This lemon sponge cake is incredibly delicious and super easy to make. It’s one of my favorite family recipes. It takes literally 10 minutes to throw the batter together. It’s a simple recipe with basic ingredients and big flavour. I have included a strawberry lemon glaze recipe as well, but this cake tastes great on its own. It’s the perfect cake to serve with coffee or tea. It’s lemony and light and everything that a sponge cake should be. You’re going to love it!
I sometimes top the cakes with sliced almonds for extra flavour and crunch. This recipe makes two round 9 inch cakes. If you want to make only one, divide the recipe in half. If you’re making two, you also have the option of making a layer cake.
I usually just put a little strawberry jam between the two layers. Strawberry and lemon go really well together and those are two of my mom’s favorite flavours. If it’s a special occasion like today, Mother’s Day, I like to drizzle the cake with a glaze and decorate it with edible flowers. A good friend of mine, Tania, brought these ones back from Germany for me. They’re so pretty and she’s so thoughtful. She always brings me back fun culinary treats from her travels.
We just got back from Mother’s Day dinner. My mom loved the cake. She took a couple pieces home with her too. 🙂 There was just enough cake left and just enough sunlight to take a photo to show you what it looks like inside. It has a really light and fluffy texture and the lemon flavour really comes through.
Enjoy!
Light Lemon Sponge Cake
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 6 large eggs
- 1 lemon, juice and zest
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
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Add the sugar, eggs, and lemon zest to a large bowl. Whisk for 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. You can whisk for longer if you have the time for it. It will make the cake lighter and fluffier.
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Grease two 9 inch round pans. I generally grease cake pans with butter and for extra insurance, I sometimes cover the bottom of the pans with parchment paper.
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Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
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Add the lemon juice and the vegetable oil to the bowl. Whisk until well combined.
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In another bowl, add the flour and baking powder. Whisk to combine.
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Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix until incorporated.
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Bake at 325 degrees for 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. If you’re baking this recipe in one large deep pan it will take longer to bake.
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Allow the cakes to cool for 15 minutes before turning out them out onto a serving dish.
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp strawberry jam
- 1 cup icing sugar
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Add the lemon juice and strawberry jam to a small bowl. Whisk to combine. Strain through a sieve into another bowl.
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Add the icing sugar and whisk until smooth. Pour the glaze onto the cooled cake.