Lemon Layer Cake

🧂 Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose or cake flour

  (sifted)
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 5 large eggs

  room temperature
• 2 egg yolks

  room temperature
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon pure lemon oil
• Zest of one large lemon

  (optional)
• ½ cup full-fat sour cream
• 1 ¾ cups full-fat buttermilk
• ⅔ cup vegetable or canola oil
• A few drops of lemon food coloring

  (optional)
• 1 cup vegetable shortening or butter

  (softened)
• 4- ounces full-fat cream cheese or mascarpone cheese

  (softened)
• 6-7 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon pure lemon oil
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2-3 tablespoons evaporated milk
• A few drops of lemon food coloring

  optional

Instructions

• 1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• 2 Grease and flour two (9-inch) round baking pans. Tap out excess flour. Set
  aside.
• 3 Mix the dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, sugar,
  salt, baking powder, and soda.
• 4 Add wet ingredients; eggs, yolks, sour cream, buttermilk, vanilla extract, lemon
  oil and canola oil. Use an electric hand mixer or stand mixer with beater
  attachment. Scrape bottom and sides of the bowl occasionally with a rubber
  spatula. Combine on low/medium.
• 5 Divide batter evenly between prepared cake pans. Bake for 35-38 minutes, or
  until a toothpick when inserted comes out mostly clean, with some moist crumbs.
  Be careful not to overbake the cakes! Remove from the oven and let cool in the
  pans for 5-10 minutes. Turn out of cake pans and cool completely on wire cooling
  racks.
• 6 Make the buttercream while cakes cool. In a large mixing bowl, using either a
  stand mixer with whisk attachment or an electric hand mixer. Combine powdered
  sugar, vegetable shortening (or softened butter), cream cheese, salt, lemon
  juice, vanilla extract, and lemon oil on low to medium speed. Pour in evaporated
  milk. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the bottom and the sides of the bowl
  occasionally.
• 7 Once incorporated, beat on high speed for 1-2 minutes. Add ½ cup more powdered
  sugar if frosting is too thin. Add a few tablespoons more of evaporated milk or
  heavy cream if frosting too thick.
• 8 Assemble and frost. Place one cooled cake on your stand or serving plate. Top
  with an even layer of frosting using an icing spatula. Top that with the second
  cake. Spread the remaining frosting on the top and sides of the cake. Use the
  icing spatula to make a swirl pattern on the top.
• 9 Refrigerate the cake either uncovered or covered in a cake holder for 1 hour
  prior to serving. This will help set the frosting. Serve immediately after
  refrigeration or store refrigerated for 2-3 days.

Nutrition Info