This Eggless Lemon Cake is moist, sweet, buttery, and loaded with fresh lemon flavor! Plus, amazingly easy to make and scrumptious. The recipe includes step-by-step photos and lots of tips.
Eggless Lemon Cake Recipe Highlights
If you’re a lemon dessert lover like me, you gonna love this recipe. Meet my fabulous Eggless Lemon Cake!
I love this cake because it’s super easy to make and uses only basic ingredients. Plus, you can make it ahead of time, refrigerate it, and serve it when you’re ready.
This classic lemon cake recipe is perfect for any occasion: a bridal shower, brunch potlucks, holiday gatherings, or even a treat for your loved ones on a casual night in.
Ingredients Notes & Substitutions
Please check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact quantities and detailed instructions (scroll down).
- Flour: Standard all-purpose flour works best here; skip the cake flour, bread flour, and wheat flour. Make sure to measure accurately. In my opinion, a kitchen scale is the best way to measure your ingredients.
- Baking powder & Baking soda: Make sure they’re not expired or too old. To avoid a chemical aftertaste, use baking powder that is labeled aluminum free. I usually use the Clabber Girl brand, and though the ingredients state aluminum, I’ve never noticed an aluminum aftertaste.
- Salt: I prefer kosher or sea salt. If you only have table salt handy, I recommend reducing the amount to half.
- Butter: I prefer to use unsalted butter, but if you only have salted butter handy, you can use it. In this case, skip the salt called in the recipe.
- Sugar: Regular white granulated sugar o caster sugar. I do not recommend reducing the amount of sugar or changing the type of sugar, as it will change the cake’s texture.
- Fresh Lemons: You’ll need the juice and zest.
- Milk: For baking, I like to use whole milk. However, you can use any milk you have handy.
STEP-BY-STEP RECIPE PHOTO TUTORIAL
Please check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact quantities and detailed instructions (scroll down).
1 – First, zest a lemon and squeeze 5-6 lemons approx. Get ½ cup of lemon juice. Set aside
2 – Make the batter: Cream butter + sugar. Then, add lemon juice, milk, and lemon zest. Next, add dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and mix until just combined.
3 – Bake at 350º F for 40-45 minutes
4 – Decorate as your heart desires and enjoy!
Adapt This Recipe to Other Food Allergies
This recipe is egg- and nut-free, but you can adapt it to other food allergies.
Gluten-Free
Substitute all-purpose flour for 1-to-1 Gluten-Free flour mix. My favorite brand is Better Batter Original All Purpose Flour Blend. Cup4Cup will also work fine, but the texture will be slightly different.
Dairy-Free
Use your favorite plant-based, dairy-free, or vegan butter and milk. Make sure to use an unflavored, unsweetened variety of non-dairy milk. Soy and oat milk have the best consistency and very neutral flavors. My favorite dairy-free butter brands for baking are:
Eggless Cake Success Tips
Measure the ingredients correctly. I highly recommend using a kitchen scale.
Preheat the oven for at least 15 minutes before getting started to give it plenty of time to reach the ideal recipe temperature.
Don’t overmix the batter. Instead, mix just until you’ve evenly distributed the ingredients throughout the batter.
Bake the batter as soon as it is ready.
Don’t open the oven door until your baked good has set. Leave the oven closed until the minimum time is stated in the recipe.
Every oven is different, so baking times always have to be taken with a grain of salt. Oven thermostats can be wildly off, affecting baking time, so keep an eye on yours.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely. While I haven’t personally tried it, many readers have used this recipe for a layer cake. You can divide the batter between round cake pans. Bake time will vary – keep a close eye on the cakes at 20 minutes and check for doneness with a toothpick.
Yes, you can add two extra tablespoons of lemon juice. Don’t forget to take out the same amount of milk.
I find that whole milk produces the best texture for this lemon cake.
I do not recommend that. Half-and-half is too heavy for this batter. I recommend regular milk.
Storing & Freezing Instructions
Store:
Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Freeze:
- Let the eggless lemon cake cool completely.
- Wrap it up in 2 layers of plastic wrap and then one layer of foil to avoid freezer burn.
