Description
This Soft Lemon Cake is a tender, moist dessert bursting with fresh lemon flavor, perfect for any occasion. It features a delicate crumb made with a blend of flour and cornstarch, enhanced by lemon zest and juice, and is complemented by a tangy eggless lemon curd and creamy cream cheese frosting. The cake is baked to perfection, resulting in light layers that are easy to assemble and delightful to savor.
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 2½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
Wet Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¼ cup unflavoured vegetable oil (canola oil preferred)
- 1½ cups white granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp lemon zest
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- ⅓ cup milk, room temperature
- ½ cup unflavored, unsweetened yoghurt (regular preferred, Greek okay)
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
Other Components
- 1 batch eggless lemon curd (see recipe)
- 1 batch cream cheese frosting (see recipe)
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Pans: Preheat your oven to 180 °C (350°F) conventional. Grease two 8 inch cake tins and line the bottoms with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- Sift Dry Ingredients: In a bowl, sift together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Whisk them together and set aside.
- Cream Butter, Oil, Sugar, and Zest: In a large bowl, combine the softened butter, vegetable oil, sugar, and lemon zest. Using a hand or stand mixer on medium speed, cream the mixture for about 2 minutes until it is light and fluffy.
- Add Eggs: Incorporate the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition to ensure even incorporation.
- Add Milk, Yoghurt, and Lemon Juice: Mix in the milk, yoghurt, and lemon juice until combined. The batter might look curdled at this point, but this is normal.
- Fold in Dry Ingredients: Using a spatula, fold the pre-sifted dry ingredients gently into the wet mixture until just combined. Avoid overmixing to keep the cake tender.
- Distribute Batter and Bake: Evenly divide the batter between the two prepared cake tins. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 33 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool Cakes: Allow the cakes to cool in the tins for 15-20 minutes, then remove them from the pans and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
- Assembly: Once cooled, assemble the cake layers by spreading the eggless lemon curd between the layers, then finish by frosting the cake with the cream cheese frosting. Refer to the original blog post or recipe video for detailed assembly steps.
Notes
- Use room temperature ingredients for better mixing and texture.
- If using a convection oven with a fan, reduce the temperature by about 20°C and monitor the baking time.
- The batter may appear curdled after adding lemon juice and yoghurt — this is normal and not a sign of spoiled batter.
- For optimal texture, avoid overmixing once the dry ingredients are added.
- Eggless lemon curd and cream cheese frosting recipes are essential for this cake's distinct flavor profile; follow linked recipes or videos if available.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 33 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Western