Small Lemon Cake Recipe (6 Inch) - Homemade In The Kitchen (2024)

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This Small Lemon Cake recipe is a 6 inch lemon cake for two from scratch then decorated with homemade lemon buttercream frosting.


Small Lemon Cake Recipe (6 Inch) - Homemade In The Kitchen (1)

Yesterday I brought you my lemon buttercream frosting. Today I’m bringing you part 2 of that recipe – my Small Lemon Cake recipe!

After all, you can’t have frosting without a cake to go with it.

I’ve had a 6 inch lemon cake on my recipe to-do list for several years. Besides chocolate, lemon is one of my favorite dessert flavors.

I also had this vintage lemon tray I’ve been dying to use as a prop. You’ll see it later in the post. I bought it sometime between 2014-2017 when I lived at a previous apartment.

Every food stylist will tell you there’s always that one prop waiting for its day to shine, even if it has to wait a few years on the shelf.

Anyway, back to the cake. Spring always reminds me of lemon, so that was the inspiration behind this lemon cake recipe.

It’s a buttery small lemon cake paired with a lemon buttercream frosting. Definitely a burst of lemon in every bite!

I made 4 times in order to get it perfect. It should’ve been correct on the third round, but I made a dumb baking mistake.

Hint – make sure your oven is ready to go and don’t let the batter sit around before it bakes. Otherwise it’ll sink in the middle.

My easy small lemon cake recipe also makes a great spring dessert to go with your Easter Dinner For Two.

Want to impress on presentation? Go for two layers with my lemon raspberry cake.


Small Lemon Cake Recipe (6 Inch) - Homemade In The Kitchen (2)

What pan do I need to bake this small lemon cake recipe?

To make the best lemon cake recipe, you will need a 6 inch round cake pan (affiliate link).

You can also check out the cake decorating section of your local craft store.

Don’t have a 6 inch pan? Check out my small batch Lemon Cupcakes.

How many servings are in a 6 inch cake?

Generally 6 inch cakes can be sliced into 4-6 slices, making about 4-6 servings per 6 inch cake.

Sometimes if you slice the cake small enough, you can push for 8 slices, equaling 8 servings.

Ultimately serving size is up to you depending on how small you cut your small lemon cake recipe.


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How To Make A Moist Lemon Cake From Scratch

Like most small cake recipes, first you beat together the butter and sugar. Then you beat in the egg.

The first time I made this small lemon cake recipe, I made it with 4 tablespoons butter. However, the cake was thinner than I’d like, so I bumped it up to 6 tablespoons. Much better!

Next, you want to alternate adding your dry ingredients with the buttermilk. This method is important.

Adding the milk all at once could cause the batter to split from oversaturation.

However, adding all of the dry ingredients at once will thicken the batter greatly and will likely overmix, causing a tough cake.

Add the dry ingredients in three additions while adding the buttermilk in two additions, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.

Transfer your batter to a 6 inch round cake pan and bake until done.


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Can you substitute milk for the buttermilk?

Buttermilk is used so its acidity can react with the baking soda.

However, if you don’t have any, you can substitute whole milk as long as you add acid to it. Otherwise, the cake won’t rise properly.

Add 1 teaspoon lemon juice or vinegar to 1/4 cup whole milk. Let sit for 5 minutes or until the milk curdles.


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Can I add lemon extract to lemon cake?

Most people don’t have lemon extract, so I didn’t use it. However, if you do have some in your pantry you can add 1 teaspoon lemon extract with the egg.

Although lemon extract isn’t required, it does add an extra lemony kick.

Please leave the lemon juice in the recipe. Baking is a science, so your cake may not bake properly if you take it out.

Can I use bottled lemon juice for lemon cake?

I highly recommend using fresh lemon juice for this small lemon cake recipe. Bottled lemon juice will never be as fresh as the real deal, especially when baking.

Plus it contains preservatives, which may or may not affect baking.


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What is the best frosting for lemon cake?

What better frosting to pair with my small lemon cake recipe than lemon buttercream frosting?

It makes enough to frost a 6 inch cake without leftovers.

You can also use my strawberry buttercream, coconut frosting, small batch cream cheese frosting, strawberry cream cheese frosting, or raspberry cream cheese frosting.

Want another flavor? Check out my full list of small batch frosting recipes.


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Equipment You Will Need



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More Small Cake Recipes

Looking for more small cake recipes? Check out my full list of 6 inch Cake Recipes. Some favorites are:

  • Small Yellow Cake
  • Small Vanilla Cake recipe
  • Small Strawberry Cake
  • Small Carrot Cake recipe
  • Small Coconut Cake
Small Lemon Cake Recipe (6 Inch) - Homemade In The Kitchen (9)

Small Lemon Cake Recipe

Yield: 4-6 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

This Small Lemon Cake recipe is a 6 inch lemon cake for two from scratch then decorated with homemade lemon buttercream frosting.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup + 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour (*see Note about using cake flour)
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • 1 egg, room temperature
  • 1/4 cup buttermilk, room temperature (or substitute 1/4 cup whole milk + 1 teaspoon lemon juice or white distilled vinegar)
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (not bottled)

Frosting Options (Pick One)

  • Lemon Buttercream
  • Vanilla Buttercream
  • Strawberry Buttercream
  • Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
  • Cream Cheese Frosting

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease one 6-inch round cake pan then line the bottom with parchment paper.
  2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and cornstarch then stir in baking soda and salt.
  3. In a large mixing bowl (with the paddle attachment if using a stand mixer), beat together the butter, sugar, and lemon zest until light and creamy, about 1-2 minutes.
  4. Scrape down the bowl then beat in the egg for 1 minute.
  5. Add the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk, adding the flour in 3 additions and the milk in 2 additions (begin and end with dry ingredients). Add the lemon juice.
  6. Transfer the batter to the pan. Bake 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool for about 15 minutes, run a knife along the edge of the pan to loosen, and invert onto a cooling rack. Cool right-side-up.
  7. Decorate with frosting of choice.