- Place inside a large freezer Ziploc bag and freeze for up to 2 months.
Ready to eat it? Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before slicing and serving.
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Recipe Card 📖
Eggless Lemon Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 cups (560 g) all-purpose flour (see notes)
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup (230 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (120 ml) lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1-2 drops yellow gel food coloring (optional)
- 1 1/2 cup (360 ml) milk
Lemon Buttercream:
- 1 cup (2 sticks | 230g) unsalted butter, softened
- 4 1/2 cups (540 g) confectioners’ sugar
- 2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º F (180°C). Generously grease a 9×13-inch cake pan. You can also line the pan with parchment paper with enough overhang on the sides to easily lift the cake out.
- In a large bowl, sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Using an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer, beat butter until creamy on medium-high speed, about 3 – 4 minutes. Add the sugar and beat on high speed for 4 minutes until creamed and pale, scraping down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add lemon juice, lemon zest, and food coloring (if using); continue beating to combine.
- Turn the mixer to low and add the flour mixture in three batches, alternating with milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture; beat until just combined, about 30 – 45 seconds. Do not overmix. NOTE: The lemon cake batter is thick so use a spatula to spread it into the pan, if necessary.
- Pour the cake mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for 40 – 45 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean when poked in the center. . Let the cake cool in the pan on wire racks for 20 minutes before removing it from the pan. Allow the cake to cool completely, right-side up, on a wire rack before removing the parchment paper. The cake must be completely cool before frosting.
Lemon Buttercream:
- Beat the butter on medium speed until creamy – about 3-4minutes. Add confectioners’ sugar, lemon juice, heavy cream, lemon zest, and salt with the mixer running at low speed. Increase to high speed and beat for 5 minutes. NOTE: Add up to 1/2 cup more confectioners’ sugar if frosting is too thin or another tablespoon of heavy cream if frosting is too thick.
- Spread frosting in a thick layer on cooled cake. Garnish with candied lemons, if desired. Slice and serve.
- Measure the ingredients correctly. I highly recommend using a kitchen scale.
- Make sure to cream the butter and sugar together for 4 – 5 minutes, until creamy and pale. To achieve this, the butter must be at the right consistency; ideally, the butter will easily bend without breaking and give slightly when pressed. If it looks or feels oily is too soft.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Instead, mix just until you’ve evenly distributed the ingredients throughout the batter.
- Bake the cake(s) as soon as the batter is ready.
- Don’t open the oven door until the cake(s) has set. Leave the oven closed until the minimum time stated in the recipe.
- Preheat the oven at least 15 minutes before you get started to give it plenty of time to reach the ideal recipe temperature.
- Every oven is different, so baking times always have to be taken with a grain of salt. Oven thermostats can be wildly off, and that will all affect baking time, so keep an eye on yours. The cake(s) are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Nutrition
Eggless Baking Frequently Asked Questions
You’ve asked, and I’ve answered! Read on for a handful of answers to the most frequently asked questions about eggless baking.
Originally posted in September 2021, the post content was edited to add more helpful information, with no change to the recipe in April 2022.
Julie says
Excellent cake! Nice and moist and flavorful. And the dough was lovely.
Altered a bit and worked out well — substituted 2T lemon juice for 2T milk, added extra 1T of lemon rind; reduced sugar by 1/2 cup.
Thank you for the recipe – I will be back for sure!
Oriana Romero says
Hello Julie! It sounds like you nailed it! I am glad you like this recipe. Thanks so much for trying my recipe and taking the time to come back and let me know.
Ibbymylove says
Do I have to bake immediately or can I let the batter sit for a day or two in the fridge?
Oriana Romero says
Hello Ibbymylove! You must bake the cake immediately. I do not recommend making the batter in advance and store in the fridge as the raising agents will start to lose effectiveness. Thanks for your interest in my recipe. Please come back and let me know how you like it =)
Joanna says
Hi, I don’t have heavy cream on hand. What can I use as substitute?
Also, can I halve all the cake and buttercream ingredients?
