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Light, lemony and delicious, this Lemon Sheet Cake is the perfect summer crowd pleaser.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
One of my favorite dessert to take to any gathering is a Texas Sheet Cake. It is easy, feeds a lot and it is a sure crowd pleaser. But sometimes, I’m just not in the mood for chocolate and that is when this Lemon Texas Sheet Cake is perfect. Your lemon lovers are going to love you!
This light lemon sheet cake recipe is perfect and the sweet and tangy lemon glaze on top is my favorite part. And this sheet cake feeds a crowd too!
Ingredients Needed
- Butter, salted
- Sugar, granulated sugar and powdered sugar
- Lemons
- Buttermilk
- Sour cream
- Extract, vanilla and lemon
- Eggs
- Flour, unbleached all purpose flour
- Baking Soda
- Salt
How to Make Lemon Sheet Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Grease a 18 x 13 x 1 inch sheet pan.
- Combine sugar, butter and lemon zest in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until light and fluffy.
- Add in eggs and extract.
- Combine buttermilk, sour cream and lemon juice.
- Whisk in dry ingredients including flour, baking soda and salt.
- Alternate adding dry and wet ingredients to butter mixture, 1/3 of the mixture at a time, ending with flour mixture.
- Pour batter into prepared pan.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool the cake on a wire rack before frosting.
Lemon Sheet Cake Frosting
- In a bowl combine powdered sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest.
- Spread frosting smoothly over cake.
- Allow frosting to set up.
- Cut cake into pieces using a plastic disposable knife for the smoothest cuts.
- Garnish each square with a slice of lemon.
Tips for Making Lemon Sheet Cake
- This cake uses a combination of lemon extract and fresh lemon juice for the best flavor. Always use fresh lemon juice, not the reconstituted kind you find in the green bottle.
- Be sure and use the right size pan for this recipe. You want to use a large jelly roll pan that measures 13x18x1.
- Garnish the top with thin slices of lemons or with sliced strawberries. Add the fruit right before serving as the fruit can bleed onto the frosting.
Variations:
- Instead of lemon use any citrus flavor you like such as orange or lime.
- For other flavor variations be sure to check out Chocolate Texas Sheet Cake and my White Texas Sheet Cake which is my personal favorite.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you store lemon sheet cake?
This cake does not need to be refrigerated and can be stored covered at room temperature. I think the lemon flavor is even better with this cake the second day. Refrigerating cake can actually dry it out when you are baking from scratch.
Can I make a smaller version of this cake?
If you don’t need to feed a crowd, I also have a small batch version of this recipe that you can find here.
Try these other delicious recipes:
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Lemon Sheet Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 cup butter salted
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 Tbsp lemon zest
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp lemon extract
- 4 eggs
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
Lemon Glaze
- 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 Tbsp lemon zest
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Grease a 18 x 13 x 1 inch pan.
- In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer, combine sugar, butter and 2 Tbsp lemon zest.
- Mix until light and fluffy
- In a bowl combine buttermilk, sour cream, eggs, lemon juice and extracts
- In another bowl combine flour, baking soda and salt.
- Beginning and ending with 1/3 of flour mixture, alternate adding wet and dry ingredients to butter/sugar mixture.
- Mix just until combined, don't over mix.
- Pour mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool cake completely.
Lemon Glaze
- Combine sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest.
- Frost cooled cake.
- Garnish with lemon slices or strawberries.
Tips & Notes:
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Chris Carte says
I made this yesterday for a spring ladies meeting. Everyone loved it and wants the recipe. The only change I made was adding 2 cups of fresh blueberries to bring the spring flavors together. Thanks for sharing.
Claire says
This cake is phenomenal and easy to make! I used two sheet cakes to make a layered lemon cake with raspberry filling and an almond whipped cream frosting. It was delicious!
Shawna says
Hello and good morning! Just getting ready to try this recipe. Looks delicious. You make reference to using an 18 x 13 x 1 pan but in your “Tips” you say to use a jellyroll pan 13 x 8 x 1. Please clarify. Thanks!
Leigh Anne Wilkes says
Sorry left a one off the 8 in the tips, should be 18 x 13 x 1
David says
Easy to make and serves a lot people thank you very delicious