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
Marina says
Did you test this with GF flour? Do you recommend that I try with GF flour? I would love love this but have to be GF due to celiac.
Jenna says
I haven’t tested it with GF flour but I do think it could work!
Lindsey says
I made it with gf flour and it was so good. Thanks for this recipe!
★★★★★
Jenna says
Oh so good to know!!
Kristen says
Amazing.
I didn’t have spring form pan so I used a 9″ square pan and lined with parchment. Baked at 325 for 40min with my toasty oven.
Finished with some lemon zested powdered sugar for extra zing and it was *chef kiss. Thanks for this recipe!
Amari says
Do you have any suggestions on how I would make this gluten free? It looks so good!
Jenna says
Try swapping the flour with gluten free baking flour 🙂
Simona says
Hi can you confirm which sugar for the lemon cream you have used
Is it granulated/ castor sugar or icing sugar
The recipe looks so yummm
Regards
Simona
Jenna says
Icing sugar for the cream 🙂
Mel says
Fantastic recipe! It’s exactly as you wrote, it’s a mash between a lemon bar and lemon cake. So delicious! And even though we’ve only had a couple slices, I can’t wait to make it again!
Thank you!
★★★★★
Jenna says
Yay! Thank you!!
Cher bartlett says
So this is served cold?
★★★★★
Jenna says
Cold or room temp! At room temp the cream on top is much softer though so it all depends on preference.
Suzie says
I needed a dessert to take to a casual dinner party, and hoped to use some of my extra lemons. This cake was the perfect dish! The hosts actually asked if I would leave the few leftover slices for them.
I followed the recipe exactly as written -but- my lemon cream seemed a bit thick, so I added a scant tablespoon of lemon juice to thin it down. It did take 42 minutes in the oven, and I was a little afraid it wouldn’t set up correctly. After 3 hours in the fridge, it was perfect and delicious!!
This recipe is a keeper!
★★★★★
Jenna says
Yay! Glad to hear it was a hit!
Cara says
Hi
Is there anything else I can substitute for the icing sugar and if I use it can I use less. Thank you.
Jenna says
Unfortunately you need that amount of icing sugar!
Bryeanne says
Incredible cake. A must make. I topped with fresh blueberries.
★★★★★
Casey says
I made this for a gathering last night and it was fantastic! Everyone loved it. I always find lemon bars to be a little greasy on the bottom and the curd on its own to be a little acrid at times. This recipe was perfectly balanced. I will definitely be making this again!
★★★★★
Jenna says
Yay! Thank you so much!
Duane Mottle says
Excellent cake! Easy to make and great reviews from all who had a piece. Nice that you can make it ahead of time (I’m always skeptical when the recipe says it can be made 1-2 days ahead, but the flavour was even more lemony the following day). The most difficult part was knowing when it was done, but follow the instructions and you’ll be fine. Thanks!
★★★★★
Jenna says
Thank you for sharing!!
Max says
Hello ! I’m french, and wanted to be sure I wasn’t going to make a mistake trying this cake at home, did you really use 360g of icing sugar for the cream ? It seems to be a lot compared to all other measurements.
Jenna says
Correct, it’s 3 cups of powdered sugar which are 120g each!
Max says
Thanks a lot for your reply, I’ll try it out !
★★★★★
Geena says
Hiiii!
This looks SO good but I don’t have a springform pan! Can I use a regular pie dish?
Jenna says
Hmmm it might be worth a try? I think it would stick to the pan too much so make sure to really grease it up.
Kayla says
Loved this! I couldn’t decide on a dessert to have for my birthday, but this recipe showed on my for you page on Instagram. It was better than I expected! Lemon bars are one of my favorite desserts, but this was next level. I look forward to making this again. I think it would be great with orange, too. Thank you!!
★★★★★
Grace says
Hi ! Could I just make it as a butter cake and no lemon. Would it still be good ?
Thanks
Jenna says
The acidity in the lemon plays a role in how the cake bakes so leaving it out could change it!
Danni says
Any suggestions of what to use instead of cream cheese if looking to go dairy free?
Thanks 🙂
Jenna says
Dairy free cream cheese 🙂
Debbie says
I just made a big mistake and put 1/2c more of the powdered sugar in! I’m trying to decide if it’s going to be too sweet and not even bring to my party tomorrow. Any thoughts on whether this will be edible and just too sweet? I’m so sad I did this! I miscalculated how many cups a 16oz bags has in it!
Jenna says
It should be ok!
Holly says
Made this recipe today and just could not wait the 2 hours chilling. We ended up indulging while still warm and it was AMAZING. One of the most delicious recipes I’ve made in a long time. Will definitely be saving this one!
★★★★★
Jess says
For some reason my gooey layer ended up on the bottom and the cake ended up on top?! It tasted really nice. I’m not a baker haha
Jenna says
Haha so strange?? That definitely shouldn’t happen but as long as it tastes good, it doesn’t matter 🙂
Maria says
Want to make this but as a tray bake. How would this work do you think?
Jenna says
I’ve had readers do this and it turned out great! Depending on the size of the tray, the cake will likely not have to bake as long.
Bennie says
Fabulous! Made as written except, used Trader Joe’s light cream cheese since that’s what I had on hand. Didn’t have a springform pan. Instead I lined a nine inch straight sided foil pan with a piece of parchment. Rose right to the top but didn’t spill over. My oven runs warm so I did 45 mins on 325. Came out perfect. This is a keeper.
★★★★★
Sarah says
Just made it, it’s cooling now, just wondering did you put the parchment just on the bottom of the pan or did you put it up around the sides of the spring form? I couldn’t get mine to fit well so the edges are flat
Jenna says
I just put it on the bottom 🙂