Sour Cream Lemon Cake

Incredibly moist and so lemony, this easy sour cream lemon cake is a one-bowl wonder and perfect as a treat or simple dessert. 

There is no cake I love as much as lemon cake. And this sour cream lemony wonder is the easy lemon cake of my dreams. Not only does it only take one bowl to make the batter (yes please!), the combination of zest and juice means this cake is full of lemony flavor. The simple glaze is punchy and perfectly acidic. The best way to finish off this beauty. Served on its own it makes a fantastic tea-time treat and served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, becomes a simple but glorious dessert.

How to make lemon cake

1. For the perfect moist crumb, I love using a combination of sour cream and canola oil. This delivers perfect cakes, every time. If you prefer using butter, sub in melted butter in stead of the oil.
2. Use lemon zest and juice in the batter for the most lemony end result.
3. Because this recipe requires no creaming, simply whisk together all the dry ingredients then stir in the wet ingredients. The batter should be creamy and pourable, perfect for a bundt cake pan.
4. To make the glaze, whisk together sifted icing sugar/powdered sugar, a little milk and lemon juice. I like the glaze to be quite acidic so I like adding more lemon juice than milk. Feel free to start with less lemon juice and add more if needed.

Freezing and storing

• To freeze: Allow the baked cake to cool completely then wrap in a layer of plastic wrap and then in foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Allow the frozen cake to thaw completely at room temperature before pouring over the glaze and serving.
• Baked and glazed cake will keep for up to 3 days if kept covered at room temperature. I usually keep mine covered with a glass dome on the kitchen counter.

Easy cake recipes

1. Easy dulce de leche chocolate cake
2. Peanut butter chocolate sheet cake
3. Easy lemon drizzle cake

Lemon dessert recipes

1. Mini lemon curd cheesecakes
2. Lemon cupcakes
3. Lemon Meringue Pie
4. The ultimate lemon tart
5. Lemon yoghurt cake with white chocolate frosting

Sour cream lemon cake

Incredibly moist and so lemony, this easy sour cream lemon cake is a one-bowl wonder and perfect as a treat or simple dessert.

5 from 4 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Baking, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Lemon bundt cake, Lemon cake, lemon cake recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Servings: 12

Calories: 263kcal

Author: Alida Ryder

Ingredients

• 2 cups cake flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup caster sugar
• 1 cup sour cream
• ½ cup canola oil
• ½ cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tbsp lemon zest
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 3 eggs

For the glaze

• 1½ cups icing sugar / powdered sugar
• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
• ¼ cup milk

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F and grease a 25cm/10in bundt cake pan.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients.
• Add the wet ingredients then whisk into the dry. The batter will be thick and creamy.
• Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan.
• Place into the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before turning out of the pan and allowing to cool completely on a wire rack.
• To make the glaze, whisk together the sugar and lemon juice. Whisk in the milk, one tablespoon at a time until the glaze is the consistency you like. Pour over the cooled cake. I set the wire rack over a piece of parchment to catch the glaze that runs off. Allow to set then slice and serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 263kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 134mg | Potassium: 190mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 154IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 91mg | Iron: 1mg