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
Absolutely loved this cake. I cooked for 38 minutes, which might have been a bit long, because the bottom was browner than the one in the video, but it did not make any difference. The contrast between the gooey layer and the cake layer (and the middle layer) is what makes this cake unique. New to this blog but will definitely now follow.
Cate says
This cake turned out beautifully and got rave reviews. Do you know how it does with freezing? I want to try to ship one to a friend who loves lemon.
★★★★★
Jenna says
I haven’t tried it but I would assume it would freeze ok!
Rachel Cannon says
If the fact that I couldn’t stop eating the batter (both the cake and the lemon cream) is any indication, this cake is going to be awesome. Easy to make, too–and thanks for the helpful tips!
★★★★★
Sarah says
Sorry to ask about changing your carefully crafted recipe! Do you think lemon curd could be substituted for the lemon cream in order to avoid using cream cheese?
Jenna says
Unfortunately I don’t think that will work! The curd will likely just blend in to the cake.
Cg says
Gonna try it for my church gathering, but I’m gonna use GF flour since I see other folks have used it w/o issues !
Super excited to share with my friends at church
Blessings
★★★★★
Abeer AlAsam says
I will bake this cake for my brother birthday this week. Can I refrigerate it over night?
★★★★★
Jenna says
Yes you can refrigerate it overnight! Just make sure it’s covered so it doesn’t dry out.
Kristin says
This recipe is amazing. I will definitely be making it again and again.
★★★★★
Abby says
10/10 would definitely recommend this recipe!! The cake comes out perfectly gooey with a beautiful golden crust❤️ There is nothing more sinfully delicious. I’ve already had three pieces and had to stop myself from eating the whole thing lol
★★★★★
Cindy says
I really like this recipe overall but I thought there was too much sugar so I cut down the sugar in the cake by 25 g. I also used just half the icing sugar in the lemon cream and still found it to be very sweet. I didn’t find this to affect the consistency of the cream.
★★★★
Shiri says
Thanks for this update! I’m planning to make it for a family member but no way can they eat something with such a huge amount of sugar so I’m happy to hear that it’s possible to reduce and keep the consistency / taste. Much appreciated!
Eri says
Epic recipe 🙂 thank you for sharing this delicious dessert. Easy to make and the results are perfect. Is there an alternative to the cream cheese? Would mascarpone do the trick?
★★★★★
Jenna says
I haven’t tried it, but mascarpone could potentially work
Robin says
This is one of the most delicious cakes I’ve baked in a long time. My husband is not a lemon lover and was quite skeptical, but he LOVED IT. He’s asking when I will make it again. As he said, it’s perfectly balanced with the sweet and tang from the lemons.
Making it again this weekend!
★★★★★
Chris says
It was very easy to make and looks beautiful on the table. Even better it’s delicious! I added 2 tbsp of lemon juice to the cream and cut back on the sugar but could probably cut back and do 2 cups icing sugar rather than 3. But wow, really impressive.
★★★★★
Marielle says
Simply amazing! Thank you for this recipe! 🙂
★★★★★
Alisia says
WOW. Just made this, came out perfectly! This is a restaurant-quality dessert. I had extra lemon juice so I added it to the lemon cream. Next time I’ll half the recipe because it’s a really rich cake, you only need a tiny slice. Amazing recipe, thank you!
★★★★★
VB says
Hi, I saw this on your Instagram, it looks so tempting! I really wanna make it for my family, but they don’t eat eggs, is there anything I could substitute that with?
★★★★★
Jenna says
Unfortunately I haven’t tested it without eggs so I can’t recommend as substitution that I trust!
Cecilia says
I baked this yesterday it was great but found it a little bit too sweet .
Will try to reduce the sugar next round.
★★★★★
Anna says
Easy to make, absolutely delicious, and quite pretty. Even more perfect when paired with fresh raspberries.
★★★★★
Kirtana says
If I don’t have cream cheese, is it possible to substitute it with fresh cream
Jenna says
Unfortunately not, as the cream topping will then be too runny.
Whitney says
This looks amazing. So excited to try. Can I make a day ahead and set overnight in the fridge?
Thank you!!!
Jenna says
Yes! The cake can chill overnight which will help set the cream on top.
Kim says
Just delicious!
★★★★★