Lemon Cake with lemon buttercream
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Total time: about 4-5 hrs (only about an hour of hands on work)
Makes: A 3 layer 8 inch cake. For me, I had a lot of extra buttercream

Ingredients:
3 cups (354g) sifted all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (16 Tbsp; 2 sticks; 226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature (sit on counter an hour or so)
1 3/4 cups (350g) granulated sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup (240ml) whole milk, at room temperature
1 heaping Tablespoon lemon zest (about 2 lemons)
1/3 cup (80ml) fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)

Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting Ingredients:
1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
8 ounces (226g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
4 1/2 cups (540g) confectioners’ sugar
2 Tablespoons (30ml) fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
pinch salt, to taste

Instructions:
1) Preheat oven to 350F. Grease three 8-inch cake pans, line with parchment paper rounds, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans.
Make the cake: 
2) Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
3) Beat the butter and sugar together on high speed in mixer with paddle or whisk until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. 
4) Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract on high speed until combined, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. 
5) With mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients just until combined. Then add the milk, lemon zest, and lemon juice and mix just until combined. You may need to whisk it all by hand to make sure there are no lumps at the bottom of the bowl. The batter will be a little thick.
6) Divide the batter evenly between cake pans. Bake 21–26 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
7) Allow cakes to cool completely in the pans set on a wire rack. The cakes must be completely cool before frosting and assembling. (About 1.5 hrs)
Make the frosting: 
8) Beat the butter on medium speed in mixer with paddle or whisk until creamy, about 2 minutes. 
9) Add the cream cheese and beat until completely smooth and combined. 
10) Add confectioners’ sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla extract with the mixer running on low. 
11) Increase to high speed and beat for 3 minutes. Add more confectioners’ sugar if frosting is too thin, more lemon juice if frosting is too thick, or add a pinch of salt if frosting is too sweet. 
Assemble and decorate: 
12) Using a large serrated knife, slice a thin layer off the tops of the cakes to create a flat surface. Discard (or crumble over ice cream!). 
13) Place 1 cake layer on your cake stand, cake turntable, or serving plate. Evenly cover the top with about 1 cup of frosting. Top with 2nd cake layer and evenly cover the top with about 1 cup of frosting. Top with the third cake layer. Spread the remaining frosting all over the top and sides.
14) Optional: if you have frosting left, Color it Yellow + pipe (with tip + pipe bag) a fun design onto cake. 
15) Optional: Melt chocolate and pipe design onto wax paper (with printed design underneath), freeze + transfer to cake... Or just draw on cake if confident
16) Refrigerate for at least 30–45 minutes before slicing. This helps the cake hold its shape when cutting.

Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for 5 days.

Tips:
- Make Ahead Instructions: The cake layers can be baked, cooled, and covered tightly at room temperature overnight. Likewise, the frosting can be prepared then covered and refrigerated overnight. Let the frosting sit at room temperature to slightly soften for 10 minutes before assembling and frosting. Frosted cake or unfrosted cake layers can be frozen up to 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before decorating/serving. 
- Lemon Cupcakes: This recipe yields about 30 lemon cupcakes. Bake for 18–22 minutes. Use a toothpick to test for doneness. For 1 dozen cupcakes, here is my lemon cupcakes recipe. They taste identical to the cake!
- 9×13-inch Cake: This batter will fit into a 9×13-inch pan. Fill 2/3 full. If there’s extra batter, you can make a few cupcakes. Bake time will be around 40 minutes; use a toothpick to test for doneness.

Leah + Jeff love this. Katie isn't a strong lemon fan.

Based on: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/lemon-cake/#tasty-recipes-66829