Lemon Sheet Cake (Easy Lemon Cake with Lemon Glaze)
Lemon Sheet Cake is the BEST lemon cake recipe…a super moist, homemade, lemon-infused Texas sheet cake topped with a tangy lemon glaze. Better yet, this easy lemon cake feeds a crowd!
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For a fall twist on sheet cake, you'll also love this Caramel Apple Cake!
Official spring may still be around the corner, but springtime has nonetheless started teasing us with its warmer temps and pops of green and flush of flowering. So what say we celebrate with a scrumptious, from-scratch, easy Lemon Sheet Cake?
Lemon Sheet Cake
Y'all know what Texas sheet cake is, right? Traditionally, it's a giant slab of chocolate cake baked in a nice, big sheet pan. The batter is stirred together in a pot on the stove and, once the cake comes out of the oven, a glorious warm frosting is poured right over the cake. It's extremely sweet, moist, and decadent...and it's always a hit.
Personally, however, I've always been a bigger fan of white cake than chocolate cake. So years ago, I started making Vanilla Texas Sheet Cake Cupcakes. Those eventually morphed into a White Texas Sheet Cake. And just last month, I decided to give my tried-and-true recipe a lemon twist.
WHY DID I NEVER THINK TO MAKE LEMON SHEET CAKE BEFORE?!?!
I adore lemon desserts, as evidenced by the fact that not too long ago I shared Lemon Fruit Dip. I've also previously shared one of my favorite lemon cake recipes, Lemon Pound Cake. But wow. This Lemon Sheet Cake is right up there as well!
The first time I ever made it, I took the remnants of this delicious Lemon Sheet Cake to a pool party, and it was met with rave reviews. Everyone loved it, and for good reason.
The cake itself is incredibly moist.
The lemon flavor is prominent but not overpowering.
And the tangy sweet glaze takes it over the top!
Ingredients
The ingredients for this Lemon Sheet Cake are pretty standard to most Texas sheet cakes. This version is simply infused with a big burst of lemon!
Here are a few notes on some of the most important ingredients in this recipe:
- Butter. No need to soften it as it's going to be melted in a big ol' pot.
- Water. To mix with the melted butter. I know it sounds weird, but 'tis the way of a Texas sheet cake.
- Lemon juice + lemon zest. Two large, juicy lemons yield approximately ½ cup of lemon juice and 2 tablespoons lemon zest. So you'll probably need three large lemons for this recipe...but I'd buy at least four, just in case. And while fresh-squeezed juice is hard to beat, if you decide to save time and opt for a bottle of pure, all-natural lemon juice (as opposed to lemon juice with additives), your cake will still turn out great.
- Flour, sugar, baking soda, + salt. The usual cake ingredients.
- Sour cream + eggs. When you stir in the sour cream, it considerably cools down the warm batter. But just to be safe, I usually crack the eggs into a separate bowl and temper them (whisk them and then gradually stir in some of the warm batter). Then I scrape all of the tempered egg mixture into the pot and quickly stir it into the batter. This helps ensure that the eggs won't scramble when they hit the warm batter.
- Vanilla extract + lemon extract. For an extra boost of flavor.
Lemon Glaze Ingredients
The metaphorical cherry on top of this Lemon Sheet Cake is its topping of tangy lemon glaze. The ingredients are simple!
- Lemons. You already need lemon juice and lemon zest for the lemon cake recipe, and you'll need a bit more for the lemon glaze.
- Powdered sugar. Used to both sweeten and thicken the lemon glaze recipe.
How to Make Lemon Sheet Cake
(The below photos are intended to be helpful, but please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for FULL DIRECTIONS.)
As for making this Lemon Sheet Cake, it really is a quick and easy recipe that basically involves melting butter in a pot and then stirring in the other ingredients!
- In a large pot set over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the water and the lemon juice, increase the heat, and bring to a boil.
- Remove pot from the heat and allow the butter to cool for at least 5 minutes. Then briskly stir in the flour until smooth.
- Blend in the sugar, sour cream, and lemon zest.
- Stir in the eggs until fully incorporated. Just to be safe, I recommend tempering them first (as explained under the "Ingredients" heading above and again in the recipe card).
- Mix in the vanilla and lemon extract.
- Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the top of the batter and stir them in until all ingredients are well blended.
- Spread the batter into a greased sheet pan.
- Bake until a toothpick tests done!
How to Make Lemon Glaze for Lemon Sheet Cake
After the sheet cake comes out of the oven and is cooling, make the lemon glaze.
- Measure powdered sugar into a bowl, and whisk in fresh lemon juice and lemon zest.
- Once the Lemon Sheet Cake is cool, pour the glaze over it and spread into an even layer.
- Chill for a bit until the glaze is set, slice into squares, and garnish each slice with a quarter of a fresh lemon slice (if desired).
- And now there's nothing left to do but ENJOY a slice of scrumptious Lemon Sheet Cake!
Tips, Tricks, & Equipment
- The sheet pan used for this lemon cake recipe measures 18- by 13- inches with a 1-inch rim, commonly referred to a half sheet pan.
- The key to avoiding an overly-thick batter is to allow the butter mixture to cool down before stirring in the flour. I like to use a big wooden spoon.
- Pour the lemon glaze over the top of the cake and immediately spread it into an even layer (an offset spatula makes this job easier). The layer of glaze will be thin, but it's sweet and tangy enough that that's all the cake needs!
