• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Charlotte's Lively Kitchen logo

  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Baking & Desserts
      • Biscuits & Bars
      • Cakes
      • Cheesecakes
      • Chocolates
      • Cupcakes
      • Icing
      • Ingredients
      • Jams, Curds & Spreads
      • Meringues
      • Savoury Baking
      • Scones
      • Sweet Sauces
      • Vegan Baking
    • Lunch & Dinner
    • Side Dishes & Sauces
    • Breakfast
    • Drinks
  • Conversions
    • Grams to Cups Conversions
    • Oven Temperature Conversions
    • All Baking Tools
  • The Food Calendar
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • HOME
  • RECIPE INDEX
  • – BAKING & DESSERTS
  • – LUNCH & DINNER
  • – SIDE DISHES & SAUCES
  • – BREAKFAST
  • – DRINKS
  • CONVERSIONS
  • CALENDAR
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • PRIVACY
×
Home » Baking & Desserts » Cakes » Easy Lemon Cake (All-In-One Lemon Sponge)

16 May 2019

Easy Lemon Cake (All-In-One Lemon Sponge)

1.9K shares

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.

Skip to the recipe

The finished lemon sponge cake. The cake is decorated with swirls is piped lemon buttercream and slices of lemon and is on a white cake stand. There is a title saying "Easy Lemon Cake" at the top of the image, making this image perfect for saving to Pinterest.

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.

A slice of lemon cake one a plate.

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 be use for the top two tiers of a taller cake).

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.

Lemon cupcakes topped with lemon buttercream.

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.

  1. Place the bottom layer of cake onto your serving dish.
  2. Add a quarter of your buttercream and spread it evenly with a palette knife or the back of a spoon.
  3. Add the top layer of sponge and again add a quarter of your buttercream and spread it evenly.
  4. 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.
  5. Fill a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle (I use a JEM 1B) with the remaining buttercream. Pipe twelve swirls around the edge.
  6. 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

Lemon cake topped with lemon buttercream on a white cake stand.

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.

No-bake lemon cheesecake

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

Lemon cake recipe

Easy Lemon Cake (All-In-One-Lemon-Sponge)

A delicious, moist all-in-one lemon sponge. Perfect for a teatime treat, cake sale or as a birthday or celebration cake.
4.55 from 64 votes
Print Pin Rate Save Go to Collections
Active Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Prevent your screen from going dark

INGREDIENTS

Metric – US Cups/Ounces
  • 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

If it’s your first time baking this cake then make sure you read all of the information in the main post as it includes lots of additional tips, as well as the answers to some common questions.
If you have any further questions then do let me know in the comments and I’ll do my best to help.
If you would like to make this cake in a different size of round, square or rectangular tin, there is a calculator below the recipe where you can find the ingredients you need.
This cake is decorated with my lemon buttercream which can either be made with fresh lemon zest and juice, or lemon extract.
WANT TO HEAR ABOUT NEW RECIPES FIRST?SUBSCRIBE to the Charlotte’s Lively Kitchen Mailing List

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Calories: 277kcal | Carbohydrates: 32.3g | Protein: 4.1g | Fat: 14.9g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 262.8mg | Sugar: 19.2g

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.


Course: Dessert
Cuisine: British
Keyword: Birthday Cake, Celebration Cake
Author: Charlotte Oates


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 Layers

Cake 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 Layers

Cake 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 change, so you can use what's listed in the main recipe.

The finished lemon cake decorated with swirls lemon buttercream.

1.9K shares

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Christine says

    November 18, 2022 at 7:48 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious cake. I made two versions one with dairy free for some one who was lactose intolerant. The other I used half butter and half margarine. Both were very enjoyable. Also keeps well.

    Reply
  2. Laurie says

    November 14, 2022 at 8:27 pm

    I only have large eggs. How many woukd you recommend? 3?

