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Moist lemon cake with lemon glaze drizzle and fresh lemon slices on top

Moist Lemon Cake with Lemon Glaze

Tender moist lemon cake with fresh lemon juice and zest, topped with sweet tangy lemon glaze. Homemade cake ready in 45 minutes for perfect spring dessert or celebration treat.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings: 12 slices
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 385
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2.5 cups All purpose flour Sifted for tender texture
  • 1 cup Unsalted butter Softened to room temperature
  • 2 cups Granulated sugar For cake base
  • 4 large Eggs Room temperature
  • 0.33 cup Fresh lemon juice About 2 lemons, divided
  • 2 tablespoon Fresh lemon zest From 2 to 3 lemons
  • 0.75 cup Whole milk Room temperature
  • 2 teaspoon Baking powder Fresh for proper rise
  • 0.5 teaspoon Baking soda For tender crumb
  • 0.5 teaspoon Salt For flavor enhancement
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract Pure extract preferred
  • 2 cups Powdered sugar For lemon glaze
  • 3 tablespoon Fresh lemon juice For glaze
  • Fresh mint leaves Optional garnish

Equipment

  • 9x13 inch baking pan For proper cake thickness
  • Electric mixer For creaming butter and sugar
  • Large mixing bowls For wet and dry ingredients
  • Wire whisk For combining dry ingredients
  • Rubber spatula For folding batter gently
  • Zester or grater For fresh lemon zest
  • Wire cooling rack For proper cooling
  • Measuring cups For accurate ingredients

Method
 

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F and grease 9x13 inch baking pan
  2. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes
  3. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition
  4. Mix in lemon zest and vanilla extract until combined
  5. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt
  6. Combine milk with ¼ cup lemon juice in measuring cup
  7. Add dry ingredients and milk mixture alternately, starting and ending with flour
  8. Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth top evenly
  9. Bake 30 to 35 minutes until golden and toothpick comes out clean
  10. Cool in pan 10 minutes before inverting onto wire rack
  11. Whisk powdered sugar with remaining lemon juice until smooth
  12. Pour glaze over warm cake and garnish with zest and mint

Notes

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.