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Lemon Cake with Lemon Glaze

By:Nagi
295 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

Just a lovely, simple Lemon Cake recipe – perfect tea time treat. You’ll love the bright lemon flavour, that it’s so beautifully moist and only requires one bowl and a whisk!

Finished with a lemon glaze, this is a simple cake that you can whip up on short notice. Yoghurt keeps the cake moist so it lasts for days and days! It’s the same batter used in this Blueberry Lemon Cake and Strawberry Cake.

Lemon Cake with drippy lemon glaze decorated with lemon slices and flowers, on a white cake platter with a piece cut out

Lemon Cake recipe

This Lemon Cake is one of my emergency quick and easy cake recipes, something I can get in the oven super quickly when I’m short on time. There’s no creaming of butter required, it’s a quick dump-and-mix cake. (When I’m longer on time I might instead plump for this sponge-based Lemon Cake with Fluffy Lemon Frosting …)

The “secret ingredient” in this is yoghurt. Yoghurt is a brilliant baking ingredient because it thickens the batter which means less flour required which = more moist cake. 🙂

I love how golden brown this cake is straight out of the oven. It almost glows!

Lemon Cake cooking on a rack and drippy lemon glaze

Lemon Glaze

In the spirit of this being a simple teacake, I keep the frosting simple too. I just use a Glaze or a quick Cream Cheese Frosting.

For the glaze, I like to make the glaze a bit thicker than typical glazes because it adds that extra oomph of sweetness and stickiness to the cake, as opposed to cutting it in half and sandwiching it with something.

Added bonus: I love how the drips look and how the glaze isn’t see through.

Lemon Cake with drippy lemon glaze on a white cake platter with a piece cut out and plates on the side, ready to the served.

If a glaze isn’t your thing or you want more frosting, I’ve also included my quick Cream Cheese Frosting. This is different to the usual Cream Cheese Frosting I use for things like Red Velvet and Carrot Cake which requires a stand mixer and a good 7 minutes of fast beating.

In the spirit of the simplicity of this quick Lemon Cake recipe, I use my shortcut Cream Cheese Frosting which I make simply by mixing spreadable Cream Cheese (comes in tubs, not blocks) with lemon juice and icing sugar. No stand mixer required, no need to even wait to soften the cream cheese. Just mix it up with a wooden spoon, dollop and spread. 🙂

Lemon Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting on a rack

You know that pretty cake decorations aren’t my thing. I’d probably spend more time styling a giant plate of slow cooked meat than I would spend decorating a towering cake! 😂

So in my usual form, I’ve kept it nice and simple – just some lemon slices and a few sprigs of baby’s breath from a bunch I happened to have.

Close up of Lemon Cake decorations using lemon slices and flowers

This cake may be simple but in all honesty, it’s probably the cake I made most often last year. I actually intended to share it earlier this year, but then I got all excited because blueberries came into season so I published the Blueberry Lemon Cake instead (same cake, but with blueberries).

So I sat on this Lemon Cake recipe for a couple of months until an adequate amount of time had passed. And finally, I’m sharing it! – Nagi x

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No creaming butter, no stand mixer for any of these!

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Lemon Cake with drippy lemon glaze decorated with lemon slices and flowers, on a white cake platter with a piece cut out
Cakes

Lemon Cake with drippy lemon glaze on a white cake platter with a piece cut out

Slice of Lemon Cake on a plate with a fork, ready to be eaten

WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT

Watch how to make this lemon cake!

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Lemon Yoghurt Cake with Drippy Lemon Glaze on a cake stand

Glazed Lemon Cake recipe

Author: Nagi
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 50 mins
Total: 1 hr 5 mins
Cakes
Western
4.96 from 82 votes
Servings10
Tap or hover to scale
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Recipe VIDEO above. This is a wonderful, simple tea cake with bright lemon flavours. It's beautifully moist and keeps for days. I love how it's made in one bowl with just a whisk, and it's quick to prepare! Glazed with a lemon glaze - or try my quick cream cheese frosting (recipe in notes). 

Ingredients

Wet:

  • 2/3 cup / 165 ml vegetable or canola oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 ½ tbsp grated lemon rind (1 large or 2 medium lemons)
  • ¼ cup / 65 ml fresh lemon juice
  • 1 cup / 250g plain yoghurt (Note 1)
  • 1.25 cups / 275g caster sugar (superfine sugar, granulated ok too)

Dry:

  • 2 cups/300g plain flour (all purpose flour)
  • 4 tsp baking powder
  • Pinch of salt

Glaze:

  • 1 3/4 cup / 210 g icing sugar (powdered sugar)
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 tbsp plain yogurt

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 180C/350F (standard) or 160C/320F (fan/convection). Grease a 20 cm / 8” cake pan with butter.
  • Place Wet ingredients in a bowl. Whisk until combined.
  • Sprinkle over flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk until smooth - few small lumps is ok.
  • Pour into pan - it should be fairly thick but pourable (see video). Bake for 50 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
  • Remove metal ring and cool on rack then glaze.

Glaze:

  • Place ingredients in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Test down the side of the bowl to get the right thickness, using 1 tsp of yoghurt at a time to thin it out if required. Glaze should drip (slowly, because it's thick) but not be see through.
  • Place rack on a tray or baking paper.
  • Pour glaze over the middle of the cake, gently push towards the edges so it drips down the sides.
  • Let it set for 1 hour before transferring to a serving plate.
  • See note for how I did the lemon slices in the photos, and the alternative quick Cream Cheese Frosting.

