Lemon Sour Cream Cake is a very easy cake recipe to make for dessert tonight!
This sweet and simple lemon cake recipe is made in a 9×13-inch pan. It’s the perfect dessert recipe to make if you’re looking for a sweet treat to share with your family. It’s a homemade cake (no box mix involved), but it’s not difficult to make and it does not call for any hard-to-find ingredients.
This recipe comes from my favorite cake baking book of all time: Piece of Cake by Camilla Saulsbury. I have made so many cakes from this cookbook, and I continue to reach for it again and again every time I want to try baking a new cake! I suggest you add the book to your cookbook collection. It’s a good one!
How to make Lemon Sour Cream Cake:
For the complete recipe, be sure to scroll to the end of this post and print out the recipe. All ingredients and full instructions will be on the printable recipe.
In a large bowl, you’ll combine the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda). Then you’ll use your electric mixer to mix in eggs, sour cream, butter, lemon zest and lemon juice. That’s all you do to make the cake batter. The batter is spread into a 9×13-inch pan and baked for about 40 minutes.
Icing for Lemon Sour Cream Cake:
After letting your cake cool off, you’ll make the lemon icing. It’s a mix of powdered sugar, sour cream, butter, lemon zest and lemon juice. And then it’s poured onto the cake and spread to cover the top.
How to find a good lemon:
The best way to find a good lemon is to pick it up and hold it in your hand. If the lemon has a little “give” to it when you squeeze it (and isn’t rock hard), it will be easier to peel (a thinner skin) and it will yield more juice.
Things to order from Amazon to help you make this cake:
- ZESTER: This is the one I have, and it’s perfect for zesting and for fine-grating Parmesan cheese, ginger, garlic, nutmeg and chocolate.
- hand JUICER: This is a super handy tool for juicing lemons by hand.
- 9×13-inch pan: I like this one because it has a lid, which makes it easy to store!
This Lemon Sour Cream Cake is a nice dessert to keep around for snacking, but it’s also a pretty dessert to serve for Easter or Mother’s Day or another special occasion day. Keep leftovers stored in the refrigerator, since there is sour cream in the icing. Enjoy!
Here are a few more lemon dessert recipes you might like to try:
- Lemon Brownies
- Lemon Meringue Pie
- Best Lemon Bars
- Lemon Sour Cream Pie
- Oatmeal Lemon Cream Bars
- Lemon Crinkle Cookies
- Italian Lemon Cookies
- Cream Cheese Lemon Bars
Lemon Sour Cream Cake
Ingredients
CAKE:
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 2 cups granulated white sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
LEMON SOUR CREAM ICING:
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
MAKE THE CAKE:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 13x9-inch pan with nonstick baking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda.
- Use an electric mixer to mix in the eggs, sour cream, butter, lemon zest and lemon juice. On low speed, beat for 1 minute, until blended. Scrape the sides and the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat on medium speed for 1 minute.
- Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Let the cake cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
PREPARE THE ICING:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, sour cream, butter, lemon zest and lemon juice until blended and smooth. Spread the icing over the top of the cooled cake.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
We really wanted to love this cake! The picture looked so pretty & the ingredients so yummy! The cake was dry—more like a pound cake. The icing was thin, runny, & yellow. Now at all white or thick like the picture. I poked holes in the cake & poured the icing over it but it’s still dry. Sorry, not a keeper.
looks good!
It would really be nice to be able to print recipes like other cooking websites without signing up for anything.
What did you have to sign up for?! Click “jump to recipe” at the top of the post, it brings you right to the recipe and you can click PRINT RECIPE and print it out. No sign ups anywhere, so I’m not sure where you’re seeing that?
Can plain Greek yogurt used as a substitute for sour cream?
I haven’t tried it with Greek yogurt, so I’m not sure!
Hubby loved it! So moist!
Unfortunately, I was not a fan of this recipe. I followed instructions clearly but cake came out dry and very browned at the sides and bottom and I did not keep in the oven longer than recipe stated. I salvaged it by poking some holes with fork and adding some milk.
Can I Make This Recipe Using Gluten Free All Purpose Flour?
I haven’t tested this recipe as gluten-free, but if there is a GF blend that usually works for you then you can give it a shot!
Cake got hard after it cooled off. And the icing was too runny. ? Have no idea what went wrong??
No idea!
My icing was thin also. I followed measurements as written. Don’t understand where I went wrong. I even added more powdered sugar. The icing was just SAD!! But the cake was great. Was more of a pound cake texture.
I am not a fan of lemon or any kind of zest. It I omit it from the recipe would I need to add more lemon juice? Thanks in advance.
Maybe add a little lemon extract?