Name: Lemon Bliss Lemon Cake
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 80 min
Ingredients: 1 cup unsalted butter, softened ((8 oz. or 226 grams)); 1 cup granulated sugar ((200 grams)); 1 tsp. salt ((reduce to 3/4 tsp. if using salted butter)); 4 large eggs (- at room temperature); 2 tsp. baking powder; 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour ((360 grams)); 1 cup whole milk (- room temperature); 4 Tbsp. lemon zest from 2 large lemons (- (1/4 cup) divided); 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice; ½ cup powdered sugar; Garnish with more fresh lemon zest*

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THE LEMON-Y-EST LEMON CAKE

This lemon cake is perfect for spring and summer. That said, its bright lemon flavor is also just the thing to chase away the winter blues!

WHAT’S TO LOVE ABOUT THIS LEMON CAKE

This cake is not overly sweet – by design. The recipe is what it is because of it’s singular focus on bright, fresh lemon flavor, and it’s utterly divine! The lemon glaze soaks into the top, drizzles down the golden sides, and settles around the base of the cake infusing every blissful bite with tart lemony goodness. It’s a Lemon Lover’s dream!

Lemon cake – actually, lemon anything is my dad’s favorite. Several years ago, I wanted to make a lemon cake that would knock my dad’s lemon-loving socks off for his birthday. Happily, this cake did the trick and it has been a favorite – on repeat for his birthday – ever since.

Recipe originally published August 2015. Most recently updated March 2023.

FUN FACTS ABOUT THIS LEMON CAKE

I originally found this Lemon Bliss Cake recipe online at the Chicago Sun Times, and they credited King Arthur Flour for the recipe. Over the years (and many great King Arthur Flour baking experiences later), I discovered numerous other sources and interesting details about this cake! Here are just a few:

**Previous renditions of this cake are also known as East 62nd Street Lemon Cake, which has been re-created and shared by countless chefs, news publications, and baking fanatics over the years.

“Toni Evins, Maida Heatter’s late daughter, who lived on East 62nd Street in Manhattan, created this tart, sweet cake. It became a favorite of the chic set after Craig Claiborne printed the recipe in the New York Times. “I hear that Bill Blass and Nancy Reagan asked for it,” Heatter notes.” –SAVEUR

**Maida Heatter’s Lemon Buttermilk Cake – a very similar recipe adapted slightly from Maida Heatter’s New Book of Great Desserts (Knopf, 1982) – is a long-time favorite of Dorie Greenspan’s.

**The LA Times reported that Maida Heatter – legendary baker, cookbook author, and pastry chef, known for most of her life as “the Queen of Cake” – was 102 years of age when she passed away. Perhaps cake should be more of a lifestyle priority for all of us!

PAN SENSE: CAKE PAN SUGGESTIONS

Use any pan with a 10 – 12 cup capacity.

I usually use my mom’s vintage tube cake pan (pictured just below) because I love the way the top of this cake domes and “opens up” during baking. The lemon glaze soaks in to the top so beautifully, and then drizzles down the golden sides and around the bottom of the cake infusing every bite with Lemony Love!

A pretty Bundt pan works perfectly as well. If your pan has fine decorative details, just make sure to coat those areas well with butter and flour or baking spray.

Depending on the shape of the pan you use, consider glazing and serving the cake right-side up so the “open” top faces up (as shown). Placing the cake upside down so the pan design is presented is just as amazing. It’s all a matter of personal preference.

INGREDIENT NOTES

SUGAR: This cake is not overly sweet – by design. I personally prefer sweets that aren’t too sweet. Bright, fresh lemon flavor is the priority in this lemon cake, and it’s utterly delicious! As previously mentioned, this cake recipe has been around for a long time, and I’ve made it as originally written with two cups of sugar versus the one cup reference in the recipe below. It’s delicious either way, but I prefer this lightly sweet version because it emphasizes the tart lemon even more. Every bite is a Lemon Lover’s dream!

FOR THE GLAZE: The original recipe calls for granulated sugar in the glaze. I use powdered sugar because I like the way it “sets up” as it dries. The glaze also creates a wonderfully delicate coating for the cake – which helps preserve the cake’s moist, tender crumb. Powdered sugar also incorporates into the lemon juice more easily – just stir it frequently until you’re ready to drizzle it over the cake.

Some versions of this recipe suggest heating the lemon juice and (granulated) sugar on the stovetop or in the microwave, and stirring until the sugar melts. While that works perfectly well, heating the lemon juice can also reduce the lemon flavor. I’m all for preserving every bit of lemon flavor possible – AND avoiding any non-essential steps in the process.