Thank you
Oriana Romero says
Jello Joanna! You can use milk. Yes, you can halve the recipe but make you use a size appropriated cake pan, though- probably a 8×8 or 9×9 are a good options. Thanks for your interest in my recipe. Please come back and let me know how you like it =)
Varsha says
Can I make this without a an electric mixer? I only have a whisk. Thank you.
Oriana Romero says
Hello Varsha! It’s possible, but it will require a lot of elbow work since this recipe calls for creaming the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Creaming the butter and sugar manually may take more time and effort compared to using an electric mixer, but with patience and persistence, you can achieve a creamy and fluffy mixture. Once the butter and sugar are properly creamed, you can continue with the rest of the recipe as instructed. Hope this help!
Angella says
I have made this recipe three times. The third time is perfect in my opinion. I followed one of the suggestions you made and added an extra two tablespoons of lemon juice as I hadn’t been satisfied with the lemon taste. I wasn’t completely happy with how dense the cake was so I added two tablespoons Greek yogurt as I had no sour cream. After baking I used lemon syrup and then lemon glaze after the cake had cooled. So yummy and the perfect pucker. First baked this for someone who cannot tolerate eggs, now it’s my go to recipe. Thank you.
Oriana Romero says
Hello Angella! Great to hear that it was a hit! Thanks a lot for the review and good feedback.
Lali Hettinger says
I made this recipe into cupcakes for my brother-in-law’s birthday (my husband is allergic to egg & I wanted him to be included in the celebration!), and oh my gosh were they delicious! Everyone LOVED them! I used your lemon buttercream recipe & combined it with my own raspberry buttercream recipe for frosting, and it was divine. Thanks for the recipe!
Oriana Romero says
Hello Lali! Great to hear that it was a hit! Thanks a lot for the review and good feedback.
Sakshi says
Hi,
As mention do we need to keep door closed even after baking the cake or , after cake is baked, we will take out to cool down.
Oriana Romero says
Hello Sakshi! What my tip means, it’s that is best don’t open the oven door until your baked good has set since the change in temperature can cause the cake to sink. Yes, when the cake is done, you need to take it out of the oven. You’ll know that your cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Thanks for your interest in my recipe. Please come back and let me know how you like it =)
V says
Hello! I’d like to bake this cake for my daughter’s first birthday (she has an egg allergy and she LOVES lemons, so this seems perfect), but was wondering if it would be possible to substitute date paste for the sugar, maybe if I remove a few tablespoons of milk to account for the added moisture? Or would date sugar on a 1:1 ratio work? Thank you in advance
Oriana Romero says
Hello V! This is something I have never tried myself, so you may need to do some experimenting on your own. If you try it, I would love to know how they turn out. 🙂 I do have a “healthy-ish” cake recipe for babies that might be a good option > Healthy Easy Eggless Smash Cake
Heather says
Will this recipe make approximately 24 cupcakes? How long would baking time be for cupcakes? I’m excited to try!
Oriana Romero says
Hello Heather! Yes, I would say about 24 cupcakes. Bake at 350º F for 18 to 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Thanks for your interest in my recipe. Please come back and let me know how you like it =)
Heather says
Thank you!! I used this recipe for cupcakes for my 2 year old’s birthday party and everyone was asking for the recipe! 😊
Oriana Romero says
Hello Heather! Great to hear that it was a hit! Thanks a lot for the review and good feedback.
Claire says
We made this lemon cake and it’s delicious! We also made our cake and icing dairy free, and it turned out well. Another wonderful egg free, nut free recipe – thanks Oriana 🙂
Oriana Romero says
Hello Claire! It sounds like you nailed it! Thanks so much for trying my recipe and taking the time to come back and let me know.
Carmen says
Made your lemon cake today, used oranges as I didn’t have lemons, absolutely delicious, I will bake more, this recipe is very easy, thank you for sharing
Oriana Romero says
Hello Carmen! I’m so glad you love this recipe! I hope my recipes inspire you to continue baking. Please make sure to reach out if you have any questions or special requests. I am happy to help! Thank you for sharing your wonderful feedback and review =)
Lily says
Absolutely love love LOVE this recipe. Have made it a few times and still enjoy the flavour very much! Sometimes I add two eggs which also works fine. I usually leave out the frosting because I love the flavour the cake brings on its own and find it sweet enough. Thank you so much for sharing this delicious recipe with us all, much appreciated!
