Homemade Lemon Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
If you are a fan of lemon cake, this is the easiest and best tasting lemon sheet cake you will ever make. With just the right amount of lemon to make this sweet and tart cake simply amazing. Topped with a lemon cream cheese frosting, this lemon sheet cake is the perfect moist cake.
If you love lemon desserts as much as I do, you are going to love these Easy Homemade Lemon Sugar Cookies too.
Homemade Lemon Sheet Cake
When it comes to lemon desserts, I can not get enough. Lemon desserts feel like a lighter dessert than chocolate and sometimes, that is what I want. This lemon cake tastes light and airy with its lemon cream cheese frosting and lemon flavored cake. You will love how easy it is to make this cake and everyone will be raving about the flavor.
Ingredients
- Cake flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Unsalted butter
- Oil
- Granulated sugar
- Eggs
- Salt
- Lemons
- Buttermilk
- Cream cheese
- Powdered sugar
- Sour cream
How to Make a Lemon Sheet Cake
Preheat the oven to 335 degrees and line a 9*13 inch cake pan with parchment paper or butter and flour the pan to prevent sticking.
In a medium bowl, sift the flour, baking dish, and baking soda together and set it aside.
Cream the butter in a mixing bowl using a mixer.
Add the oil and sugar and mix it together until it is light and fluffy.
Add the egg yolks, mixing one in at a time, and beat for 30 seconds between each egg.
Next, add the salt and the lemon zest.
Pour in 1/3 of the flour and mix it well until it is combined.
Next, add in 1/2 of the buttermilk. Mix it until it is well combined.
Add in 1/3 of the flour and mix it until it is smooth.
Add the rest of the buttermilk and once it is combined well, add the remaining flour.
Pour the batter into the pan and bake the cake for 33-37 minutes. The cake is done when a toothpick comes out clean.
Let the cake cool for 5 minutes and then turn the cake upside down on a plastic-lined cutting board.
While the cake is cooling, make the frosting.
Mix together the cream cheese and powdered sugar on the lowest speed until it is smooth.
Next, add the sour cream and the lemon zest and mix it until it is well combined.
Once the frosting is mixed together well, frost the cake.
What’s the Best Icing for Lemon Sheet Cake?
This lemon sheet cake recipe includes a cream cheese frosting. You can, however, use a store bought cream cheese frosting or a simple buttercream frosting if you prefer.
Do I Use Real Lemons in This Cake?
In this lemon sheet cake recipe, you are you using real lemon zest to flavor the cake. While you could swap this for lemon concentrate or lemon extract, I have found that lemon zest is the best way to flavor the cake.
Other Lemon Dessert Recipes You Will Love:
Lemon Bars with Shortbread Crust
Easy Homemade Lemon Sugar Cookies
Blueberry Lemon Cheesecake Bars
Lemon Sheet Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 C cake flour
- 2 TSP baking powder
- 1/8 TSP baking soda
- 8 TBSP + 6 TBSP unsalted butter soft
- 3 TBSP oil
- 1 1/2 C granulated sugar
- 8 large egg yolks room temperature
- 1 TSP salt
- Lemon zest from 4 lemons
- 3/4 C buttermilk room temperature
Sour Cream Layer:
- 1 8 oz pack of cream cheese softened
- 2 C powdered sugar
- 3/4 C sour cream
- Zest of 1-2 lemons
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 335°F.
- Line a 9x13-inch pan with parchment paper.
- Alternatively, butter and flour pan and set aside.
- Sift together flour, baking powder, and baking soda, and set aside.
- Mix butter until very creamy and smooth.
- Add oil and sugar and mix until light and fluffy.
- Add one egg yolk at a time and mix at least 30 seconds between each.
- Add salt and lemon zest.
- Add 1/3 of flour and mix until combined.
- Add 1/2 of buttermilk and mix until smooth.
- Add another 1/3 of flour and mix smooth.
- Add remaining buttermilk and once combined add remaining flour.
- Scrape batter into pans and place in oven and bake for 33-37 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes clean.
- After 5 minutes turn upside down on a plastic food lined cutting board.
- Once cooled turn upside down onto a serving platter.
- To prepare frosting, mix cream cheese and powdered sugar on lowest speed until completely smooth.
- Add sour cream and lemon zest and combine.
- Frost cake.
- Serve at room temperature and store airtight.