Topped with stunning edible flowers, these cover-worthy cakes offer the bold and refreshing taste of lemon in each bite.
Lemon Cakes
Serves: 12
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon lemon extract
- 2⅓ cups cake flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup whole milk
- Lemon Buttercream (recipe follows)
- Garnish: organic edible flowers*
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 17¼×11½ -inch rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugar with a mixer at high speed until light and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and lemon extract, beating until incorporated.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add flour mixture to butter mixture, alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating well after each addition. Pour batter into prepared baking sheet. Using an offset spatula, spread batter evenly in baking sheet. Tap baking sheet several times on countertop to reduce air bubbles in batter.
- Bake until a wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean, 13 to 15 minutes. Let cake cool completely in baking sheet. Freeze for 1 hour.
- Using a 2-inch round cutter, cut 24 circles from frozen cake, discarding scraps. Let cake rounds thaw completely.
- Place Lemon Buttercream in a piping bag fitted with a large open-star tip (Wilton #1M). Pipe a buttercream rosette onto 12 cake rounds. Top each with a plain cake round. Pipe a buttercream rosette onto the top.
- Garnish with edible flowers, if desired.
Notes
We used violas from Gourmet Sweet Botanicals, 800-931-7530, gourmetsweetbotanicals.com.
Lemon Buttercream
Serves: 3 cups
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3½ cups confectioners’ sugar
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon lemon extract
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat butter with a mixer at medium speed until creamy. Gradually beat in confectioners’ sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, lemon extract, and vanilla extract, starting at low speed and gradually increasing to high, until combined and fluffy. Use immediately.
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