Name: Moist Lemon Snack Cake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 9
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (156g); 3 tablespoons cornstarch (24g); 2 teaspoons baking powder; ½ teaspoon kosher salt; ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature (113g); ¾ cup granulated sugar (150g); zest from 2 lemons; 1 large egg; 1 large egg white; ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract; 2 tablespoons lemon juice (30mL); ⅔ cup buttermilk*, room temperature (160mL); juice from one lemon (about 60-70g); 3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar (24g)

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The BEST moist lemon snack cake! This easy cake recipe is made with fresh lemon juice and zest. Topped with a lemon glaze, it's the perfect dessert for lemon lovers!

frosted cake on a parchment lined pan with a fork and lemon in the background

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I've been baking cakes for decades now. From simple, everyday cakes to more elaborate birthday and celebration cakes.

My very favorite kind of cake is a simple, sometimes rustic looking, but fantasticly flavored cake. This lemon snack cake fits in my favorite category. You'll love how easily it comes together and it's bursting with tart and sweet lemon!

The from scratch recipe has the easiest lemon glaze and needs no frosting, but is also amazing with blueberry frosting. My testers went absolutely wild for this one!

💗 why you will love this snacking cake

Flavor ~ fresh lemon juice and lemon zest in the cake batter + a lemon syrup brushed over the baked cake lead to a bright lemon taste.
Texture ~ this lemon snack cake is super moist while also being light, tender and fluffy.
Easy ~ bakes as a one layer cake, no fussy decorating needed.

🍋 ingredients and substiutions

Please scroll to the printable recipe card at the end of this post for the full list of ingredients and baking directions.

All-purpose flour ~ provides structure for the cake. If you aren't using a kitchen scale, be sure to spoon and level your flour. {Fluff the flour in the container, then spoon it into your measuring cup and level it off with the back of a knife}.
Cornstarch ~ adds softness to the lemon snack cake.
Baking powder ~ helps the cake to have a fluffy and tender crumb.
Kosher salt ~ to balance the flavors, if you only have table salt use half the amount.
Unsalted butter ~ needs to be room temperature, so pull it out of the refrigerator 1 - 2 hours before you plan to bake. If you only have salted butter, leave out the kosher salt.
Granulated sugar ~ adds sweetness and structure to the easy cake.
Lemon zest and juice ~ for the best lemon flavor we need fresh lemon zest and lemon juice. Since you are zesting the lemons {this is my favorite zesting tool}, it's easy to then squeeze them for the fresh lemon juice.
Eggs ~ one large egg plus one large egg white are needed at room temperature. The egg yolk and white will separate easier when the egg is cold.
Vanilla ~ I prefer pure vanilla extract.
Buttermilk ~ creates a nice moist snacking cake. The buttermilk should be room temperature, so put it on the counter 1 - 2 hours before you plan to bake. See the recipe card below if you need a substitution for regular milk.
Confectioners' sugar ~ also known as powdered sugar or icing sugar for the lemon glaze.

🍰 how to make this 8x8 lemon cake

Start by preheating the oven to 350°F and prepare an 8x8 baking pan by lining it with parchment paper.

Whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and kosher salt together in a medium bowl and set aside. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment {or using a hand-held mixer}, cream the butter, sugar and lemon zest on medium-high until light.

Scrape up and down the bowl and add the whole egg, mixing on medium-high for about a minute.

butter, sugar and lemon zest in a mixing bowl — Start by creaming the unsalted butter, sugar and lemon zest together with a mixer.

creamed butter and sugar in a mixing bowl with a whole egg added — After the butter, sugar and lemon zest have creamed together, add the whole egg.

butter, lemon zest, sugar and egg creamed together in a mixing bowl — The butter and sugar will appear fluffy after the addition of the whole egg.

Scrape the bowl again and add the egg white, vanilla and lemon juice and mix for another 2 minutes. The mixture will likely look curdled at this point.

With the mixer on low, alternate adding the flour mixture and the buttermilk. Mix until just combined or stop with just a streak or two of flour remaining and give it a stir or two with a spatula.

egg yolk, vanilla and lemon juice added to the creamed butter and sugar in a mixing bowl — After the egg has been beaten in, add the egg yolk, lemon juice and vanilla and beat again. The mixture may look a little curdled after the addition of the lemon juice.

a few streaks of flour remaining in the lemon cake batter in a mixing bowl — Stop the mixer when just a little flour is still showing. Then use a spatula to fold the rest of the flour in.

