Lemon Buttermilk Cake (One-Bowl)
Updated April 2026 with expanded notes and clearer instructions.
This lemon buttermilk cake is made in one bowl with buttermilk, fresh lemon zest and juice, and a mix of butter and oil for the best texture and flavour. The oil keeps the crumb soft and moist, while the butter adds richness, so the finished cake is tender with a bright lemon flavour that isn’t flat or overly sweet.
“This recipe is awesome. I made it for my birthday, and it tasted great!!” — Zoey
Lemon buttermilk cake is one of those recipes you can make year-round, but I always come back to it in the spring. The freshness of the lemon just seems to match the vibe of flowers and leaves coming back to life.
I’ve tested this recipe using all oil (which has less flavour), and all butter (which dries out faster), and I finally settled on a mix of the two. Oil keeps the crumb soft and moist even days later, and the butter adds richness that the oil simply doesn’t have.
I usually serve it as a simple layer cake dressed up with American-style vanilla buttercream or fluffy whipped cream cheese frosting.
Jump to:
A Note From Kelly
I’m kind of obsessed with lemon. Like, I would choose a lemon dessert over chocolate 100% of the time. If you also really love lemon, try making a batch of my microwave lemon curd to spread under (or over?) the frosting layers. SO GOOD.
Ingredients for Lemon Buttermilk Cake
Ingredient Notes
- Baking Powder: Make sure it’s fresh, as older baking powder can affect how well the cake rises.
- Baking Soda: Check the expiry date before using.
- Butter (Salted): I use salted butter for all of my recipes. Melt it gently so it doesn’t splatter.
- Buttermilk: Adds a light tang and helps keep the crumb soft and moist.
- Eggs: I use large eggs for all my recipes.
- Flour (Cake & Pastry): Look for cake and pastry flour for a softer crumb.
- Lemon Juice: Freshly squeezed juice is best for this recipe.
- Lemons: Choose lemons that feel heavy for their size, as they’ll give more juice, and use a microplane for fine zest.
- Oil (Vegetable): Use a neutral oil like canola or vegetable so it doesn’t compete with the lemon flavour.
- Salt: I use table salt for all of my recipes.
- Sugar (Granulated): Standard white granulated sugar works best here and dissolves easily into the batter.
- Vanilla Extract: Use any vanilla you like or have on hand.
It’s important to note that when making substitutions in recipes, the texture and flavour may be slightly different. However, these substitutes are the best options for changing the original recipe.
Ingredient Substitutions
- Butter: You can double the oil.
- Buttermilk: I haven’t tested this, but you can try 1 ½ cups of whole milk mixed with 1 ½ tablespoons of lemon juice or vinegar. Let it sit for 5 minutes to curdle a bit before mixing it into the bowl.
- Flour (Cake & Pastry): You can use an equal amount of regular all-purpose flour.
- Lemon Juice: ⅓ cup of bottled lemon juice can be used, but I don’t recommend it.
- Oil (Vegetable): Swap with any other neutral oil, or use all butter.
- Vanilla Extract: 1 teaspoon of almond extract is a good substitute or omit completely.
Recipe Variations for Lemon Buttermilk Cake
- Blueberries: 1 cup (150 g), fresh or frozen, fold into the batter just before dividing into pans.
- Coconut: ½ to ¾ cup, unsweetened shredded, mix in with the dry ingredients.
- Lavender Sugar: Mix 2 tablespoons of lavender sugar with the sugar and lemon zest.
- Lemon Glaze: ½ cup icing sugar mixed with 1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice, drizzle over the cooled cake.
- Lemon Syrup: ¼ cup lemon juice mixed with ¼ cup sugar, brush over the warm cake after baking.
- Poppy Seeds: 2 tablespoons, stir into the batter after mixing.
- Raspberries: 1 cup, fresh or frozen, gently fold in at the end.
- Rosemary: 1 teaspoon, finely chopped, add to the batter with the zest.
Kelly’s Top Tips
- Make sure your melted butter isn’t hot when you add it or it could scramble the eggs.
- Stop stirring the batter as soon as you don’t see any big pockets of dry flour. A few streaks are fine.
- Let the cakes cool completely before frosting, so it doesn’t melt and slide off.
Recipe Notes
- For detailed ingredient notes, substitution tips, variations, and step-by-step photos, scroll through the full recipe post.
- Use a digital kitchen scale for precise measurements and an oven thermometer to confirm your oven is heating correctly.
- To switch to gram measurements, click “Metric grams” in the ingredients section of the recipe card.
- If your lemons are small, you may need an extra one to reach the full amount of juice.
- The batter will look slightly lumpy after mixing and that’s completely normal.
- If you don’t want to make a double-layer cake, wrap one layer tightly in two layers of plastic wrap and freeze it for up to two months.
