cake into a lemon sponge. It’s a question I’ve answered a lot in the comments, over email and on my social media, so I thought it was about time I shared the full recipe on here.
This lemon sponge cake is packed full of flavour from the fresh lemon zest and is delicious topped with lemon buttercream.
I have two different lemon buttercream recipes you can choose from – one made with fresh lemon zest and juice, and one made with lemon extract. The one pictured here is made with lemon extract (as it’s smoother for piping), but both work equally well with this cake.
Lemon Cake Q&A
With all my recipes I like to try and anticipate all of the questions you might have. If it’s your first time making this lemon cake, then make sure you have a good read through as there’s lots of extra tips here…
Can this cake be covered in fondant icing?
Yes.
This lemon cake recipe is adapted from the vanilla birthday cake recipe, so it’s perfect for coving with fondant to make a lemon birthday or celebration cake.
To calculate how much fondant you need, head on over to my fondant calculator.
Can this cake be used to make tiers?
Yes.
As with my vanilla cake, it works well for a two-tier cake (it’s quite soft so I wouldn’t recommend making a taller cake with it (although it could
If you are planning on using this cake to make tiers then make sure you add dowels or straws into the lower layers for added support.
Can this recipe be adapted to make lemon cupcakes?
Yes.
I actually already have this recipe as lemon cupcakes on here. There’s even the option to add a hidden lemon curd centre for an added burst of zestiness.
Can this cake be made in a different size?
Yes.
This cake recipe is very versatile and can be easily adapted to make other sizes and shapes of cake.
Take a look below the main recipe and you’ll find my handy calculator which tells you the ingredients you need to make other sizes of round, square or rectangular cake.
CAN THIS CAKE BE COOKED IN ONE DEEP TIN?
Theoretically yes, but I find I get the best results from using sandwich tins and this is what I would recommend. Cooking this cake in a single deeper tin often has great results, but some people find that it can occasionally lead to the cake not rising properly, or sinking after baking, which doesn’t happen when the mixture is split into sandwich tins.
If you would like to attempt baking the cake in a deep tin then the cooking time will need to increase to 45-50 minutes.
How do you decorate the cake as shown in the pictures?
To decorate the cake as shown in the pictures you’ll need a batch of my lemon buttercream and six half slices of lemon.
- Place the bottom layer of cake onto your serving dish.
- Add a quarter of your buttercream and spread it evenly with a palette knife or the back of a spoon.
- Add the top layer of sponge and again add a quarter of your buttercream and spread it evenly.
- To add the swirl effect – put your cake onto a cake turntable (this can be done without a turntable but it’s easier to achieve the effect with one). Place the tip of a small palette knife at the edge of the cake and dig in slightly. Slowly spin the turntable, moving the palette knife inwards as you do to create a swirl.
- Fill a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle (I use a JEM 1B) with the remaining buttercream. Pipe twelve swirls around the edge.
- To finish – place a half slice of lemon on every other swirl.
Can this cake be frozen?
Yes, this cake is suitable for freezing.
What is this cake free from/who is it suitable for?
The ingredients I used to make this recipe are all free from the following allergens. However, please check any labels carefully for allergens you need to avoid as brands can vary and product recipes can change over time.
- Suitable for Vegetarians
- Tree Nut-Free
- Peanut-Free
- Sesame-Free
- Soya-Free
- Sulphur Dioxide & Sulphite-Free
- Lupin-Free
Other recipes you might enjoy
If you’re after some more cake inspiration then take a look at my Cake Index, which includes my classic chocolate, coffee and vanilla cake recipes as well as many more.
Chocolate Cake Coffee Cake
If you can’t resist anything lemon (just like me!) then take a look at all of my Lemon Recipes including cakes, biscuits and cheesecakes.
FREE GRAMS TO CUPS CONVERSION CHARTS
Subscribe to the Charlotte’s Lively Kitchen mailing list to get your FREE printable grams to cups and cups to grams conversion charts for twelve popular baking ingredients
Easy Lemon Cake (All-In-One-Lemon-Sponge)
INGREDIENTS
- 225 g self-raising flour
- 2 tsp baking powder - you should use a measuring teaspoon and the baking powder should be level
- 4 medium eggs
- 225 g soft margarine or butter - if you are using butter, ensure it is soft and at room temperature
- 225 g caster sugar
- Zest of 2 lemons
- 2 tsp milk
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat your oven to 160ºC/140ºC fan.Line your baking tins (I use 2 x 20cm round sandwich tins) with baking parchment or reusable baking liners.