Pour/spread batter into the prepared 8x8 baking pan.

Bake until a cake tester comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Allow to cool with the pan sitting on a wire cooling rack for 10 minutes.

cake batter in a parchment lined baking tin — Pour or spread the batter in the parchment lined baking pan.

baked lemon snack cake in an 8x8 pan — The edges of the cake will be barely brown and slightly pulling away from the sides of the pan when it's done baking.

While the cake is cooling, make the lemon syrup by mixing the juice of one lemon with confectioners' sugar. Once the cake has cooled for 10 minutes, use a pastry brush to brush the lemon syrup over the top of the cake. Decorate, if desired once cool.

👩🏻‍🍳 tips for the best lemon snack cake

Use a scale to measure your ingredients for the best results. If you do not have a kitchen scale, see the notes in the ingredient section on how to measure the flour.
Don't over mix the cake batter. Use low speed when combining the wet and dry ingredients and mix until everything is j.u.s.t. combined. I usually stop when just a few streaks of dry ingredients remain and use a spatula to finish the mixing.
The cake batter is thick so an off-set spatula works great to smooth it into the pan.
Don't over bake the cake. Remember your oven is different than mine and baking times may vary a little. The easy lemon snack cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
Allow the lemon snack cake to cool completely if you are going to add frosting. Otherwise the frosting will melt off it.

Remember to pin this recipe to Pinterest! Use the button on the recipe card or the share buttons on the side or bottom of this page.

💡 different glaze and frosting ideas

Blueberry frosting ~ a quick 10 minute blueberry frosting makes this a scrumptious lemon blueberry snack cake.

Lemon buttercream frosting ~ double up the lemon flavor by adding this lemon frosting.

Coconut frosting ~ use the not-too-sweet vanilla frosting from this snack cake recipe and add ½ teaspoon of coconut extract. Garnish with chopped sweetened coconut flakes.

Lemon glaze ~ for a glaze versus a frosting, use the lemon glaze from this blackberry lemon scones recipe. If you like a lot of glaze, double the recipe.

Lemon sugar topping ~ use the lemon sugar from this lemon donut recipe and sprinkle it over the lemon syrup.

💬 frequently asked questions

what is the difference between a cake and a snack cake?

I don't think there is a true definition. I was highly entertained reading this article by Food & Wine. It discusses the difference between a snacking cake and a snack cake. To me, a snack cake is a smaller, basic and easy to make cake. One that's prepared in a square baking pan and doesn't feed a small army.

can I bake in another size pan?

Yes, a 9-inch round baking pan is a great pan substitution. You can also double the lemon snacking cake and bake a sheet cake in a 9x13 pan.

is it okay to use bottled lemon juice?

I would recommend against it. You are already zesting fresh lemons, so squeezing them is an easy way to get the fresh lemon juice. Bottled lemon juice is usually a little less bright in lemon flavor so go with the fresh squeezed!

can I use lemon extract instead of lemon juice?

I do not recommend this substitution. Lemon extract is much stronger than lemon juice. You need fresh lemons for the zest, so juicing them is simple to do after you've removed the zest.

🫙 how to store

The lemon snack cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 - 2 days or refrigerated for up to one week.

The cake can also be frozen for up to two months. You can either chill the cake well; then wrap the whole thing tightly in a double layer in plastic wrap. Or cut the cake into individual slices and chill; then wrap each slice tightly in a double layer of plastic wrap. Allow to defrost at room temperature before serving.

The snacking cake tastes best at room temperature.

lemon cake with frosting and fresh blueberries with a lemon in the background

Remember to snap a picture and tag me @twosugarbugs on Instagram if you make this Lemon Snack Cake. It warms my heart to see you bring these recipes to life! Thank you for being here and happy baking!

more snacking cakes to enjoy

If you make this recipe {or any recipe!} from two sugar bugs please come back and leave a review and a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating. I read every comment, and I LOVE hearing from you!

Yield: 9 servings