Lemon Butter Cake

This lemon butter cake has a buttery lemon crust with a gooey filling packed with tart lemon flavour. It’s like a cross between a lemon bar and cheesecake. The filling sinks down into the crust when baking, creating an irresistible, gooey center. The cake is easy to make and is quite possibly one of my favourite lemon desserts. 

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Why you will LOVE this recipe:

• Gooey: It has a gooey, creamy filling that’s tart and packed with lemon flavour. 
• Buttery: The crust is buttery and zesty. 
• Easy: The cake comes together easily without an electric mixer. The crust and filling couldn’t be easier to make and more impressive.
• Lemon: It’s packed with tart lemon flavour. No need for any lemon extracts. 

Jump to:

• Why you will LOVE this recipe:
• Loads of lemon flavour without extract
• How to get that gooey filling
• Buttery lemon cake batter
• Flavour variations
• Make ahead & storage
• Key ingredients
• Step by step: cake batter
• How to make the gooey filling
• FAQ
• Check out these other recipes:
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Loads of lemon flavour without extract

I don't like the flavour of lemon extract so I've discovered an alternate way to get loads of lemon flavour naturally.

I like to rub together sugar and lemon zest with my fingers before adding everything else. The sugar helps to release all of that lemon oil in the zest. It'll start becoming pale yellow and maybe a touch clumpy.

It's actually a really satisfying sensory experience too!

How to get that gooey filling

The cake batter is topped with a cream cheese custard filling. As it bakes, the custard sinks into the middle of the cake, creating a gooey filling.

The lemon butter cake filling uses egg yolks to help thicken, which also helps make the middle a lemon yellow colour without using yellow food colouring. It makes it extra rich.

Just a few simple ingredients (plus lemon juice and zest) create a gooey filling that tastes like a cross between lemon bars and cheesecake.

Buttery lemon cake batter

The cake batter is packed with butter and lemon. It's tart, sweet, and slightly chewy from the butter. It puffs up in the oven then settles into a dense, moist cake with chewy edges. Almost like a lemon bar but much softer and cake-like.

Since it has lots of butter in it I recommend using a good quality real butter. Cultured butter will give the cake an even more complex flavour.

If you're using a springform baking pan, I recommend placing it on top of a cookie sheet to catch any butter that may drip out the bottom when baking. I forgot to and a few drops of butter dripped onto the bottom of my oven, setting off my smoke alarm.

Flavour variations

You can make this into all different flavours! Just swap the lemon juice and zest with your citrus of choice:

• lime gooey butter cake
• grapefruit gooey butter cake
• orange (or even blood orange) gooey butter cake

Make ahead & storage

For the best gooey texture, I recommend serving the cake warm out of the oven.

For a firmer texture, chill the cake for a few hours or overnight (like you would a cheesecake). Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.

This lemon butter cake will keep well in the fridge (store in an airtight container or cake carrier) for up to 3 days. You can freeze slices in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Wrap them in parchment paper to prevent them from sticking in the freezer.

Key ingredients

Full steps and ingredients in recipe card below. But read through these for all the tips you will need for success!

Lemons: Fresh lemons give the cake all the lemon flavour.

Cream cheese: Use full fat brick style cream cheese.

Powdered sugar: Don't replace this with granulated sugar or the filling will be gritty.

Egg yolks: This gives the filling a yellow colour and thickens the filling

Butter: The cake batter has lots of butter so use a good quality real butter for best flavour and results

All purpose flour: Weigh the flour to get the most accurate results. If you don’t have a scale, measure properly by stirring the bag and spooning gently into a measuring cup. Scrape the excess off the top with the flat edge off a knife without packing it into the cup.

Step by step: cake batter

Step 1 - Preheat oven to 340°F (170°C). Grease a 9” round springform pan with a small piece of butter. If using a regular round pan, make sure to line the bottom and sides with parchment paper to be able to lift it out easily.

Step 2 - Combine grated lemon zest, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Using your fingers, rub the mixture until the sugar becomes fragrant and pale yellow. 

Step 3 - Add the melted cooled butter, egg, lemon juice, and whisk to combine. Sift flour and baking powder into the same bowl. Gently fold with a spatula to make a thick batter. 

Step 4 - Spread batter evenly into the greased baking pan. 

How to make the gooey filling

Step 1 - Combine cream cheese and powdered sugar in a large bowl. Mix with a spatula to break up any lumps.

Step 2 - Add salt, egg yolks, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Whisk until smooth and creamy. You can use an electric mixer but you don’t need to. 

Step 3 - Pour the filling onto the batter. Place the baking pan onto a larger baking sheet (this will catch any butter leaking out of the bottom). Place into the middle of the oven. 

Step 4 - Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the middle is puffed. If you see it browning too quickly, tent the top with a piece of aluminum foil. 

Step 5 - Let cool for 10 minutes before releasing the sides of the pan or lifting out the cake. Slide it onto a serving plate and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve. 

FAQ

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Happy baking!

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