- Finely grate the zest of two lemons.
- Sift the self-raising flour (225g) and baking powder (2 tsp) into a large bowl.
- Add the remaining ingredients (4 medium eggs, 225g soft margarine or butter, 225g caster sugar, grated lemon zest and 2 tsp milk) and beat (with an electric mixer on a slow speed or by hand) until combined. Make sure that there are no small lumps of butter/margarine in your mixture. If there are, beat for a little longer until the mixture is smooth.
- Split the mixture equally between the pre-prepared tins. Use the back of a spoon to spread the mixture evenly in the tins.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes. To check if the cake is cooked insert a skewer into the centre and if it comes out clean the cake is ready.
- Leave the cake to cool in the tins for about 10 minutes. Remove them from the tins and then move them to a wire rack to cool completely – Make sure the cake has cooled completely before decorating.
NOTES
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
Any nutritional information provided is the estimated nutritional information per serving. Please refer to my guide to Charlotte’s Lively Kitchen nutritional information if you would like to learn more about how this is calculated.
What are the ingredients for a different size of tin?
The main recipe is for a two-layer 20cm round cake (this serves 12 people). However, this recipe is easily adapted to use other sizes of round, square or rectangular tins.
To find the ingredients needed to make this cake in a different size, simply add the dimensions of your tin and the number of layers into the boxes below and hit “Calculate”.
I have also added buttercream ingredients to the calculator below to give an indication of the quantities needed. However, the exact quantities will depend on how you decide to decorate your cake. The quantities below are provided for simply filling and topping the cake with buttercream (evenly split between the layers and the top).
Round Cake
Cake Diameter (cm) Number of LayersCake Ingredients
- 0 g self-raising flour
- 0 tsp baking powder
- 0 egg(s)
- 0 g soft margarine or butter
- 0 g caster sugar
- Zest of 0 lemons
- 0 tsp milk
Buttercream Ingredients
- 0 g butter
- 0 g icing sugar
- Zest of 0 lemons and 0 tsp of lemon juice OR 0 tsp of lemon extract
Square or Rectangular Cake
Cake Size (cm) x Number of LayersCake Ingredients
- 0 g self-raising flour
- 0 tsp baking powder
- 0 egg(s)
- 0 g soft margarine or butter
- 0 g caster sugar
- Zest of 0 lemons
- 0 tsp milk
Buttercream Ingredients
- 0 g butter
- 0 g icing sugar
- Zest of 0 lemons and 0 tsp of lemon juice OR 0 tsp of lemon extract
To keep this calculator from becoming too complicated I've only included metric measurements. If you would like US cups measurements for a different size of tin then simply calculate the metric measurements here and then pop the results into my grams to cups calculator and it'll tell you what you need.
The US cups/ounces measurements for the original two-layer 20cm round cake recipe can be found by clicking the big green button just above the ingredients.
WHAT IS THE COOKING TIME FOR A DIFFERENT SIZE OF CAKE AND WHAT OVEN TEMPERATURE SHOULD I USE?
The ingredients are calculated so that the depth of each cake is the same as in the original recipe. This means that the cooking time and temperature don't need to
Em says
Excellent recipe! The lightest, fluffiest, and most tasty sponge I’ve ever baked! Can’t wait to try some of the other recipes!
Gina Greaves says
Just made this cake , so easy. Looks lovely haven’t tried it yet. Having for pudding if it last that long.
I love your recipes , made Nutella cup cakes last week, they were delicious. Xxx
Neil says
Love this cake. 1st time baker and somehow managed to cook the perfect deep tin cake! This may be a stupid question but i am very new to this, but can you mix butter and margarine together to get the same quantaties. (Just trying cut down on waste in my frigde).
Charlotte Oates says
You can. Just make sure you leave your butter out for a bit to soften so that it mixes in well with the other ingredients.