    Cover and store the frosted cake at room temperature for up to 2 days (buttercream only) or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week (buttercream and cream cheese). For best results, let the refrigerated cake sit at room temperature 15-30 minutes before serving.

Notes

  • To substitute cake flour, use 3/4 cup cake flour and omit the cornstarch.
  • Enjoyed this recipe? Check out my full list of Small Cake Recipes
  • Want to make cupcakes? Check out my Small Batch Lemon Cupcakes.
  • Making this for Easter? Check out my Easter Dinner For Two menu for more recipe ideas

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Small Lemon Cake Recipe (6 Inch) - Homemade In The Kitchen (2024)

FAQs

Can you use lemon juice instead of water in a lemon cake mix? ›

Sprinkle in lemon or orange zest to give your box cake batter a hint of zing. You can also replace the water with lemon, orange or lime juice or soda. Use this method with any type of cake mix, but it works best with lemon, yellow and white cake.

How to make a lemon drizzle cake Mary Berry? ›

Lemon drizzle cake with lemon curd and double cream
  1. 350g/12oz butter, softened, plus extra for greasing.
  2. 350g/12oz caster sugar.
  3. 4 lemons, zest only, plus juice of 2 lemons.
  4. 3 large pieces candied lemon peel , finely chopped.
  5. 6 free-range eggs.
  6. 3 tsp baking powder.
  7. 300g/10½oz self-raising flour.
  8. 50g/2oz cornflour.

How much lemon zest to add to cake mix? ›

Adding just a tablespoon of lemon zest can add a subtle zing to most any vanilla, yellow or even angel food cake. And if want a little extra zing to match the colorful insides of this Funfetti cake, try this!

How many calories in a small lemon cake? ›

Common serving sizes
Serving SizeCalories
1 piece (1/10 1-layer, 8" or 9" dia)232
100 g352
1 piece (1/12 2-layer, 8" or 9" dia)384
1 bundt or tube cake3956
2 more rows
Aug 21, 2007

Can I use bottled lemon juice instead of fresh for baking? ›

If not otherwise stated in the recipe, if it calls for lemon juice, it means fresh lemons, and not bottled. Most recipe ingredients mean the fresh version, unless otherwise stated. Bottled lemon juice is an acceptable alternative if you have no fresh lemon to hand (well, barely tolerable rather than acceptable).

What happens when you mix lemon juice and baking powder? ›

When baking powder is mixed with lemon juice, bubbles formed because of evolution of carbon dioxide gas. This is a chemical change, because in this reaction new substances are formed.

What happens if you put too much lemon juice in a cake? ›

Cutting too much lemon for a recipe can result in a dish that is excessively sour or acidic. This can overpower the other flavors and make the dish unbalanced.

How do you increase the flavor of lemon in a cake? ›

To add extra lemon flavor to baked goods, use 1 tablespoon lemon juice powder for each cup of flour.

Why is my lemon cake not fluffy? ›

Most cakes begin with creaming butter and sugar together. Butter is capable of holding air and the creaming process is when butter traps that air. While baking, that trapped air expands and produces a fluffy cake. No properly creamed butter = no air = no fluffiness.

Why is my lemon cake heavy? ›

8. My cake is very dense. This could be because a/ the cake mixture hasn't had enough air beaten into it, b/ the eggs were added too quickly and curdled or c/ there's not enough raising agent.

How many lemons does it take to make 2 tablespoons of lemon zest? ›

It varies from lemon to lemon, but one medium-sized lemon equals about two to three tablespoons juice and about one tablespoon lemon zest.

How many calories in a slice of homemade lemon cake? ›

A slice of homemade lemon cake contains about 200 to 250 calories. The lemon zest and juice add flavor without contributing too many calories, making it a relatively lighter option.

How much sugar is in a lemon cake? ›

Lemon cake, lemon nutrition facts and analysis per 1 cake (68.0 g)
Carbohydrates
NutrientAmount
Sugars26.00 g
Sugars, added25.02 g
Net carbs42 g
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Can I use juice instead of water in a cake mix? ›

Because buttermilk is extra thick, use a few more tablespoons than the recipe calls for. You can also think 'outside of the box and use other non-dairy liquids: Try swapping out the water for soda, juice (orange juice is great with vanilla / yellow cake), or even a stout beer or coffee (for chocolate cake).

What does lemon juice do in a cake? ›

To balance flavors: Lemon juice can play a great balancing role in baked goods. We sometimes use it in our cookies to balance out a sweet flavor profile.

What can you substitute for water in a cake mix? ›

Baking tip #2: adding milk to your box cake mix in place of water adds a dense texture to your dessert leaving it moist and flavorful like a homemade cake. Or, if you prefer, you can add buttermilk, giving your cake a tangy flavor to balance out the sweetness.

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