Lemon Velvet Cake
This lemon velvet cake combines an impossibly soft, tender crumb with bold lemon flavor from fresh juice, zest, and extract, all topped with a tangy lemon cream cheese frosting for the ultimate citrus celebration.
Equipment
- 9-inch round cake pans - two pans
- Parchment paper
- Stand mixer or electric hand mixer
- Large mixing bowls
- Sifter or fine-mesh sieve
- Rubber spatula
- Microplane or zester
- Juicer or citrus press
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Cooling rack
- Offset spatula - for frosting
- cake turntable - optional but very helpful
- Toothpick or cake tester
- Serrated knife - if making 4 layers
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour - 155g
- 1 1/2 cups cake flour - 170g
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp fine salt
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar - 300g
- 2/3 cup vegetable oil - 160ml
- 1/3 cup vegetable shortening - 75g, at room temperature
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 tsp pure lemon extract
- 3 large eggs - room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk - 360ml, room temperature
- 2 tbsp lemon zest - about 2 tablespoons, finely grated, from 2 medium lemons
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
For the Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- 16 oz full-fat cream cheese - 450g, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup unsalted butter - 225g, softened to room temperature
- 5 cups powdered sugar - 600g, sifted
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp pure lemon extract
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- salt - pinch
Optional Garnishes
- candied lemon slices - optional
- lemon zest curls - optional
- powdered sugar - optional, for dusting
- fresh blueberries - optional, for serving
- fresh raspberries - optional, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans, line bottoms with parchment, and set aside.
- Sift together all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Whisk to combine thoroughly.
- In a stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat vegetable oil and shortening on high for 2 minutes. Add sugar and beat 3-4 minutes until pale and fluffy.
- Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the bowl. Add vanilla and lemon extracts, beat 30 seconds. Fold in lemon zest and juice.
- On low speed, alternate adding dry ingredients in three additions with buttermilk in two additions, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Mix until just combined—do not overmix.
- Divide batter evenly between prepared pans, smooth tops, and bake 28-33 minutes until tops spring back and toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool in pans on wire rack for 10 minutes, then run a knife around edges, invert onto rack, peel off parchment, and cool completely to room temperature.
- Beat softened cream cheese in stand mixer with paddle on medium for 2 minutes until smooth. Add butter and beat 2-3 minutes more until combined.
- Reduce speed and gradually add sifted powdered sugar in two additions. Add lemon juice, lemon extract, lemon zest, and salt. Beat on medium-high 1-2 minutes until fluffy.
- Level cake layers if domed. Place one layer on serving plate, spread with frosting, top with second layer. Apply thin crumb coat, chill 20-30 minutes, then finish with final frosting layer.
Notes
- Use room-temperature butter, eggs, and buttermilk for the best texture. Cold ingredients can cause the batter to curdle and produce a dense crumb.
- Sift your flours before measuring to remove lumps and aerate them for a lighter, more tender cake.
- Zest lemons before juicing—it's much easier to zest a whole lemon than a squeezed one.
- Do not overmix once the flour goes in. Stop the mixer the moment the last streak of flour disappears to prevent a tough, dense cake.
- Cool the cake layers completely before frosting. Cream cheese frosting is sensitive to heat and will slide off a warm cake.
- A crumb coat is essential for a clean finish—it seals in crumbs and gives you a smooth canvas for the final frosting layer.
- Store the frosted cake in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Bring slices to room temperature about 30 minutes before serving for the best texture and flavor.
- Unfrosted cake layers can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and foil and frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before frosting.
- For a four-layer cake, slice each baked layer in half horizontally with a serrated knife, using toothpicks as a guide for even cutting.
- To fold in blueberries or poppy seeds, gently incorporate them into the batter just before dividing between pans.