Marie says
How long would this cake keep for if covered in fondant icing
Charlotte Oates says
It will keep for up to a week. Once it has been sliced you’ll need to store it in an airtight container to keep it fresh.
Enma says
Can I bake this cake without any baking powder?
Thank you
Charlotte Oates says
You can as there’s raising agent in the self-raising flour which will help it to rise, you’ll just find that it’s a little shorter and less fluffy.
Hani says
Hi
Should I use salted or unsalted butter?
Thank you
Charlotte Oates says
I usually use unsalted.
Lee says
I only have large eggs, is this ok to use or must it be medium eggs
Charlotte Oates says
It’ll still work fine with larger eggs, you’ll just get a slightly firmer cake.
Sandra says
Best lemon cake ever
Rebecca says
Hello, can i use anything instead of eggs?
Charlotte Oates says
Eggs are tricky to replace in cakes without making adjustments to the other ingredients. I don’t have a eggless lemon cake on here, however you could make my vegan vanilla cake and substitute the vanilla for grated lemon zest.
Nicola says
Hi. I’ve made this cake twice and both times it flopped. I dont understand what I’m doing wrong? It tastes really delicious bu the way, I would love to perfect this recipe..
Charlotte Oates says
Did you bake it as one deep cake, or in sandwich tins?
Lynsey says
Hi, could sour cream be used instead of milk?
Charlotte Oates says
Yes
Rebecca Corden says
Hi, I’ve made this recipe for my daughters birthday which I’m going to cover in fondant and turn into a Minnie Mouse cake. How much extra butter cream should I make to cover a thin layer on the outside of the cake Aswell? I have made a 7inch cake and done three layers which in total is about 6inches tall.
Thanks
Charlotte Oates says
The amount the you get from the calculator is enough to all you to fill and cover the cake.
janice says
Can I also separate the baking for 2 layers into 2 times? will the second batch of the batter melt or too soft by then?
Charlotte Oates says
I find I get beat results if I make each batch fresh just before baking.
janice says
can i use cake flour instead?
Charlotte Oates says
It should be fine, but you’ll need to add a couple more teaspoons of baking powder to your mixture to replace the raising agents in the self-raising.
Lyn says
I made this cake yesterday. I didn’t have self raising flour so used baking powder in plain. This was the lightest cake I’ve ever made and turned out perfect. I used flavouring instead of fresh lemon.
This is now In my recipient book at the top of the page for the best cake to make.
Thanks for sharing this lovely easy recipie.
Jane says
I haven’t got any self raising flour can I use plain and increase the baking powder. If so by how much ? Thanks.
Charlotte Oates says
Yes. Add an extra teaspoon of baking powder.
Gina says
Hi I wanted to know what your preference was with using lemon juice or lemon extract in the buttercream. Many thanks 🙂
Charlotte Oates says
My preference is juice and zest. My kids, who like slightly subtler foods, prefer extract. If I’m piping I go for extract as it’s smoother.
Lol says
Can i use lemon juice instead of lemon zest because i haven’t got lemons at home. only got the juice?
Charlotte Oates says
I wouldn’t recommend substituting the zest for juice as the zest has a much more concentrated lemon flavour. You’d need to add a lot of juice to get the same amount of flavour into the cake, which would be too much liquid to add. Also, juice tends to have a much shaper flavour that zest which I expect will make for a less delicious cake. Do you have any lemon extract? If you do, you could add 1.5 tsp of that to the mixture.
Emma says
Hi, this looks lovely! I’m going to bake it for my Mum’s isolation birthday. Do you think it would be nice with lemon curd in the middle?
Charlotte Oates says
I’ve had messages from people that have tried it and they all say it works very well. I hope your Mum has a lovely isolation birthday x
Maya says
Can I put 100 gr of sugar instead of 225 gr? Or maybe 120 gr?
Charlotte Oates says
I wouldn’t recommend it. Sugar helps the cake to rise and have structure as well as adding sweetness. Reducing the sugar that significantly will change the texture of your cake, making it firmer and less fluffy.
June Ann says
A wonderful lemon cake have made three times. Perfect every time. So easy to make.. I have just made one layer by half ing the ingredients and adding vanilla essence instead of lemons. I put double cream and fresh strawberries on top. Such a lovely light sponge . Delicious!!!!!