This gooey lemon butter cake is the ultimate lemon dessert! Tender lemon cake is baked with a layer of lemon cream curd on top. The curd sinks into the cake as it bakes, creating a super moist lemon cake with a puddle of creamy lemon curd on top. It tastes just as good as it looks and sounds…if not better!
What is gooey lemon butter cake?
The inspiration for this recipe came from classic gooey butter cake. If you’ve never tried it, it’s essentially a thin and dense cake baked with a layer of cream cheese and butter on top.
Basically, it’s sweet ooey gooey goodness. But for this lemon version, I wanted to create something that was more of a mash up between fluffy lemon cake and rich lemon bars.
To do so, the base is made up of a lemon cake that isn’t too dense or too light. It’s able to hold the weight of the topping while also baking all the way through.
The topping was the trickiest part because it kept overpowering the cake which made it difficult to set and cook through. But through the power of testing, this cake is now just right!
It bakes with a super tender and moist fresh lemon cake with a layer of rich and smooth lemon cream on top. The cream bakes into a creamy and pudding-like consistency that melts in your mouth.
Both layers are baked with fresh lemon, which means the entire dessert is bursting with zesty lemon flavor. It pairs perfectly with the rich cake and creamy topping.
How to make lemon butter cake
Not only is this cake a major crowd pleaser, but it’s also really easy to make! Just spread and pour into a pan, bake, chill, and it’s done. But to ensure it turns out just right, here are my top tips:
Lemon Cake
- Flour – I say this for every recipe, and especially cake. If possible, weigh the flour rather than measure by cups. This is the most accurate way of baking. If a kitchen scale isn’t available, gently spoon the flour into a measuring cup and level it off with a flat edge. This prevents the flour from packing down into the cup, creating a tough and dry cake.
- Butter – For the best flavor, I suggest using quality butter like cultured European style. Of course this isn’t mandatory, but it does give the cake tons of flavor. Also make sure the melted butter has cooled before use.
- Lemons – Don’t skip on the zest and definitely use fresh lemon juice! It has a much stronger and true flavor and it’s not as tart as packaged lemon juice.
- Mixing – The batter is mixed by hand, so it’s difficult to over mix. In any case, stop mixing right when the flour disappears. If the cake batter is over worked, it will likely struggle to bake all the way through.
Lemon Cream
- Cream Cheese – First and foremost, make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature before use. If not, the cream will turn out lumpy with clumps of cream cheese throughout. Second, I highly recommend Philadelphia block cream cheese as it has the best consistency and flavor out of any other cream cheese I’ve tried.
- Mixing – Mix in the powdered sugar one cup at a time, ensuring each is fully incorporated before adding the next. The sugar helps smooth and thin out the cream cheese which helps when mixing in the egg after.
- Egg – Speaking of, use a room temperature egg. If the egg is too cold, it could freeze up some of the cream cheese.
- Pouring – Pour the cream into the center of the spread lemon cake batter. It’s thin enough to where it will naturally spread out to the edges. It does not have to touch the sides of the pan, but it should nearly cover the entire surface of the cake.
How to tell when lemon butter cake is done
The toothpick test doesn’t work here as it will pick up the wet cream topping on the way out. To tell that it’s done, look at the surface of the cake.
The cream should form a dry and golden skin with small cracks around the edges. The cake will also have a golden ring around the edge and be slightly puffed in the center.
Chilling lemon butter cake
This part is ESSENTIAL to the process, as chilling the cake allows the cream to set. The cake will rest for about 30 minutes at room temperature and then it’s chilled uncovered for a least 2 hours.
Serving gooey lemon butter cake
This cake can be served straight from the refrigerator, but I like it to soften up at room temperature for about 30 minutes before eating. This allows the cake to loosen up so each bite just melts in your mouth.
How to store lemon cake
Keep the cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will keep for up to a week!
For more lemon desserts, check out my:
- Lemon Cupcakes
- Lemon Zucchini Bread (GF, DF)
- Lemon Blueberry Muffins
- Lemon Bar Butter Cookies
- Lemon Poppy Seed Bread (GF, DF)
Make sure to tag me @butternutbakery on Instagram and leave a review below if you make this gooey lemon butter cake. To pin this recipe and save it for later, you can use the button on the recipe card, the buttons above or below this post, or on any of the photos above. Happy baking!
PrintGooey Lemon Butter Cake
- Total Time: 55 minutes + 2 hours cooling
- Yield: 8-10 slices
Description
This gooey lemon butter cake is a combination of the two best lemon desserts – lemon bars and lemon cake. A soft lemon cake is baked with a puddle of lemon cream curd on top. It sinks into the cake as it bakes, creating a tender and moist cake that is bursting with fresh lemon flavor.
Ingredients
Lemon Cake
- 1/2 cup (110g) unsalted butter, melted
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temp
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Zest of 2 lemons (2 tbsp)
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 1/4 cup (165g) all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
Lemon Cream
- 6 oz cream cheese, room temp
- 3 cups (330g) powdered sugar, plus more for dusting on top (spoon the sugar into your measuring cup for light and fluffy cups)
- 1 large egg, room temp
- Zest of 1 lemon (1 tbsp)
Instructions
Lemon Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350F and grease and line a 9″ round springform pan.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the butter and sugar. Then add the egg, vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice and mix to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix until smooth.
- Spread the thick batter in an even layer in the bottom of the springform pan. Set aside.
Lemon Cream
- In a mixing bowl using a hand or stand mixer with the whisk attachment, mix the cream cheese until smooth.