Storage for Lemon Buttermilk Cake
- Store the cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- To freeze, wrap the cooled cake layers tightly in plastic wrap and store for up to 2 months, then thaw in the fridge overnight and bring to room temperature before serving.
FAQ
Yes, you can bake the layers a day in advance and store them tightly wrapped at room temperature, or freeze them for up to two months, then thaw and frost when ready to serve.
A dense texture usually comes from over-mixing after adding the flour or measuring too much flour, so stir gently and measure carefully for a lighter crumb.
Yes, it works well as a simple single-layer cake with a light glaze or even plain, especially if you want something less sweet.
Recipes Related To KEYWORD / Try KEYWORD With These Recipes
- Lemon Posset (Simple Lemon Cream Dessert)
- Vanilla Custard Sauce
- Raspberry Lemon Muffins with Cream Cheese
- Earl Grey Yogurt Cake
Printable Recipe Card
Equipment
- Two 8-inch (20 cm) round cake pans
- Measuring cups and spoons or digital kitchen scale
- Large mixing bowl
- Electric hand mixer or handheld whisk
- Microplane grater
- Citrus squeezer
- Rubber spatula or wooden spoon
Ingredients US cups or click for Metric grams
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
- 2 medium lemons (zested)
- 1 ½ cups buttermilk
- ⅓ cup salted butter (melted and cooled)
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs (room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
- 2 cups cake and pastry flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon table salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC), then grease two 8-inch (20 cm) round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar and zest of 2 lemons, then rub the zest into the sugar with your fingers to release the oils and flavour it.
- Add the buttermilk, melted butter, oil, eggs, vanilla, and lemon juice. Mix with a hand mixer or whisk until smooth.
- Sift the flour, baking powder, and baking soda into the bowl, then add the salt. Switch to a spatula or wooden spoon and gently stir until just combined, leaving a few streaks of flour and a slightly lumpy batter.
- Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans, then smooth the tops lightly. Bake for 28 to 32 minutes, or until the centre springs back when pressed gently with a fingertip and the edges pull away from the pans.
- Remove the cakes from the oven and place the pans on a wire rack. Cool for 10 minutes, then carefully turn the cakes out onto the rack and let them cool completely before frosting or glazing.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an estimate and is provided as a courtesy. For precise nutritional data, please calculate it independently using your preferred nutrition calculator.
More Dessert Recipes
Kelly Neil is a recipe developer, food photographer, and lifelong Nova Scotian building a sense of home and identity through recipes. She lives in her hometown of Dartmouth with her partner, Chris, their daughter, Elodie, and their little dog, Skipper.
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I may earn a small commission if you buy something through one of them at no extra cost to you. I only share products I use myself and genuinely recommend.
Looking forward to making this very soon! It looks so delicious! I always take the sugar down by at least a half cup in recipes. I want to taste the lemon, or the berries, or whatever is in there, not the sweet sugar.
Yes exactly! It’s only recently that I discovered you could do this without really affecting the flavour or the texture at all. I tried making the recipe with coconut sugar, but nothing really compares to white sugar in baking. I also made the recipe as a 6-inch cake to fool myself into it being smaller! Ha! Thanks so much for reading Julia. 🙂
This sounds like a beautiful summer cake Kelly. Lemon and strawberry are a great combo, and I lime that you’ve sought to reduce sugar. I used to bake a lot more until I realised my sugar intake was way too high! Beautiful photos as per usual!
Thank you so much Matt! I love the petite-ness of a 6-inch cake (is that even a word? lol), and with the frosting you don’t even notice the reduced sugar. After a 40+ºC heatwave we’re finally on the verge of more seasonal temperatures here in Nova Scotia. I hate not being able to bake! Thanks for stopping in. 🙂
Could I do this in 8-inch pans?
You can but the cakes will be shorter and bake faster! I would watch for them to start to turn golden then check the internal temperature with a thermometer. Once you reach 200ºF to 205ºF (93ºC to 96ºC) they should be done. I always take a temperature reading to avoid an uncooked middle. Chances are you’re covering the thermometer hole with icing anyway! Xx.
Absolutely stunning cake! I love all the ingredients not to mention it’s beautiful. Such beautiful photography as well. A perfect cake for summer entertaining!
Aw, thanks so much Julia! To be honest it’s SUCH a simple cake to make. Even the frosting is so easy because most of the cake is exposed! A few wild roses on top and that’s it. Easy and delicious. Thanks for stopping by!
I am just loving this collaboration! Aimee is one of my favourite bloggers (and a pretty awesome person in general), and this photo shoot feels like such a perfect intersection of your styles.
