Lemon Cake with Lemon Buttercream Frosting

By chelyc13

Ingredients

• FOR FROSTING:
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups cake flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons lemon zest
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 5 cups confectioners' sugar
• yellow food coloring gel

Preparation

Step 1

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray 2 round cake pans with nonstick baking spray with flour. Line bottoms with parchment paper rounds. Spray top of each parchment paper round with nonstick baking spray with flour.

2. In a large bowl, beat butter at medium speed with a mixer until creamy; gradually add sugar, beating for 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating just until yellow disappears after each addition. Add lemon zest, lemon juice,a nd vanilla, beating just until blended.

3. In a medium bowl, sift together cake flour, baking powder,a nd salt; gradually add to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating at low speed just until blended after each addition.

4. Using a soup ladle, spoon batter evenly into prepared cake pans.

5. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted inc enter comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks. Wrap cake layers in plastic wrap. Freeze layers until ready to frost.

6. To frost cake, unwrap cake layers. Spread lemon buttercream frosting between layers and on sides and top of cake. Garnish with lemon slice and zest, if desired. Stor cake, covered, in the refrigerator up to 3 days.

FOR FROSTING:

1. In a medium bowl, beat butter at medium speed with a mixer until creamy. Beat in lemon zest, lemon juice,a nd milk. Gradually add confectioners' sugar, beating until olight and fluffy. Gradually beat in food coloring gel, just a small amount at a time, to reach desired color.