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Review RecipeLemon Sour Cream Cake


This lemon sour cream cake is the kind of recipe you make once and remember forever. You’ll serve it for brunch, slice it cold from the fridge at midnight, and bring it to every gathering.
You’ll find the full ingredient list and instructions in the recipe card below. We’ve included all our notes to help you bake it with confidence, even if it’s your first time.
Lemon Sour Cream Cake Ingredients

For The Cake:
- 1½ cups: granulated sugar and self-rising flour
- ½ cup: unsalted butter and sour cream
- 2 large eggs
- ⅓ cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice
For The Frosting:
- 3 cups of powdered sugar
- ¾ cup: sour cream and salted butter
- 1 tablespoon: fresh lemon zest and lemon juice
Ingredient Notes
Use room temperature eggs and sour cream – Cold ingredients don’t blend smoothly and can cause the batter to curdle. Leave them out for 30 minutes before baking.
This lemon cake can made without adding the frosting. Sprinkle it with confectioners’ sugar instead.
Tried and Tested Tips For The Perfect Sour Cream Cake
Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Under-creamed = dense cake.
Add flour in batches and mix gently—just until you no longer see streaks. Overmixing toughens the cake.

Start checking the cake around 40 minutes. It is done when a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs—not totally clean, or it’s likely overbaked. Every oven runs differently, so use visual cues too: the top should be golden and set.
Storage Instructions
Store covered at room temperature for up to two days, or in the fridge for up to five days. Bring to room temp before serving for the best texture. The frosting firms up when cold but softens beautifully once it warms.

More Lemon Cake Recipes

Lemon Sour Cream Pound Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ½ cup sour cream
- ⅓ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 1½ cups self-rising flour, spooned and leveled
Frosting
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- ¾ cup sour cream
- ¾ cup salted butter, softened
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest, optional: additional for topping/garnish
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper or baking spray.
- Add sugar and butter to a large mixing bowl and beat until creamy. Beat in eggs, sour cream, and lemon juice until combined.
- Mix in flour in batches.
- Pour and spread the cake batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 43 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean, then cool.
- Prepare the frosting while cake cools. Add the frosting ingredients to a large mixing bowl and beat until creamy.
- Spread the frosting evenly over the cooled cake.
- Cut and serve.
Notes
- If you’d like a firmer frosting, add an extra cup of powdered sugar, and chill before or after spreading it on the cake.
- Make sure to mix only until the ingredients are combined. Overmixing will cause the cake to be dense and tough rather than light and fluffy.
- Oven temperatures vary and may need to be recalibrated periodically to ensure they are accurate. Make sure to keep a close eye on your cake as the suggested baking time approaches.
- If your frosting is ready before the cake is completely cool, put it in the fridge to keep it from getting too warm.
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