Oriana Romero says
Hello Lily! It sounds like you nailed it! Thanks so much for trying my recipe and taking the time to come back and let me know.
Asiya says
Hi
I want to bake lemon cake but I don’t have unsalted butter can I use instead salted butter?
Oriana Romero says
Hello Asiya! Yes, you can, just omit the salt called on the recipe. Thanks for your interest in my recipe. Please come back and let me know how you like it =)
Lily says
Hi…i made this cake the other day. It tasted lovely but i did have one issue..could you tell me where i went wrong? The toothpick came clean but the cake was completely blonde and looked a bit underdone (though not wet) at the 50 min mark. So i kept it in longer. It lightly browned on top but then it was quite crumbly. Could manage to cut a few neat slices, but most just crumbled. Any idea where i could have goofed up? Thanks
Oriana Romero says
Hello Lily! It sounds like it was overbaked. Baking is always tricky, and baking without eggs is even more. It’s impossible to say exactly because there are so many things that can make that happen. So I recommend you to read my Beginner’s Guide to Eggless Baking and my FAQs section. Thanks so much for trying my recipe and for taking the time to come back and let me know!
Emily says
This was delicious!! I halved the recipe and used it to make cupcakes (it made 14 generous-sized cupcakes) and they turned out PERFECTLY. I baked them at 350 degrees for 22 minutes, and they were light and fluffy and soooo good. The lemon frosting on top pulled the whole thing together. I added fresh blueberries on top too 🙂 Would definitely make these again!!!
Oriana Romero says
Hello Emily! It sounds like you nailed it! Thanks so much for trying my recipe and taking the time to come back and let me know.
Claire says
Thank you! We loved the lemon cake so much, this week we made lemon cupcakes by halving the recipe and adjusting baking time as per your comment. They turned out great – we will definitely make these cupcakes again as well!
Oriana Romero says
Hello Claire! It sounds like you nailed it! Thanks so much for trying my recipe and taking the time to come back and let me know.
Adithri says
Hey! I am really excited to make this cake, however I have a 8in pan, by how much do I need to change the measurements?
Thanks so much for this recipe by the way!
Oriana Romero says
Hello Adithri! I recommend you to read my Tips to Scale a Recipe & Cake Pan Sizes for helpful tips when It comes to adapting baking recipes. I hope that helps!
Eric says
Cake came out really good. Thank you.
I made some own adjustments.
I used different citrus fruits (lime, lemon, and orange) instead of just the lemon.
And since I didn’t have the ingredients for the glaze, so I used a citrus syrup on top, (juice, zest, and sugar), but the glaze looked very nice.
Thanks again for the recipe.
Oriana Romero says
Hello Eric! It sounds like you nailed it! Thanks so much for trying my recipe and taking the time to come back and let me know.
Jennifer says
Can I make cupcakes with this? I want to make lime cupcakes, I figured I could sub out the lemon for lime. I just want to make sure the recipe will translate to cupcakes. Thanks!
Oriana Romero says
Hello Jennifer! I haven’t tested this recipe for cupcakes, but you can certainly give it a try. If you have my cookbook, you can find my lemon cupcakes recipe on page 66. Thanks for your interest in my recipe.
Sammy says
Do you know if there is a way to reduce the amount of sugar we put in the cake? Also, do we have to use all-purpose flour or can we use whole wheat flour? Thank you!
Oriana Romero says
Hello Sammy! Yes, you can reduce up 10% of the sugar called in the recipe. Please keep in mind that the texture could be slightly different. Whole wheat flour will make the cake dense and heavy so I wouldn’t recommend it. Thanks for your interest in my recipe. Please come back and let me know how you like it =)
Julie Hoover says
The cake & cupcakes turned out well. Thanks for the recipe. I printed it. Before I did I adjusted the quantities to 36 servings. I’ve seen this print format before so I’m guessing it’s just part of a service you pay for. My only issue is when you change the servings it changes the American measurements (cups) but doesn’t change the grams. Good thing I’m well versed in grams & realized that 6 cups of sugar is not 440 grams. LOL Don’t know what the solution is since I don’t have a blog but giving a heads up.
