This fluffy lemon cake is so soft, so fluffy and so full of real lemon flavour, all the flavour is coming from a real lemon. Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit then into a large mixing bowl, add sugar, oil, softened unsalted butter, fresh lemon zest. With an electric mixer, cream the ingredients together thhe add vanilla extract and stir it in.

For the dry ingredients, add flour into a bowl together with baking powder and a teaspoon of salt then whisk that until they are completely combined, you will also need whole milk on the side and to the milk add the third cup of fresh lemon juice. From the spring, switch to a spatula so you do not overbeat the cake, alternate adding the dry ingredients and the milk mixture into the batter and finish with the dry ingredients.

Fold everything until it’s combined and there are no lumps in the batter. This recipe uses only egg whites which helps make a really light fluffy texture, add 6 egg whites in the clean bowl then beat the whites until they reach thick stiff peaks, this should take you about 5 minutes with the mixer on high speed. Add the egg whites into the batter and gently fold it in with a spatula, do not use an electric mixer at this point, keep going until you get a uniform batter.

Pour the batter in two 8 inch baking pans that are greased and line the bottom with parchment paper. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees Fahrenheit oven for 30 minutes, let the cake cool in the pan for about 15 minutes before removing them and place them on a wire rack. Wait until the cakes are cooled completely before you frost them.

Ingredients;

  • 3 Tablespoons fresh lemon zest
  • ⅓ cup (80ml) fresh lemon juice, about 3-4 lemons
  • ⅔ cup (160ml) whole milk
  • ½ cup (118ml) vegetable or canola oil
  • 4 Tablespoons (57grams) unsalted butter softened
  • 1 ¾ cup (350grams)  granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3 cups cake flour see note to substitute all-purpose/plain flour (330g)
  • 1 Tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 6 large egg whites room temperature preferred
  • ¾ cup (175ml) lemon curd

Icing;

  • 4 oz cream cheese softened, but still slightly cool (use the brick-style, full-fat cream cheese, do not use the spreadable kind sold in tubs 113g)
  • 1 cup (125 grams)  powdered sugar divided
  • 3/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 (175ml) cups heavy cream cold

Instructions;

  1. Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and prepare two 8” round cake pans by spraying with baking spray and lining the bottoms with parchment paper. Set aside.
  2. Zest your lemons and set zest aside. Juice lemons until you have ⅓ cup of juice, whisk this with your milk and set aside.
  3. In a large bowl using an electric mixer or in a stand mixer, beat together oil, butter, sugar, reserved lemon zest, and vanilla extract until completely combined.
  4. In a medium-sized bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt and whisk well.
  5. Stirring by hand, gradually alternate adding the flour mixture and lemon/milk mixture to the butter mixture, stirring until just combined after each addition.
  6. Place egg whites in a separate clean, dry bowl, and beat on high speed with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.
  7. Using a spatula, gently fold egg whites into cake batter until completely combined (don’t use your electric mixer at this point or you will over-beat the batter).
  8. Divide cake batters evenly into prepared pans and bake on 350F for 28-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
  9. Allow cakes to cool in pans for 10 minutes then run a knife around the edges to loosen cakes from pan and carefully invert onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
  10. Once cakes have cooled completely, prepare the frosting.

For Icing;

  1. Combine cream cheese, 1/2 cup (62g) powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt in a large bowl and use an electric mixer to beat together until creamy and smooth.
  2. In a separate bowl, combine remaining (1/2 cup/62g) powdered sugar, and heavy cream. Beat with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.
  3. With the mixer on low speed, stir together the cream cheese and whipped cream until completely combined.
  4. Pipe a dam/border along the inside rim of one cooled layer of cake.
  5. Fill with lemon curd and spread evenly inside the dam.
  6. Top with the second layer of cake. Frost the entire cake with remaining frosting.