Recipe Notes:

1. Any plain, thick yoghurt will be fine for this. Full fat is better, but low fat will also work. I don't recommend zero fat yoghurt, it tends to be too thin and the purpose of yoghurt is to add wetness to the batter while keeping it thick which is why the cake is so moist.
Sour cream (light or full fat) can also be used.
2. Lemon Slice decoration - cut 2 thin lemon slices. Then cut a slit into the centre. Twist and place on the cake. Twist the other slice in the opposite direction and place on the cake, overlapping with the first slice.
3. Quick Cream Cheese Frosting (pictured in post): Use 200g/6 oz SPREADABLE Cream Cheese (comes in tubs, not blocks) and mix with 2 cups icing sugar / powdered sugar + 2 tbsp lemon juice. Use a wooden spoon to mix well then spread on cake.
4. DIFFERENT MEASURES IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES: Tablespoon and cup measures differ slightly between some countries around the world. The main differences are US measures vs rest of the world. For most recipes, the difference is not material enough to affect the recipe. For baking recipes, it can be the difference between success and failure. Luckily, this particular recipe is actually rather forgiving so the difference in measures does not affect it so there is no need to convert. Exception: Japan - please use weights provided, not Japanese cups.
5. STORAGE: Keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days, it stays really moist. The glaze sweats into the cake slightly so you get a similar effect to those coke syrup cakes / poke cakes where you pour sweet syrup over the cake to soak into it and this also helps keep it moist. If it's crazy hot where you are (Dec - Feb in Australia), keep it in the fridge after 24 hours (because mould loves moisture + heat and this cake is very moist 🙂 )

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 412cal (21%)Carbohydrates: 62g (21%)Protein: 4g (8%)Fat: 16g (25%)Saturated Fat: 1g (6%)Cholesterol: 36mg (12%)Sodium: 28mg (1%)Potassium: 283mg (8%)Sugar: 41g (46%)Vitamin A: 70IU (1%)Vitamin C: 0.7mg (1%)Calcium: 129mg (13%)Iron: 1.5mg (8%)
Keywords: lemon cake recipe, lemon glaze
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats.

LIFE OF DOZER

You can just imagine the thoughts running through that furry head:

“Will I make it to the door??”

“How hard would it be to scoff it down on the run??”

“I wonder if she’s going to frost it? 😳 Maybe I should wait…”

Dozer vs Lemon Cake

Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative!

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295 Comments

  1. Maree Bowker says

    5 stars
    Thanks it was made for my birthday cake and it’s so much like my childhood memories of what cake use to taste like
    Yummy love your e we ork

    Reply

  2. Sharon says

    5 stars
    Another awesome recipe! I’m glad to say I nailed it again, thanks to you!

    Getting another cake right after years has certainly boosted my confidence and I’m proud to say I am no more thinking of giving up on baking!

    Thank you so much for another amazing recipe! My family loved it and I loved making and eating it!

    Reply

  3. Clara says

    5 stars
    Thank you. My colleague gave me a recipe years ago but the baking time was a bit iffy.

    I like how reliable this is if you follow the recipe. I used a bundt cake tin after reading the comments. I baked it for 50 min and it was evenly browned and cooked well. This is one of my favourite easy to make cakes.

    Reply

  4. Lauren says

    5 stars
    Another hit! I made this to bring to Mother’s Day lunch and the whole family enjoyed it. Absolutely perfect. I have been looking for a lemon cake recipe to rival Starbucks lemon loaf with good ingredients and this is the clear winner.

    Thank you again for such great recipes! My family thinks I know how to cook now lol

    Reply

    • Marin says

      I don’t believe it would work because coconut oil solidifies, unlike canola oil. I would use a light tasting olive oil instead or avocado oil. Or if you really want to use coconut oil, perhaps use the fractionated kind, though some health benefits will be lose.

      Reply

  6. Michele says

    What other kinds/sizes of cake pans can I bake this in if I don’t have a springform pan?
    Thanks so much!

    Reply

    • Nagi says

      Hi Joyce – you could. The bake time will depend on the size of the pan. Bundt cakes also bake faster as the tube in the centre conducts heat into the middle of the cake. I suspect an 8 inch bundt pan would take slightly less time than the recipe says so check it early to see if it is done. N x

      Reply

      • Emma says

        Hi Joyce – I used a smallish bundt pan and it turned out really well. Mine was ready after 40 minutes, however I’d adjust the amount of batter used depending on your pan . I used the whole amount noted in the receipe and it rose up above the pan… not that I minded, it just meant more cake!

        Nagi – I just want to say a big thank you for all of your wonderful recipes! This one will most certainly go on high rotation at my house, despite there being just the two of us indulging. I’m so looking forward to your book release, and hope that you do a meet and greet 🙂

        Reply

  10. Vera Macri-Dais says

    Hi Nagi
    Have made this cake many times and is delicious. Hubby is now on a low fodmap diet. Can I make it with gluten free flour and xanthum gum and if so what quantities do you recommend ?

    Many thanks
    Vera

    Reply

    • Therese says

      Hi Vera,
      I have several coeliac family members so I just switch the plain flour and baking powder for 2 cups of self raising gluten-free flour (no xantham gum). I need to cook for a little longer due to the type of flour. Hope this works for you too.

      Nagi, thank you for your recipes. Your website is my go-to whenever I have a glut of produce…and this glazed lemon cake is a favourite!

      Reply
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