Triple Lemon Cake

Mother's Day is this weekend, and I have the absolute perfect recipe for you - this triple lemon cake! My momma loves lemon desserts and you better believe I'm taking this cake home to her today! Happy Mother's Day Mom!

This is a loaf cake made with lemon zest and lemon juice and it is truly the most delicious, lemony cake I've ever had. The cake is infused with a lemon soaking syrup after it's removed from the oven, and the whole thing is finished off with a delicious lemony glaze. The cake itself is very light but the flavor of lemon is perfectly balanced by the sweetness of sugar. For the record, lemon and sugar is one of my favorite scent combos. I even googled lemon sugar perfumes after I made this. 

Triple Lemon Cake

Adapted from the Baked Cookbook

makes 2 loaves

For the Lemon Cake

1 1/2 cups cake flour

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 1/4 cups sugar

8 large eggs

1/4 cup grated lemon zest (approximately 4 lemons)

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted & cooled
1/2 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray the sides and bottom of 2 loaf pans with baker's  magic spray and set aside.

Sift the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl.

Put the sugar, eggs, zest, and lemon juice in a blender and mix. With the blender still running, drizzle the melted butter slowly into the egg mixture. Pour the mixture into a large bowl and whisk in the sour cream and vanilla until well combined. 

Add the dry ingredients into the wet and fold gently until well combined. Do not over-mix.

Pour batter into prepared loaf pans and bake in the center of the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Rotate the pans and reduce oven to 325 degrees, and bake for another 30 - 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Remove pans from the oven and allow to cool on a metal rack over a parchment covered baking sheet for 15 minutes while you make the syrup.


For the Lemon Syrup
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup sugar

In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat the lemon juice and sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Once dissolved, cook the syrup for another three minutes to thicken the mixture. Remove from the heat.

Remove loaves from the pans and poke holes into the sides and top of your cake with a fork or toothpick. Gently spoon the lemon syrup over the side and tops of the cakes. Allow the syrup to sink in, and repeat. Allow the cakes to cool completely. 


For the Lemon Glaze
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
4 to 6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

In a small bowl whisk the powdered sugar and lemon juice  2 tablespoons at a time until a glaze forms with the consistency that you desire. Add more lemon juice if you want a thinner glaze and more powdered sugar if you want a thicker glaze.

Pour the glaze over the tops of the cake and allow to drip over the sides of the cakes. Allow the glaze to harden for a few minutes before serving.

This recipe makes 2 lemon loaves. The cakes can be soaked in syrup and kept in the freezer, wrapped in two layers of plastic wrap for up to 6 weeks.