    Reply
    • Charlotte Oates says

      December 03, 2022 at 1:18 am

      I have a post and guide about eggs and sizes here – Eggs: Does Size Matter?.

  3. Karen says

    October 14, 2022 at 5:36 pm

    Hi
    What amount of lemon extract could I use instead of fresh lemons?
    Thanks

    Reply
    • Charlotte Oates says

      October 20, 2022 at 12:21 pm

      This will depend on the lemon extract you are using – it will often give you a guide on the bottle or package. For example, the Nielsen Massey brand recommends using 5ml of extract for each zested lemon.

  4. Lynn Merry says

    September 24, 2022 at 3:42 am

    5 stars
    Loved this recipe, the best cake ever made by me, will be making more, thanks for the the recipe.

    Reply
  5. Anita says

    September 07, 2022 at 12:07 pm

    Hi
    We live in France, no self raising flour here. Can it be done with everyday 55? If so, so I have to add anything? Thanks

    Reply
    • Charlotte Oates says

      October 03, 2022 at 8:26 am

      I’m not familiar with Everyday 55. Is that similar to plain flour. If it is then you can use my guide to making self-raising flour from plain.

  6. Susan says

    September 01, 2022 at 4:21 pm

    I am sorry but I followed this recipe to the letter and it was a total failure.
    I checked and rechecked liquid amount as I felt it needed more liquid.
    It states 2 teaspoons of milk
    I kept feeling it should be tablespoons not teaspoons.

    Reply
    • Charlotte Oates says

      October 03, 2022 at 7:58 pm

      I sorry to hear that. The 2 tsp is definitely correct. I use the same in many of my sponges. It may be that your eggs were on the small side as they can vary in size. If they were then it could have needed a little more liquid.

  7. Diane says

    August 29, 2022 at 6:27 pm

    Can your recipes be used in a microwave ?

    Reply
    • Charlotte Oates says

      September 01, 2022 at 1:00 am

      It is unlikely that you would achieve the same results using the microwave. I haven’t tested my cake recipes using this cooking method so I wouldn’t be confident advising you to do this.

  8. Diane & Barry says

    August 01, 2022 at 4:47 pm

    5 stars
    We made this for our neighbour’s birthday cake. It was easy & delicious!! We found the calculator extremely helpful.
    We are now going to try the chocolate cake recipe for our grandson’s birthday

    Reply
  9. Elizabeth Baker says

    August 01, 2022 at 9:19 am

    5 stars
    This is one of the best cakes I have made for my daughters birthday ever ( she is24 now )
    She adores any sort of lemon cake, so when I came across your recipe. I thought that’s the very cake she would like, so Thankyou Charlotte it really made my daughters birthday ( everyone loved it)

    Reply
  10. Dawn says

    July 12, 2022 at 2:58 pm

    Hello,
    I have a trial cake cooking at the moment.
    I would like to know if its possible to substitute the milk for lemon juice, please?

    I have 10 & 6 inch cakes to make for a wedding and they want it really tangy!

    Thank you
    PS I love your easy chocolate cake!

    Reply
    • Charlotte Oates says

      July 27, 2022 at 8:12 pm

      That should be absolutely fine

  11. Clare Wood says

    July 07, 2022 at 8:20 am

    Hi Charlotte, does this sponge work OK as a birthday cake? So can be iced ? Xx

    Reply
    • Charlotte Oates says

      July 27, 2022 at 6:01 pm

      This recipe makes a great birthday cake!

  12. Emma says

    July 03, 2022 at 2:11 pm

    Would I need to make extra buttercream to cover the whole cake ? Thank u

    Reply
    • Charlotte Oates says

      July 27, 2022 at 5:57 pm

      Yes you would need to make extra – the buttercream in the recipe will only decorate as shown in the photos.

  13. Debby says

    July 01, 2022 at 9:27 am

    Please can you advise on what shelf it goes on in the oven using Gas.
    Thanks

    Reply
    • Charlotte Oates says

      July 27, 2022 at 5:56 pm

      I have not tested this recipe in a gas oven but general wisdom would be to go with the middle shelf.

