Layered lemon cake cream with cheese frosting

This is a proper layered lemon cake: two tender buttermilk sponges shot through with fresh zest and juice, stacked with a tangy lemon cream cheese frosting. The buttermilk keeps the crumb soft and moist while the citrus runs through both cake and frosting, so every forkful is bright rather than cloying.

Why you'll love this

• A moist, tender buttermilk crumb that stays soft for days
• Real lemon flavour in both the sponge and the frosting, from zest and fresh juice
• Tangy cream cheese frosting that balances the sweetness instead of piling it on
• An impressive two-layer cake that is still genuinely straightforward to build

Key ingredients & swaps

• Buttermilk — tenderises the crumb and, being acidic, reacts with the baking soda to lift the cake; use it at room temperature so it blends evenly. No buttermilk? Stir 1 tablespoon lemon juice into a cup of milk and rest 5 minutes.
• Lemon zest — this is where most of the lemon flavour lives, in the oils of the peel; rub it into the sugar with your fingers first to release those oils for a far more lemony cake.
• Fresh lemon juice — adds tang and acidity to both batter and frosting; use fresh, not bottled, and keep to the listed amount in the frosting so it does not turn runny.
• Unsalted butter (softened) — creamed with the sugar it builds a light, fluffy base for the cake and richness in the frosting; truly soft, room-temperature butter is what whips up airy.
• Cream cheese (softened) — gives the frosting its signature tang and body; use full-fat block cream cheese, not the spreadable tub, which is too loose to hold a frosting.
• Eggs (room temperature) — bind and enrich the batter and help it rise; add them one at a time so the mixture stays smooth and emulsified.

How to make it (step by step)

1. 

   1

   Prep and combine dry

   Heat the oven to 350F (175C) and grease and flour two 9-inch round pans. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together and set aside so the leaveners are evenly distributed.

2. 

   2

   Cream butter and lemon sugar

   Rub the zest into the sugar, then beat it with the softened butter on medium-high until pale and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. This is what gives the cake its light crumb, so don't rush it.

3. 

   3

   Add eggs and flavour

   Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each, then mix in the lemon juice and vanilla. The batter may look slightly curdled from the acid, which is normal and comes back together with the flour.

4. 

   4

   Alternate dry and buttermilk

   Add the dry ingredients in batches, alternating with the buttermilk and beginning and ending with the dry. Mix only until just combined; overmixing develops gluten and gives a dense, tough cake.

5. 

   5

   Bake and cool fully

   Divide between the pans and bake 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick in the centre comes out clean and the tops spring back. Cool in the pans 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool completely before frosting.

6. 

   6

   Make the frosting

   Beat the softened cream cheese and butter until smooth, add the powdered sugar a cup at a time, then beat in the lemon zest, juice and vanilla just until creamy. Stop as soon as it is smooth, since overbeating thins it out.

7. 

   7

   Fill and frost

   Set one cooled layer on a plate, spread with frosting, top with the second layer, and frost the top and sides. Chill the cake 30 to 45 minutes to firm it up before slicing for clean wedges.