Lemon Snack Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
A moist and tangy lemon snack cake that’s perfect for any occasion. This cake features a tender crumb with bright lemon zest flavor and a luscious cream cheese frosting, balancing sweetness and citrus perfectly. Easy to prepare with common ingredients, it’s an ideal treat for gatherings or afternoon tea.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1 2/3 cups cake flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
Wet Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (4 oz / 1 stick)
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 3/4 cup buttermilk, room temperature
- 1/4 cup sour cream, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 2-3 drops yellow gel food coloring (optional)
Frosting Ingredients
- 1/2 cup cream cheese, room temperature (4 oz)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (4 oz / 1 stick)
- 4 cups powdered sugar, scooped and leveled
- 1/4 - 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
Instructions
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 350ºF. Grease and line an 8x8-inch metal baking pan with parchment paper, allowing overhang on two sides to make cake removal easier.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: Whisk together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and fine sea salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a measuring cup, whisk together buttermilk, sour cream, neutral oil, and vanilla bean paste. Set aside.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: Combine granulated sugar and lemon zest in a large mixing bowl. Rub zest into sugar using your fingers until fragrant. Add room temperature butter and beat with a hand mixer for 3-4 minutes until fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time until fully incorporated. Add yellow gel food coloring if using.
- Alternate Wet and Dry Ingredients: Add dry and wet ingredients alternately starting with 1/3 of the flour mixture, then half the buttermilk mixture, followed by another 1/3 of flour, remaining wet ingredients, and finally fold in the last 1/3 of flour with a rubber spatula. Mix until smooth with no flour streaks.
- Spread Batter and Bake: Use an offset spatula to evenly spread the batter in the prepared pan. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a cake tester inserted comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool cake in pan for 30 minutes then invert onto a serving plate. Leave parchment on until fully cooled.
- Prepare Frosting: Beat softened butter, vanilla bean paste, and cream cheese with a hand mixer for 2 minutes until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating until smooth. Add heavy cream as needed to reach a spreadable consistency.
- Frost the Cake: Remove parchment paper after the cake has completely cooled. Spread the cream cheese frosting evenly over the top of the cake.
- Storage: Store frosted cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate to extend life but may dry out faster. To freeze, wrap cake tightly in plastic wrap and keep for up to 1 month; defrost at room temperature before frosting.
Notes
- Make sure all refrigerated ingredients like eggs, butter, buttermilk, and sour cream are at room temperature for best texture.
- Use cake flour for a tender crumb; all-purpose flour can be substituted but texture may be slightly different.
- Rubbing lemon zest into sugar releases more aromatic oils, intensifying lemon flavor.
- Adjust heavy cream in frosting to achieve your preferred frosting consistency.
- If you prefer a more vibrant color, add the optional yellow gel food coloring to the batter.
- Bake times may vary depending on your oven; start checking at 30 minutes to avoid overbaking.
- Using parchment paper overhang helps in removing the cake neatly from the pan without crumbling.
