Lemon Cake and Cupcakes
Vanilla is my most popular cake and cupcake flavor, and it pairs so well with just about any buttercream frosting, filling, or drip flavor. It is fluffy, moist, and full of vanilla flavor. Marble it with chocolate or another cake flavor, or add sprinkles to make funfetti cake as well!
Make sure to read all important notes below.
Make sure to read all important notes below.
Ingredients
½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
1½ cups granulated sugar 1 egg 2 egg whites, beaten just until white and frothy 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 Tbsp vanilla Greek yogurt 1½ cups all-purpose flour 1 cup cake flour ¼ tsp salt 2½ tsp baking powder, sifted ⅜ tsp baking soda, sifted 1 cup buttermilk ⅓ cup canola oil |
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°.
In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or using a hand mixer with the whisk attachment and a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together. Add the egg. In a separate bowl, beat the two egg whites with a hand mixer or by hand until white and frothy. Add egg whites to mixture. Add the vanilla extract and Greek yogurt and mix this all together. In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cake flour, salt, sifted baking powder, and sifted baking soda. Add dry ingredients and buttermilk into the butter/sugar/egg mixture, alternating adding the dry ingredients with the buttermilk. Add the canola oil and continue to mix only until well combined. Do not overmix beyond this. |
If you are making cake layers, spray your cake pans with canola spray and/or add a parchment circle to prevent sticking. Fill each cake pan approximately ½ to ⅔ full of batter.
If you are making cupcakes, add baking liners to cupcake pans and fill each approximately ½ to ⅔ full of batter. A cookie dough scoop or ice cream scoop is very helpful for filling cupcake pans. |
Bake at 350° until a toothpick comes out cleanly from the center of the cake layers or cupcakes. Baking times will vary based on oven strength, altitude, cake layer size, and many other factors, so I do not give a specific baking time. I recommend just checking with a toothpick periodically.
Roughly, cupcakes bake in 12 to 18 minutes, and cake layers can take anywhere from 20 minutes to 45 minutes. |
Allow cake layers to cool sitting in their pans on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes, then run a knife around the edge of the pan to help release the layer. If planning to decorate on another day, while still warm, wrap the layer tightly in plastic wrap and place into airtight bag or container, then store in the freezer. If planning on decorating same day, allow to cool completely before decorating. My preference is to stack/assemble and frost frozen cake layers, as they are more solid to work with, and this preserves moisture.
Allow cupcakes to cool in their pans for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks just until warm (keep liners on). If planning to decorate on another day, place cupcakes into an airtight bag and then place into another airtight container or bag, then store in the freezer. If planning on decorating same day, allow to cool completely before decorating. |
Yield
Important Notes
Once covered and decorated in buttercream frosting, cakes and cupcakes may be out on the counter at room temperature for a few hours, or stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Keep cupcakes and cut cake (with layers exposed) in an airtight container. Uncut cakes with buttercream intact does not need to be in an airtight container.
Cake flour can be made/substituted with a mixture of all-purpose flour and cornstarch in a 15:1 ratio. Mix these well. I make a large batch of this ahead of time and use it as needed. To make just a cup for this recipe, scoop out a cup of all-purpose flour, remove 1 tablespoon of this, and replace with a tablespoon of cornstarch. Optional: add rainbow jimmies sprinkles can be added to the batter to make funfetti batter. Mix these in gently using a spatula by hand after all ingredients have been combined. Don't use the mixer to add sprinkles, as they can break. If coloring the batter, make sure to use a gel-based coloring so as not to water down the recipe. My recommendations for gel coloring are linked below. This recipe (and any of my others) can be marbled together with chocolate or another flavor or color to create marble cake. Alternate adding scoops of this batter and chocolate/other batter into the same cake pan or cupcake liner and gently swirl together with a butter knife just until swirled, not mixed. Bake as directed above, until a toothpick comes out cleanly in the center. Recipe outcomes are affected by oven performance, altitude, climate, brands/types of ingredients, and many other factors, so some variation in results may occur. If intending to sell baked goods, be sure to verify approved recipes and ingredients with your state’s cottage foods governing entity. |
Supplies, Materials, and Ingredients Links
Cake and cupcake pans, stand mixer, hand mixer, attachments, cookie scoops, and wire racks: Wilton, Fat Daddio’s, KitchenAid, Oxo, and various brands: Amazon Storefront
Parchment circles and cupcake liners: various brands: Amazon Storefront
Vanilla extract: Watkins: Amazon Storefront
Jimmies sprinkles: Hoosier Hill Farm and various brands: Amazon Storefront
Gel colorings: Chefmaster liqua-gels and Americolor gel-pastes: Amazon Storefront
Buttermilk: Kemps: Retailer Locator
Parchment circles and cupcake liners: various brands: Amazon Storefront
Vanilla extract: Watkins: Amazon Storefront
Jimmies sprinkles: Hoosier Hill Farm and various brands: Amazon Storefront
Gel colorings: Chefmaster liqua-gels and Americolor gel-pastes: Amazon Storefront
Buttermilk: Kemps: Retailer Locator
Note: purchases made from links on this page may result in my earning a commission.