I am all about the strawberries right now and I happen to have a half-finished carton of buttermilk in the fridge, so I think this cake and I have a date this weekend. 🙂
Thanks so much Isabelle! I first met Aimée in person last year when she was touring her book. I did her food styling for a morning TV segment, and when she said she was moving here we knew we wanted to collaborate! This was our most fun shoot so far, and hopefully there are many more to come. 🙂 I hope you love the cake if you have time to make it (and the sweltering heat doesn’t deter you). Ha!
Absolutely gorgeous setting and the cake is just to die for. All my favourite flavours in there. Recipe saved! My daughter have seen it as well and she can’t wait for us to bake this at the weekend.
Thank you so much for sharing and for the inspo.
Thank you so much Ramona! Even though it’s hard to turn on the oven this time of year, this cake would be a great fit for any season. I hope you love making the recipe! I bake with my daughter all the time too. xo!
The cake looks so good with outside pictures. I love to use buttermilk in cakes, they give nice and fluffy texture. Totally awesome strawberry jam cake
Thank you so much for stopping by Uma! To be honest, I’m kind of new to buttermilk, but I LOVE the smell and the flavour. It’s become a basic fridge staple for me this summer!
I agree with you this is beautiful summer cake, lemon and strawberries are stars of summer. lovely setting to enjoy that beautiful cake. I wish I could taste a slice.
You really can’t go wrong with lemon and strawberries, and the lake setting doesn’t hurt either. Thank you for looking Swathi! xo!
Let me start by saying that this cake (and the setting) is gorgeous! I’m also from the east coast and there’s really nothing like it! I’m a sucker for anything berry-like paired with lemon. I find that lemon is to fruit what salt is to vegetables. It just brings out the flavour. I make a lot of jams and I always use lemon. That’s what pulled me into this recipe. I make a lemon buttermilk cake quite often, but I’ve never added that gorgeous icing. Looks so good!
Aw, thanks so much Byron! Eating cake on a lakeside dock is definitely a highlight of summer for me. Sometimes I wonder – is it possible to post too many lemon recipes? lol Thanks for dropping by. 🙂
Gorgeous cake and stunning photography too
What a lovely cake in an equally lovely setting on the lake. I am a huge fan of using a scale in baking for accuracy and consistent results. Thanks so much for sharing your tips and pretty cake recipe, Kelly!
Buttermilk cake! Yes, that is a gorgeous cake and it really reminds me of Spring. I’m so ready for cake and Spring!
Hi Kelly,
Gorgeous pink, decadent cake, breathtaking views! I can’t wait to bake this and I have just 2 questions:
1. Can I bake this with just one 6inch pan and how long and at what temperature do I need to bake it?
2. Can I replace buttermilk with greek yoghurt?
Thanks in advance!
Hi Des! Thank you so much!! Ok, so I haven’t tried either of these substitutions. I do have a really tall 6-inch tin, but have yet to use it. If you want to try, I would say bake it as per the instructions and occasionally check for doneness. When the cake reaches an internal temperature of 200ºF-205ºF it should be cooked through inside! Re: the buttermilk substitution I would say go for it because I use Greek yogurt in my banana bread recipe and it works beautifully. Again, I haven’t tested this recipe with either of these changes but would love to see how you make out if you do! Good luck! xo.
Thanks so much for your lightning fast response! Ok I will give it a shot and update you! Stay safe and bake well :p
So perfect, totally going to make this very soon…thanks so much for sharing! Any chance you could give us your glaze recipe?
Oh awesome, and yes 100%! Follow the directions in this post for Earl Grey glaze, except substitute lemon zest for the tea, and substitute lemon juice for milk. The key is to only add a tiny bit of liquid to the powdered sugar at a time and then let it absorb completely before adding more. Just keep adding lemon juice until you get the texture you want. For a cake glaze you’d want it pretty thick. I make it so that it will drip slowly down the edges of the cake but not run! After a while it will set up to a nice glaze. For that cookie post I add a bit of corn syrup, but that’s to get that nice smooth mirror finish for cookies. I haven’t tried it with cake glaze!
This recipe is awesome i made it for my brithday and it tasted great!!
Oh my goodness that makes me so happy! Thank you so much for letting me know, and happiest of birthdays to you!🎉🥳
Unfortunately I have made this recipe twice now without success It did not raise at all Very disappointing
Hi Patti! I’m so sorry to hear this, and I would love to help you troubleshoot if you can tell me a bit more about making it? I’ve been making this recipe every couple of months with great success for years now and my family loves it. I really want to help figure out what went wrong if you have time to let me know!
I made it to the recipe and mine fell. My oven temp is right on so not sure what went wrong.
HI Lois, thanks so much for the comment! You’re the second person to have this issue in the last little while so I’m making it a priority to re-test the recipe again this week and will get back to you! I’m so sorry it didn’t work out for you, and I know how frustrating that can be. I’ll be in touch!