Moist, slightly dense (in a good way) cake that uses lemon peel infused milk, lemon zest, and a lemon soak to get a lemon-forward flavor without the risk of falling to pieces or curdling from lemon and milk fighting in the batter. Pairs perfectly with strawberry buttercream and a berry jam or lemon curd (or both!) filling.

Just Mercy. Please, go watch it. I may have teared up or even cried more than a couple times while watching it. And while it inspired a lot of thoughts and feelings and convictions about the movie and society, I don’t think it’s my place right now to espouse them. For now, as a white person, I think it’s my job to sit with those emotions and learn from them, learn from this story, before I start acting like my feelings make me some expert.

I also think it’s my job to suggest the movie to every white person I can.

Trust me, it’s good. Go watch it.

Old-fashioned lemon cake

I’ve been searching for a good lemon cake for years. I’ve had a couple successes, but lemon tends to dry out a cake, since you’re replacing something creamy like milk with lemon juice. That’s when I got the idea to use lemon peel infused milk! Milk infusions are kinda my thing this year, so it was perfect. You keep the moisture of milk while still bringing a nice lemon flavor.

Since I went with a more old-fashioned style cake, I also added a lemon soak, but it is optional. I knew I wanted to fill this cake with strawberry buttercream, lemon curd, and strawberry jam, which risks a sliding cake. This cake is moist, with a slightly denser crumb that is ideal for cutting in half to make room for more layers of fillings. If you’re looking for a fluffy lemon cake with a higher ratio of cake to filling, stay tuned. I’m still testing recipes!

How to make old-fashioned lemon cake

I used the reverse crumb method here, because it’s less likely to end up with the curdled-looking batter the creaming method (where you cream butter and sugar first) can take on with lemon in it. It was probably unnecessary, but I liked the old-fashioned texture it gave to the final cake. First, use a potato peeler to get large chunks of lemon zest—careful to avoid the white pith—from 1-2 lemons (or 3-4, cause lemon is life).

Place lemon zest peel and milk in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir frequently, until it just begins to bubble and simmer. Remove from heat and let steep until room temperature, about 20-30 minutes. You can get everything else ready while you wait.

Next, combine the dry ingredients (including finely grated lemon zest) in the bowl of your stand mixer and whisk well to help the lemon zest release its flavor.

Add the butter in chunks and beat on low to combine then on medium to get a wet sand texture.

Combine the wet ingredients in another bowl. Strain the lemon peel from the milk and slowly stream it into the other wet ingredients, >>>

With the mixer on low, slowly stream the wet ingredients into the butter flour crumble. Once it’s all in there, scrape down the bowl then mix on medium >>>>>>>

Bake .>>>>>>>

When the cakes are cool, level if necessary and cut in half if desired (that’s what I did). Make the lemon soak by combining the lemon juice (you can use the zested lemons) and sugar in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir constantly just until the sugar is dissolved. Immediately brush over each layer of cake. If you didn’t level or halve them, you may need to let it soak in a little then brush some more, as it’s more difficult for it to penetrate the uncut top of a cake.

Fill and frost as desired. Enjoy!

Tips for this recipe

Don’t peel or zest the pith

Pith is that white part between the zest and the fruit. It’s actually fairly good for you, but this is cake. Save it for something else. Pith is bitter and that bitterness can be magnified during the milk infusion. I’ve never had an issue with it while getting larger pieces, but it’s a common mistake to over grate when getting traditional zest (think grated parmesan size). Of all things, Guy Fieri taught me to just make one swipe then rotate the lemon. If your lemons are a little softer or your grater isn’t super sharp, you might need a couple passes over the same spot, but err on the side of caution so you don’t grate the pith.

Use fresh lemons

Older lemons tend to get softer, making the peeled and grated zest parts more difficult. Plus, the lemon flavor isn’t as bright. If possible, use newer lemons and save the softer ones for lemonade or a whiskey sour.

Don’t burn the milk

Technically, you’re scalding the milk by letting it bubble (or if it reaches 180 degrees). That helps the lemon flavor come through and also helps the cake be fluffier. However, it can go from scalded to burnt quickly, so watch it carefully.

Make your own cake flour

Store bought cake flour does work slightly better, but there’s minimal difference if you make your own. It’s fairly easy! I do a cheater version where for each 1/2 cup I place a tablespoon of cornstarch in the 1/2 cup measurer (or 2 tablespoons for each 1 cup) then fill it the rest of the way up by scooping all purpose flour in with a spoon then leveling. Just be sure to sift it TWICE.

You might also like:

• Lemon Curd Vanilla Cupcakes

• White Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes

• No-Bake Lemon Curd Tart

• No-Bake Raspberry Lemon Tart

• Orange Olive Oil Cake with Orange Chocolate Glaze