Oriana Romero says
Hello Julie! I am so happy you liked this recipe. I’ll see what I can do about the adjustment in grams. Thanks so much for your feedback and for trying my recipe.
noura says
I made this cake twice and it turned out amazing! I used raspberry buttercream for the lemon cake and I really liked the flavor combination. The cake isn’t as light and airy as I would have liked but I think it’s amazing that this recipe doesn’t even use any eggs or egg substitutes. Thank you for this recipe!
Oriana Romero says
Hello Noura! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for taking the time to come back and let me know! =)
Athmika says
Can I use lime in place of lemon , as I don’t get lemon here . And should I follow the same measurements if I’m using lime ?
Oriana Romero says
Hello Athmika! Yes, you use the same amount of lime. Thanks for your interest in my recipe. Please come back and let me know how you like it =)
Renee says
Yummy! Used almond/coconut milk mix
Oriana Romero says
Hello Renee! Sounds like you nailed it. Thanks so much for trying my recipe and for taking the time to come back and let me know!
Mona Desai says
Hi Oriana, my family and i cannot thank you enough for this recipe! I made it for my sister in law’s birthday yesterday, and it came out beautifully!!! It tasted amazing and for a change it was all GONE. My parents in law normally dont care for non Indian dessert, but i was so happy that not only did they eat it, but had seconds and told me leave the leftovers!!! that happens like… NEVER 🙂 all the credit goes to you dear Oriana.
I also made the chocolate cake and my kids who are adult ate it all !!!!! Planning to try vanilla cake today!!
Oriana Romero says
Hello Mona!! WOW…what a compliment! I made my day with this comment. I am so glad your whole family enjoys my recipe. This lemon cake is also one of my family’s fave =)
Ramya Arun says
I think you really are the goddess of eggless baking! Made this with frosting and candied lemons! OH SO YUM! The entire cake vanished in under ten min! This was my first lemon dessert. Thank you so very much! I didn’t know eggless baking could actually be yummy till I came to your website.
Oriana Romero says
Hello Ramya! WOOHOO … sounds like you nailed it! if you liked this recipe you are going to love my new Eggless Orange Cake recipe …It is soooo delicious! Thanks so much for trusting my recipes =)
Sumitra says
Hi I’d like to only make one 6inch cake – how much do I need to adjust the recipe?
Oriana Romero says
Hello Sumitra! I would recommend to cut the recipe into thirds to make one 6-inch cake pan. Hope that helps!
Kal says
Hi,
The recipe sounds so good.. how many people will this serve (as per the measurements stated herein) ?
I have to make for this weekend mother’s day for about 10 people. I really can’t do any guesswork here.
Please help. Also are all these standard US cup measurements?
Thanks!!
Kal
Oriana Romero says
Hello Kal! This will serve 12 people. Yes, I use US cup measurements, but I recommend using a kitchen scale for best results. Thanks for your interest in my recipe. Please come back and let me know how you like it =)
Nicole says
I made this cake last night and everyone loved it. It’s so good and really moist. No one would ever know that it didn’t contain a single egg. Thanks for the great recipe!
Oriana Romero says
Hello Nicole – So glad you enjoyed this recipe. Thanks so much for trying my recipe!
Sudha says
Hi Oriana. Thanks for your recipes as always. Being a home Baker and still a novice, tried the above recipe. It’s delicious… Added citrus flavored chocolate glaze (on kids insistence) and dried apricot shavings. It baked well and tastes amazing. Can’t thank you enough.
Oriana Romero says
Hello Sudha! Wow, what a compliment! I’m so glad you enjoyed it and thank you so much for taking the time to come back and let me know!
I hope my recipes inspire you to continue baking. Please make sure to reach out of you have any questions or special requests. I am happy to help! ?
Patricia says
I have to also be gluten free. Do you think I could sub a gluten free flour mix ?
Oriana Romero says
Hello Patricia! Yes, I think it will work fine with gluten-free flour mix. Thanks for your interest in my recipe. Please come back and let me know how you like it =)