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Woman Lemon Cake

A luscious, homemade lemon cake with a soft, buttery crumb, bright citrus notes, and a glossy lemon glaze dripping down the sides.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 8 slices
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 310
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Cake
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp lemon zest
  • 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
For the Syrup
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 3 tbsp powdered sugar
For the Glaze
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp milk

Method
 

Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and line a 9x5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper for easy removal.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar until pale and fluffy (about 3 minutes).
  4. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Mix well.
  5. Add flour mixture in 3 parts, alternating with buttermilk. Start and end with flour. Mix just until combined—don’t overmix!
  6. Pour the batter into the pan and smooth the top. Bake for 50–60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
  7. While the cake bakes, whisk lemon juice and powdered sugar in a small bowl to prepare the syrup.
  8. After baking, let the cake sit for 10 minutes in the pan. Poke holes with a skewer and brush the warm syrup all over. Let cool completely.
  9. Mix powdered sugar, lemon juice, and milk until smooth. Drizzle over the cooled cake and let set.

Notes

Room temperature ingredients ensure smooth batter. Don’t overmix—this can make the cake dense. Fresh lemons only! Bottled juice just doesn’t cut it here.