- Mix in the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, until thin and creamy.
- Then mix in the egg and lemon zest.
- Pour the cream on top of the lemon batter, pouring right in the middle and allowing it to naturally spread close to the edges. It may need some help fully spreading, so use a spoon to nudge it out close to the sides.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the top has formed a golden skin and it’s evenly puffed.
- Allow the cake to cool at room temperature for about 30 minutes, then transfer to the refrigerator and chill uncovered for about 2 hours. This is important as it allows the cream to set.
- Run a knife around the edge of the pan and release the cake. Top with a dusting of powdered sugar then slice and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
Keywords: lemon cake, lemon butter cake, gooey butter cake, gooey lemon butter cake, lemon cake recipe
Susan says
Can I top the cake with a jam after the cake has cooled down, and if so,, which flavor jam do you recommend ?
Jenna says
I would suggest serving the jam on the side and top each slice individually! But just note that the topping on this cake is pretty sweet, so adding jam may take it over the top.
Ann D. says
Your instructions say to “grease and line a 9″ springform pan.”
In a comment you respond to be sure to line the sides if using a 10″ springform pan.
Should BOTH the bottom and sides of any size pan be lined with parchment — and if so, how do you remove or work around the parchment on the bottom of the cake when serving it?
Jenna says
To line the bottom of the pan, I spray the springform then remove the ring. I place a torn sheet of parchment paper over the bottom plate that’s a bit bigger than the plate. Once that’s stuck on, place the ring back on and you’ll have a perfectly lined bottom with parchment paper sticking out the sides of the pan.
Joanne says
Hi, I have this cake in the oven now but will not serve until Sunday (2 days) . Should I leave it in the pan in the refrigerator until then or after a few hours in refrigerator take it out of the pan cover and put it back? Thanks!
Jenna says
I would release it from the pan and then store in the fridge! It can stick to the sides a bit so if you refrigerate it in the pan, it might be difficult to get out.
Selenay says
First of all, thank you for this DIVINE recipe! One of the best I’ve tried! However I have one issue:
The pudding part was waaay too sweet for our family so I tried to change things up and reduce the powdered sugar on the second try. But this obviously affected the texture and it turned out more like a cheesecake.
Do you have any suggestions as to how I can reduce the sugar amount (at least by half) while keeping the consistency as is? Would adding less powdered sugar while increasing the cream cheese help?
★★★★★
Jenna says
When measuring the sugar, make sure to spoon it into the cup and level it off for light and fluffy cups. If you dig the measuring cup straight into the powdered sugar, this will pack it down and thus add extra sugar to the recipe.
Stephanie says
I made these for Easter and followed the recipe exactly. These are SOOO good. The description that these are a cross between lemon loaf and lemon bars was spot on. They are a little on the sweet side but not overly sweet – would love to make these bite size!
★★★★★
Chelsea Hall says
followed recipe exactly and this cake was a hit!! got so many compliments during our easter meal
★★★★★
Janelle says
I am wondering if I can use a 10 inch round springform?
Jenna says
I don’t suggest this as the cake will be spread too thin! It’ll likely turn out dry.
Shanna says
I’ve been baking for years and years and I don’t often get blown away by a recipe anymore. Well I got blown away by this cake, and so did everyone who tried it! It’s a good thing I made 2 of these for Easter. The textures of the cake and cream topping were perfect, even the way edges of the base of the cake got chewy, incredible!
This would be something I would expect to buy at a high end bakery for a crazy price.
This is a crave worthy recipe, if you want to make something different and blow away your friends/family. Try this recipe!
Thanks so much for perfecting this and sharing it with the world ♥️
★★★★★
Jenna says
Thank you so much!
Rileigh says
Delicious spring dessert. I only had a 12 inch springform pan so I multiplied the recipe by 1.5 and it turned out perfectly. Follow the recommendations for the powdered sugar and it’s not too sweet. Paired it with fresh raspberries. The whole family loved it!
Jenna says
Sounds amazing! Thank you!
Stephanie says
Just had to come back for a second comment….I know you recommend letting it sit out for 30 minutes after it has chilled and we did that on Easter, but I think this is even better straight from the refrigerator. This is SOOOOOOO good and very dangerous! Thanks again for another great recipe!
P.S. The springform pan was perfect! Such an easy way to make this with zero sticking!
★★★★★
Marie says
Hello, Jenna. This looks AMAZING! Would I be able to substitute the flour for a Gluten-free flour (Bob’s Red Mill 1:1) of equal measurement?
Jenna says
I haven’t tried it but I think that should work!
Andrea says
So so yummy. Everybody LOVED it. I did do less sugar in both components and also added more lemon. But just taste as you go and add more or less of sugar and lemon. We’ll be making again though. Thanks very much. Oh also, good with Greek yog or whipped cream 😋
Caroline Diver says
How can I make this cake gluten-free?
Jenna says
Sub the flour with an all purpose gluten free baking flour 🙂
Stephanie says
This was so delicious! A definite winner and my husband said we have to save this recipe to keep in rotation!
★★★★★
Lynda says
Loved the recipe …the lemon cream on the top, takes it to another level. I did have a problem with my cake being quite dry despite using slightly more lemon juice ….maybe I needed to remove it from the oven sooner
Teddi says
Love this recipe so much that we are making it as the cake for my baby’s 1st birthday! Question: how long can it sit out at room temp for the party?
Jenna says
So fun! It should be ok for a couple hours.