Lemon Buttermilk Sheet Cake
By America's Test KitchenPublished on June 19, 2008
Time
1¼ hours, plus 2 hours cooling
Yield
Serves 16
Ingredients
Cake
2 ½ cups (10 ounces/283 grams) cake flour 1 teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt ¾ cup buttermilk, room temperature3 tablespoons grated lemon zest from 3 lemons¼ cup lemon juice from 3 lemons1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 ¾ cup (12¼ ounces/347 grams) granulated sugar 12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened3 large eggs, room temperature1 egg yolk, room temperatureGlaze
3 cups (12 ounces/340 grams) confectioners' sugar 3 tablespoons lemon juice 2 tablespoons buttermilkBefore You Begin
You will need a total of 7 tablespoons lemon juice (from 3 or 4 lemons) for this recipe. We recommend using an offset spatula to easily and neatly glaze the warm cake.
Instructions
- For the cake: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour 13- by 9-inch baking pan. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl. Combine buttermilk, lemon juice, and vanilla in liquid measuring cup.
- With electric mixer on medium speed, beat granulated sugar and lemon zest until moist and fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer 1/4 cup sugar mixture to small bowl, cover, and reserve. Add butter to remaining sugar mixture and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs and yolk, one at a time, until incorporated. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with 2 additions of buttermilk mixture, and mix until smooth, about 30 seconds.
- Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth top. Bake until cake is golden brown and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 25 to 35 minutes. Transfer cake to wire rack and let cool 10 minutes.
- For the glaze: Meanwhile, whisk confectioners’ sugar, lemon juice, and buttermilk until smooth. Gently spread glaze over warm cake and sprinkle evenly with reserved sugar mixture. Cool completely, at least 2 hours. Serve.
Time
1¼ hours, plus 2 hours coolingYield
Serves 16Ingredients
Cake
Glaze
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Cake
Glaze
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Cake
Glaze
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
We chose cake flour for our Lemon Buttermilk Sheet Cake recipe because it yielded a fine, velvety crumb. We used the creaming method—beat the butter and sugar together before adding the wet and dry ingredients—to develop structure and height in the cake. Replacing some of the baking powder with baking soda reduced doming, as did reducing the baking temperature—the slower baking meant the edges and interior of the cake set at the same time, resulting in a perfectly flat top.
We added grated zest from to round out the lemon flavor and created a homemade lemon sugar that lent a wallop of lemony richness to the cake. For icing, a simple glaze of confectioners’ sugar, buttermilk, and lemon juice worked perfectly. A sprinkle of some reserved lemon sugar added crunch and gave a final flourish of lemon flavor and color.
Before You Begin
You will need a total of 7 tablespoons lemon juice (from 3 or 4 lemons) for this recipe. We recommend using an offset spatula to easily and neatly glaze the warm cake.
Instructions
- For the cake: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour 13- by 9-inch baking pan. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl. Combine buttermilk, lemon juice, and vanilla in liquid measuring cup.
- With electric mixer on medium speed, beat granulated sugar and lemon zest until moist and fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer 1/4 cup sugar mixture to small bowl, cover, and reserve. Add butter to remaining sugar mixture and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs and yolk, one at a time, until incorporated. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with 2 additions of buttermilk mixture, and mix until smooth, about 30 seconds.
- Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth top. Bake until cake is golden brown and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 25 to 35 minutes. Transfer cake to wire rack and let cool 10 minutes.
- For the glaze: Meanwhile, whisk confectioners’ sugar, lemon juice, and buttermilk until smooth. Gently spread glaze over warm cake and sprinkle evenly with reserved sugar mixture. Cool completely, at least 2 hours. Serve.
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