A Guide to Making Lemon Cake from Scratch

Ingredients:

For Cake:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• ½ cup butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 ¼ cups white sugar
• 2 teaspoon baking powder

For Filling:

• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
• 4 egg yolks, beaten
• ½ cup fresh lemon juice
• ¾ cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

For Frosting:

• 2 tablespoons milk
• 4 cups confectioners' sugar
• ½ cup butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Process:
Start by preheating the oven to 350°F. Now, anoint and flour two 8-inch round cake pans. Take a large bowl and mix baking powder, flour, and salt in it and set it aside. Take another large bowl and beat cream, sugar, and butter in it for about 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

Add in vanilla along with the flour mixture, and also add in milk alternately. Stir until well incorporated. Pour this batter into the prepared pans and bake for about 30 minutes in the preheated oven. Let the cake cool in the pans before moving it to wire racks. After 10 minutes, invert the cake onto wire racks.

For filling, mix lemon zest, cornstarch, and lemon juice in a saucepan. Add in sugar and butter, and bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Boil for about 1 minute, stirring constantly. Take a small bowl and whisk egg yolks in it until smooth. Add in the hot lemon mixture and mix.

Now, add the egg mixture to the saucepan, beat it rapidly, and then reduce the heat to low. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the mixture is thick. Pour this mixture into a bowl and cover it with a plastic wrap. Let it cool at room temperature and then refrigerate for about 3 hours.

For frosting, beat confectioner's sugar, lemon juice, butter, and lemon zest until smooth. Add in milk, increase the speed, and continue beating until light and fluffy. Now, slowly split each layer of the cake horizontally to make 4 layers. Place 1 layer on a serving plate, cut side up.

Spread half the lemon filling on the entire layer. Top this layer with another layer and spread half of the frosting on it. Now, add a third layer and spread the remaining lemon filling. Place the last layer, frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting, and refrigerate until serving time.

Ingredients:

• 150 g cake flour
• 3 eggs
• 200 g caster sugar
• 6 tablespoons (90 ml) hot milk
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ½ tablespoon lemon extract
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

Process:
To make this moist lemon cake, preheat the oven to 355°F. Take a medium-sized bowl and sift flour, baking powder, and salt in it. Take a large bowl and beat eggs in it until fluffy. Gradually beat in sugar along with lemon juice and flavoring. Now, add the sifted flour slowly and beat only to blend. Add in hot milk one tablespoon at a time.

Beat until the mixture is well blended. Pour this mixture into an ungreased 23 cm cake pan. Bake for about 45-55 minutes in the preheated oven, until brown and firm to touch. Invert the cake and let it cool in the pan itself. After the cake is cooled, loosen the sides and turn out on wire rack to cool completely. Serve cool.

As you must have realized, making a lemon cake from scratch is very easy. So, the next time there is a party at your place, prepare this delicious cake and see the praises come your way.