Lemon Cake Layers

Oct 13, 2026 · By VanillaGoods

Baking Cakes cupcakes Vanilla: Extract Medium

Two bare, level rounds of lemon cake layers stacked on a cooling rack with one slice cut to show the crumb

Bright lemon layers with zest rubbed into the sugar and juice in the batter. The base for lemon raspberry, lemon blueberry and lemon curd cakes.

Prep 25 min

Cook 30 min

Cooling 1 hr

Total 1 hr 55 min

Yield 12 slices

Diet —

Ingredients

Adjust yield

slices

2 ½ cups (285.0 g)cake flour
2 ½ tsp (10.0 g)baking powder
½ tsp (3.0 g)fine sea salt
1 ½ cups (300.0 g)granulated sugar
2.0 tbsp (12.0 g)finely grated lemon zest (3 lemons)
¾ cup (170.0 g)unsalted butter, softened
3.0 (150.0 g)large eggs
2.0 tsp (10.0 ml)pure vanilla extract
¾ cup (180.0 ml)whole milk, room temperature
¼ cup (60.0 ml)fresh lemon juice

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Instructions

Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter two 8-inch round pans, line the bottoms with parchment and butter the paper; dust with flour and tap out the excess.
Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt. Rub the sugar and zest together with your fingers until fragrant, then beat with the butter 4 minutes until fluffy.
Beat in the eggs one at a time and the vanilla. Mix the milk and lemon juice. Add the flour in three additions alternating with the milk, mixing just until smooth.
Divide between the pans and bake 26 to 30 minutes until golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool in the pans 15 minutes, run a knife around the edges, turn out onto a rack, peel off the parchment and cool completely before filling.

Tips

The milk may look curdled once the juice goes in; that is fine.
Brush the warm layers with a lemon syrup (equal parts sugar, water and juice) for an extra-bright cake.
Level domed tops with a serrated knife before stacking.

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Recipe FAQ

How long does it take to make lemon cake layers?

Plan on 25 minutes of prep and 30 minutes of cooking, plus 1 hour to rest. The recipe makes two 8-inch layers (12 slices).

How should I store lemon cake layers?

Wrap cooled layers tightly and keep at room temperature up to 2 days or freeze up to 2 months; frost them cold from the freezer for the cleanest crumb.

Can I make lemon cake layers ahead?

Bake the layers a day ahead, wrap and chill; cold layers are easier to fill, stack and frost.

Can I use a different form of vanilla?

Yes. This recipe uses 2 tsp pure vanilla extract (10 ml). Each teaspoon of pure vanilla extract can be swapped for 1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste, the seeds of half a vanilla bean, or 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla powder. Paste and seeds add the classic dark specks.

Bright lemon layers with zest rubbed into the sugar and juice in the batter. The base for lemon raspberry, lemon blueberry and lemon curd cakes.

Estimated · per serving

Nutrition

Per serving = 1 of 12 servings this recipe makes.

320 Calories / serving

16.8g Fat

40.0g Carbs

3.2g Protein

34.4g Sugar

Whole recipe (12 servings): ~3840 cal · 202g fat · 480g carbs · 38g protein · 413g sugar

Estimated values per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not verified Nutrition Facts; actual values vary with brands, measurements, and preparation.