Lemon Sheet Cake With Buttercream Frosting

By Yossy Arefi

Updated April 3, 2018

  • Lemon sheet cake with buttercream frosting is sliced into neat squares for serving. Lemon haves that have been juiced and zested sit just out of frame.
    Aubrie Pick for The New York Times
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
50 minutes
Rating
4(2,693)
Comments
Read comments

This pleasantly zesty lemon cake is baked in a standard 9-by-13-inch pan, no layering or trimming required, and is easy enough to bake on a weekday. Cover the cake with casual swoops of fluffy lemon buttercream for the perfect teatime or anytime treat.

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: Give recipes to anyone

    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.

    Subscribe

  • Share this recipe

  • Print this recipe

    or to print this recipe.

Advertisement

Ingredients

Yield:One 9-by-13-inch cake

FOR THE CAKE

  • 1 cup/227 grams unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened, plus more for preparing the pan

  • 3 cups/385 grams all-purpose flour, plus more for preparing the pan

  • 1 ⅓ cups whole milk

  • ¼ cup fresh lemon juice

  • 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder

  • ¾ teaspoon baking soda

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 2 cups/403 grams granulated sugar

  • 4 teaspoons packed finely grated lemon zest

  • 4 large eggs, at room temperature

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

  • ¾ cup/170 grams unsalted butter (1 ½ sticks), softened

  • 2 cups/246 grams confectioners’ sugar

  • 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

  • Pinch kosher salt

  • 4 to 5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Make the cake: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, butter and flour the paper.

  2. Step 2

    In a measuring cup with a spout, combine the milk and lemon juice. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl.

  3. Step 3

    In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter, sugar and lemon zest until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing for about 30 seconds after each. Scrape down bottom and sides of the mixer to ensure the mixture is well combined.

  4. Step 4

    With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and milk mixture to the bowl in three additions. Mix until just combined, then use a rubber spatula to finish mixing the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top and tap the pan on the counter a few times to release any large air pockets. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until puffed and golden and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the cake completely on a rack before frosting.

  5. Step 5

    Meanwhile, prepare the frosting: Combine the butter, confectioners' sugar, lemon zest and a pinch of salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low until combined, then turn the mixer up to medium-high and stream in 3 tablespoons of lemon juice. Whip the frosting until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes, adding additional lemon juice as necessary until frosting is smooth and spreadable.

  6. Step 6

    Spread the frosting over the cooled cake and serve. Store leftover cake at room temperature, covered for up to 2 days.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Ratings

4 out of 5
2,693 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Comments

Shelagh

This is a variation of a cake my mother made for us, originally from the 40's called "1234" cake. 1 C butter, margarine or vegetable oil 2 C sugar 3 C flour, 4 eggs. It was unwritten, but we added 1 teaspoon each of soda, baking powder and salt. We used 1 C of any type of liquid milk, water, or lemon juice. A delicious sheet cake, layer cake or cupcakes. It is the only white cake my family makes.

Teresa

Followed recipe exactly. Cake is moist, delicious and delicately flavored with the lemon. The frosting is where the sweet tart lemony flavor pops. Would increase the frosting recipe in the future, it covered the cake but in a thin layer, would prefer slightly more for appearance.

Clementine

Sugar weighs more than flour, unless it's confectioner's sugar. This is the standard 1234 cake, as others have noted. You can reduce the sugar if you like, but it will not be as moist and will not keep as well. After creaming the butter, sugar, and zest, I would let it rest for 10 minutes to allow the sugar to dissolve fully before continuing with eggs, etc.

Mudrina

Our family's FAVORITE sheetcake. Never fails!

DCinNC

Absolutely delicious. Both flavor and texture are superb. I found the buttercream was quite sufficient but I am not a big fan of buttercream so the 1/4" layer was plenty for me. I pressed blueberries and cut peaches into the buttercream for an extra treat. Will make again.

Tracy

I have made this cake almost a dozen times and it always turns out beautifully. I have also made a two layer version for a large birthday party (made the recipe twice and baked in 9x13 inch pans and tripled the frosting to frost between the layers and the entire outside of the cake), and I also spread lemon curd between the layers to give it extra zing. It was a huge hit! The cake also freezes well- just the layers or the iced cake. Fantastic, foolproof recipe- one of my most requested bakes.

Private comments are only visible to you.

Recipe Tags

or to save this recipe.