  14. Vickie Wood says

    June 10, 2022 at 5:25 pm

    Thank you so much for this recipe – I made the 10″ Lemon sponge but did not use your butter cream. I sandwiched the two layers with lemon curd and Lemon Cream a much lighter version of butter cream. The cake disappeared in a very short period and the compliments came thick and fast – I already have two orders for a repeat.

    I was not so successful with the Lemon Loaf Cake – for some reason it came out quite dry at the top but after a couple of days the moisture
    leveled out.

    Reply
  15. Joy Collins says

    June 05, 2022 at 10:13 pm

    Hi I’m making a wedding cake for my sons wedding in September ,I’m making a large fruit cake for the bottom tier,and a 34cm square lemon cake for the top layer.please could you calculate the ingredients for this.thankyou.Joy Collins.

    Reply
    • Charlotte Oates says

      June 30, 2022 at 10:16 pm

      There is a calculator you can use to work out the quantities you’ll need below the main recipe.

  16. Lindsey Etherton says

    April 25, 2022 at 2:35 pm

    Hi there,
    Would this recipe work for a tier cake please? Or is it quite a light cake?

    Reply
    • Charlotte Oates says

      April 25, 2022 at 10:40 pm

      I’ve not tried it, but others have (and sent me pictures) so it definitely works. I’d recommend adding dowels/straws into the lower tier to add additional support.

  17. Melanie says

    April 24, 2022 at 4:17 pm

    My cake mixture was quite stiff. I used large eggs. But my cake sank in the middle, whilst still in the oven. Edges were crispy.
    What happened?

    Reply
    • Charlotte Oates says

      April 25, 2022 at 10:41 pm

      I’m not too sure what could have caused what you describe as that’s not happened to me before. Was the butter/margarine soft when you added in to the mixture? Sometimes I find I can get crispy edges if it’s too stiff and not mixed in properly.

  18. Remi says

    March 26, 2022 at 4:20 pm

    Thanks so much for sharing. Will definitely try it but can l use granulated sugar instead or caster sugar?

    Reply
    • Charlotte Oates says

      March 31, 2022 at 3:59 pm

      You can use granulated rather than caster but you may find that the texture of the cake is not quite as light.

  19. Saffy says

    March 23, 2022 at 3:28 pm

    5 stars
    Just delicious!! Followed the entire recipe- wow wow wow !!!! 10/10 it came out amazing

    Reply
  20. Wendy says

    March 06, 2022 at 8:45 pm

    5 stars
    One of the nest lemon sponges I have made. So easy and kept well too. Thank you

    Reply
« Older Comments
Newer Comments »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rate this recipe




Primary Sidebar

Charlotte Oates about me

Hi, I'm Charlotte Oates. Welcome to my lively kitchen where I share delicious, simple baking recipes, baking tools and calculators, and lots of tips and tricks.

Find out more
Facebook logo - when clicked this will open the Charlotte's Lively Kitchen Facebook page Pinterest logo - when clicked this will open the Charlotte's Lively Kitchen - Pinterest page Instagram logo - when clicked this will open the Charlotte's Lively Kitchen Instagram page Twitter logo - when clicked this will open the Charlotte's Lively Kitchen twitter page

Latest Post

  • The Food Calendar 2023 – International & UK Food Days, Weeks and Months

Featured Recipes

  • Lemon Drizzle Loaf Cake
  • Biscoff Cake
  • Oreo Cheesecake (No-Bake)
  • Chocolate Orange Cake
  • Easy Lemon Cheesecake (No Bake)
  • Lemon Buttercream
  • Easy Coffee Cake
  • White Chocolate Buttercream
  • Coffee Buttercream

Footer

About

Contact

Privacy Policy

↑ back to top

Copyright © 2022 CLK Digital Limited