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.

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.

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.

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.

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