- Cover any leftover Lemon Sheet Cake with plastic wrap (I prefer Press 'n Seal). Pull the plastic wrap taut and store the cake in the refrigerator. If you want to increase the odds that the plastic wrap doesn't stick to the glaze, use small pieces of lemon to garnish each slice of cake, as shown in the photos in this post. This will provide a higher "layer" that the plastic wrap can rest on without touching the glaze.
- If you have leftover lemon juice after zesting and juicing your lemons, you can always freeze it in 1-tablespoon portions in ice cube trays. Once frozen, pop the cubes out of the tray and store in a plastic zip-top bag in the freezer. Thaw as needed for future recipes.
So welcome spring with this delectable, showstopping Lemon Sheet Cake! At two dozen servings, it'll feed a crowd, making it perfect for parties and gatherings. The fact that it's a huge hit for any occasion is just icing on the cake...err, lemon glaze on the sheet cake. 😉
More Lemon Treats
- Whole Wheat Lemon Blueberry Muffins
- Lemon Sugar Baked Donuts
- The BEST Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- Lemon Cooler Cookies
Lemon Sheet Cake (Easy Lemon Cake with Lemon Glaze)
Video
Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE:
- 1 ¼ cups (2 ½ sticks) unsalted butter
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ cups sugar
- ⅔ cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon pure lemon extract
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
FOR THE GLAZE:
- 3 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
Instructions
- Adjust the rack to the center position of the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a rimmed 18x13x1-inch half sheet pan with softened butter.
- In a large pot set set over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the water and the lemon juice, increase the heat, and bring to a boil. Remove pot from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Then briskly stir in the flour until smooth, immediately followed by the sugar, sour cream, and lemon zest.
- Temper the eggs by beating them in a separate bowl and then slowly and gradually whisking in spoonfuls of warm cake batter to bring up the temperature of the eggs. Then stir the tempered eggs into the pot of cake batter until fully incorporated. Mix in the vanilla and lemon extract. Finally, sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the top of the batter (make sure there are no lumps!) and stir them in until all ingredients are well blended.
- Pour the batter into the prepared sheet pan and smooth the top. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool the cake completely before glazing.
FOR THE GLAZE:
- Once the cake is cool, measure the powdered sugar into a bowl and stir in the lemon juice and zest until completely smooth. Add a bit more lemon juice if the glaze is too thick or a little more powdered sugar if it's too thin.
- Pour the glaze over the cooled cake and immediately spread into a thin, even layer. If desired, garnish the cake with quarters of lemon slices. Chill (uncovered) for at least 30 minutes to allow the glaze to set before slicing. Cover tightly and refrigerate any leftovers.
Equipment Needed
Notes
- The key to avoiding an overly-thick batter is to allow the butter mixture to cool down before stirring in the flour. I like to use a big wooden spoon.
- The lemon glaze will be thin once it's spread over the cake, but it's so sweet and tangy that not much is required.
- I prefer using Press 'n Seal to cover leftover Lemon Sheet Cake. Pull the plastic wrap taut and press it along the edges of the pan. If you want to increase the odds that the plastic wrap doesn't stick to the glaze, use small pieces of lemon to garnish each slice of cake, as shown in the photos in this post. This will provide a higher "layer" that the plastic wrap can rest on without touching the glaze.
Nutrition
Post originally published on June 1, 2018, and updated on April 9, 2021, and March 5, 2024.
If other bakers are like me- so crazed and busy that they skip right to the recipe, they will miss your note about making sure the butter/lemon mixture is cool and will instead follow the instructions to let it cool for 5 minutes. In my experience this wasn’t nearly enough time and I ended up with a delicious, but very flat cake. Please help us short cut folks out and change the cool time to 15 minutes. Thank you!
Hi Emilia! I'm so sorry your cake turned out flat! However, cooling for 5 minutes should be adequate...the note under the recipe about allowing it "to cool down" is just to encourage people not to skip that 5 minutes, and the reason for doing so in the first place is to prevent an overly thick batter when the flour is mixed in. Did you add the baking soda at the same time as the flour, or at the end as directed? By adding it at the end of the recipe after all of the other ingredients, the batter is cool enough not to adversely affect it. I'm just trying to troubleshoot what may have happened, but sorry I can't say for sure without more information!
How big of a sheet pan to double the recipe? I have a 21 X 15 sheet.
Hi Dawn! This recipe was developed to be baked in a "half sheet pan," which measures 18x13x1-inches. So technically, double the batter would fit in a "full sheet pan" measuring 26x18x1-inches. That being said, I haven't tested this myself, so I can't advise on any changes to baking time or temperature. If you decide to give it a try, please come back and let us know how it turns out! 🙂
When you say 9x13 half sheet pan….
That’s a 9x13 pan right?
Hi Kari. No, this cake needs to be made in a half sheet pan with dimensions of 18x13x1". This recipe will not work in a 9x13" pan, which is much smaller. There is a link in the recipe card under "Equipment Needed" that will take you to a half sheet pan so that you can see how it differs from a 9x13. 🙂
This cake recipe is the bomb. Not only does my family love it but it is my go-to recipe to take to potlucks and banquets especially in the spring. I get all sorts of compliments and people are always helping themselves to seconds. The combination of the rich and moist cake with the tangy glaze is out of this world. That said it is a bit of a time consuming recipe if you count squeezing all those lemons as well.
This lemon cake is a family favorite! The moist texture, zesty lemon flavor, and sweet glaze are delicious. Everyone in my household loves it!
My son is home for spring break from college with a few friends. As he loves lemon ANYTHING, I decided to give this a try because it would feed a crowd. The boys devoured it and claimed it was a new favorite recipe. Thanks for such a creative spin on a classic!
You're speaking my love language and had me at lemon cake! Such a good recipe!!