Lemon Sponge Cake
Lemon Sponge Cake
This is my go to lemon sponge cake recipe. I always use it for birthday cakes and wedding cakes, and it works as either a tray bake or a lemon layer cake.
It’s an easy lemon cake recipe that’s beautifully light. Adding sugar syrup keeps it moist and gives it that extra pop of lemon flavor. You could also add poppy seeds to make a lemon poppy seed sponge.
Decorate as you wish! I think it pairs well with a lemon curd filling and Swiss Meringue Buttercream icing. You could try a cream cheese frosting or simply just a good dollop of whipped cream!
Follow my video and step-by-step recipe to make the best citrus sponge cake!
Love lemon sponge cakes? Try my Lemon Drizzle Cake and my Blueberry Lemon Loaf Cake recipes.
Ingredients
Method
Add all the ingredients to a saucepan over a medium heat and bring to the boil. Set to one side to cool.
In a saucepan over a medium heat, melt the butter. Set it aside to cool for 10 minutes.
In a bowl, massage the lemon zest and sugar together.
Sift over the flour, salt and baking powder.
In a separate jug, mix together the eggs, oil, milk and lemon extract. Pour it over the dry ingredients and whisk to combine.
Pour in the cooled melted butter and whisk to combine.
Bake in 2x 8” square tins (weigh 800g per tin) at 190C for around 25 minutes.
Once baked, cool for 5 minutes, then pour over the sugar syrup.
Remove the cakes from the tin and wrap them in clingfilm. Chill overnight (or for at least 4-6 hours)
Decorate as you wish!
Which brand of cake flour do you use?
Shipton Mill
The BEST lemon sponge recipe ever!! Light, moist, lemon-y without being too much or artificial. Fiancé and I loved it, THANK YOU SO MUCH! 💛
wohoo!!!
Hi Matt,
This recipe could also work for a vanilla or orange sponge cake, right?
Yes totally!
Hello, is there a way to scale this receipe up to use 2x 10″ square tins? Is it ‘just’ the case of doing a bit of maths?
Hello, is there a way to scale this receipe up to use in 2x 10″ square tins? Is it ‘just’ a case of doing a bit of maths?
Hi!! It is a slightlllyyy confusing bit of maths, but I like to use a volume conversion chart. https://www.calculator.net/volume-calculator.html So i convert the volume of the 2lb loaf tin and compare that to the cake tin. Then scale it according to the difference in volume!
Wonderful, thank you for sharing the conversion chart, I am going to give it a go. Wish me luck!
Hey Matt can I use this lemon recipe for like a lemon blueberry layer cake?
worth a go!
Does this cake freezer well if made in advance?
Yes!
Ah okay! You leave the frosting up to us ☺️
The frosting?
I have a buttercream 101 recipe – I use swiss meringue buttercream!
Hey if I want to do it but not lemon with cacao powder instead how much cacao should I add
Cheers love your work
I’m afraid it won’t work as a simple swap for this recipe
Hi is the weight of the eggs shelled or whole.
Cracked then weighed
That would be 7-8 eggs…? Seems like a lot
It’s a big cake 🙂