Drizzle the glaze s-l-o-w-l-y so it soaks into the cake as much as possible. A small spoon works well.

NO VANILLA: This warrants a special note because so many people have asked over the years… There is no vanilla flavoring in this cake. None. As much as I will always encourage you to make recipes your own and do your own thing in your own kitchen, my #1 suggestion is always to follow trusted recipes “as written” the first time.

This recipe is what it is because of it’s singular focus on fresh lemon flavor. There’s nothing else needed – I promise! (Yes, I tried adding vanilla once. No, it wasn’t terrible, but it “confused” the clean, bright lemon flavor in this cake and I would never add it to this recipe again.)

LEMON ZEST: I always add a few larger pieces of zest for garnish. It’s pretty, and it punctuates the naturally bright, lemon yellow color of this cake beautifully. When zesting the lemons for the cake batter and glaze, however, you want to use a the finest microplane or grater that you can. That way, the fine lemon zest melts into the other ingredients and imparts all of its wonderful lemon flavor.

This moist, dense cake travels really well so it’s perfect for parties. The flavors brighten even more overnight, so it can be made a day or two ahead, and it’s just as wonderful chilled as it is at room temp.

Enjoy!

5 from 2 votes

Lemon Bliss Lemon Cake

This incredible lemon cake is for serious lemon lovers! It's the perfect spring and summer cake, but the bright, citrus-y flavors are also perfect for chasing away the winter blues.

Cuisine Cake, Desserts

Prep Time 20 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Author Michele Phillips, BaconFatte.com

Ingredients

For the cake:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened (8 oz. or 226 grams)
1 cup granulated sugar (200 grams)
1 tsp. salt (reduce to 3/4 tsp. if using salted butter)
4 large eggs - at room temperature
2 tsp. baking powder
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (360 grams)
1 cup whole milk - room temperature
4 Tbsp. lemon zest from 2 large lemons - (1/4 cup) divided

For the glaze:

1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ cup powdered sugar
Garnish with more fresh lemon zest*

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Coat the inside of a 10-inch, 10 - 12 cup capacity tube pan or Bundt pan with butter and flour or floured baking spray.
In a large mixing bowl, add the butter, sugar, and salt. Beat until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the eggs to the mixture - one at a time, beating each egg completely into the mixture before adding the next.
Add the baking powder and a little flour to the wet mixture, and beat just until combined. Alternate additions of milk and flour, mixing additions just until incorporated. Finally, mix in half of the grated lemon zest (save the other half of the zest for the glaze).
Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 30 minutes, then check to determine how much more baking time is needed to avoid over-baking. Turn the pan and bake another 10 - 15 minutes (a total of 40 to 50 - 55 minutes) -- just until a toothpick or skewer inserted into the thickest part of the cake comes out clean.
While cake is baking, prepare the glaze: Pour lemon juice and powdered sugar into a small bowl, and stir well until sugar dissolves completely. Add the other half of the lemon zest.
When cake has finished baking, remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan for a few minutes.
If needed, gently shake the pan or use a butter knife to loosen the cake from the sides of the pan. Remove cake from the pan by placing a serving plate over the top of the pan and gently inverting the pan so they cake rests on the serving plate. If serving right-side-up (as shown here), gently flip the cake
While cake is still warm, slowly spoon or brush a layer of the glaze all over the cake. Allow the first layer of glaze to sink in, then repeat with the rest of the glaze.
Garnish the warm, freshly-glazed cake with more lemon zest and allow the cake to cool completely before cutting.
If making ahead: Cover cake completely and store at room temperature overnight or up to two days. Refrigerate if keeping longer.

Recipe Notes

*ZEST: Depending on the type of mixer you use, fresh lemon zest can get wrapped up in beater(s).If that happens, make sure to scrape the zest from the beaters and stir it all into the batter.

*BAKING TIME: Every oven bakes differently, so always use suggested baking times as a guideline. Check (and turn) the cake after about 30 minutes, and estimate how much more baking time is needed. A toothpick or wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cake will come out clean when done.

Recipe adapted from King Arthur Baking Company.

This is a Lemon Cake for all seasons!

Simply adding some gorgeous pomegranate arils and fresh mint take this cake to a whole new level. Not only are the tiny little bites of pomegranate are absolutely delicious, but they make it fabulously festive as well!

Orange zest on a lemon cake? You bet! And gloriously tart fresh cranberries, too. The added colors and textures are perfect for autumn and winter seasons.

If you’re a “simple” cake person, this cake is perfect just the way it is! Or, if you’re so inclined, sweetened or unsweetened whipped cream or crème fraiche are lovely compliments for the lemony notes in this cake.