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    Home » Recipes » Sweet Recipes

    Lemon Cream Butter Cake

    Feb 20, 2018 | by Jennifer | Last Updated: Dec 1, 2021

    Jump to Recipe

    This Lemon Cream Butter Cake is the love child of a buttery lemon cake and a lemon cheesecake. A perfect marriage of the two textures and flavours.

    lemon cream butter cake sliced on platter

    If you are a lover of lemon, you will be over the moon with this delicious cake, that brings together lemon cake and lemon cheesecake in one pan.

    Yes, the buttery lemon cake forms a layer around the bottom and outside, while a creamy lemon cream cheese filling cooks up in the middle. It's full of lemon flavour and a wonderful combination of textures. Enjoy this one chilled with a dusting of icing sugar on top.

    Cook's Notes

    Unsalted butter is recommended for this cake, but if you only have salted butter, be sure to add only a pinch additionally to the cake batter.

    Be sure to place your springform pan on a baking sheet as a small amount of butter may leak out as the cake bakes. Alternately, you could wrap the bottom and sides of your springform pan with foil.

    Speaking of wrapping in foil, I have long struggled with my springform pan over-cooking the sides of my baked goods and I suspect it is because it is a dark pan. I'm always hesitant to reduce the oven temperature, but I'm thinking I will start wrapping the outside of the pan in foil to try to temper that tendency in future. I'll let you know how that works out. (Or I guess I could just buy light pans :)

    Keep a close eye on the cake as it nears the 30 minute mark and watch closely. It will be best if you can get it out of the oven when it is just cooked, which means the outside cake part looks lightly golden and the centre of the cake looks set.

    Finally, if you want to fancy up your cake, place a paper doily on top of the cake and dust your icing sugar over it. Carefully remove to reveal a pretty pattern.

    lemon cream butter cake sliced on platter

    lemon cream butter cake sliced on platter

    Lemon Cream Butter Cake

    A delicious marriage of lemon cake with lemon cheesecake!
    Author: Jennifer
    5 stars from 27 ratings
    Print it Pin it + Collection Go to Collections Share by Email
    Prep Time 20 mins
    Cook Time 30 mins
    Total Time 50 mins
    Course Dessert
    Servings 10 servings

    Ingredients
     

    For the cream cheese filling:

    • 8 oz full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
    • 1 cup icing/confectioners' sugar
    • 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
    • 1 large egg
    • 1/2 tsp vanilla
    • Zest of 1/2 lemon
    • 2 Tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed

    For the Cake:

    • 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
    • 1/3 cup granulated white sugar
    • 2 tsp baking powder
    • 1/8 tsp salt, reduced to a pinch if using salted butter
    • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
    • 2 large eggs
    • Zest of 2 small or one large lemons
    • 2 Tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
    • 1/2 tsp vanilla, or vanilla bean paste

    For garnish:

    • Additional icing/confectioners' sugar
    Prevent screen from going dark

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 325F (160C). Prepare an 8-inch springform pan by spraying with cooking spray and lining the bottom with a round of parchment paper. Place pan on a baking sheet and set aside. *Baking sheet is recommended as some small amount of butter may leak out during baking.
    • Prepare the filling: In a large bowl with an electric beater or the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese on medium-high peed for about 5 minutes, until smooth and creamy.
    • Add the icing sugar and beat for another 2 to 3 minutes. Add the egg and beat until completely combined, about 1 minute. Add the melted butter, vanilla, lemon zest and lemon juice. Beat until completely combined, about 1 minute. Set aside.
    • Prepare the cake batter: In large bowl, whisk together the flour, white sugar, baking powder and salt. Whisk in melted (cooled) butter, eggs, lemon juice, vanilla and lemon zest just until combined. Do not overmix.
    • Pour the cake batter evenly into the prepared springform pan. Spread to the edges and level batter. Carefully pour the filling mixture evenly over the cake batter, spreading it to within about 1/2 inch of the edge of the pan, leaving that 1/2-inch around the outside with just bare cake batter visible.
    • Bake for about 30-35 minutes, or until the outside edges of the cake is light golden and the centre of the cake is set. You can test with a cake tester around the outside edges, but not in the centre, as it is mostly cream cheese. You want the center to be set, so you can test by moving the pan a little to see how jiggly the centre is.
    • Allow cake to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then run a knife around the edges and carefully remove the outer ring. Allow to cool completely at room temperature for 1 hour, then transfer to a serving plate and refrigerate to chill before serving.
    • To serve, serve chilled, with a little sprinkling of icing/confectioners' sugar.

    Nutrition

    Sodium: 124mg | Calcium: 78mg | Vitamin C: 2.3mg | Vitamin A: 770IU | Sugar: 19g | Potassium: 160mg | Cholesterol: 109mg | Calories: 315kcal | Saturated Fat: 12g | Fat: 21g | Protein: 4g | Carbohydrates: 26g | Iron: 0.8mg

    Nutritional information provided for general guidance only and should not be relied upon to make personal health decisions.

    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
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    Meet the Author:
    Hi! I'm Jennifer, a home-cook of many years and a lifelong seeker of delicious food! I'm an equal opportunity eater. I enjoy eating all the foods!

    I love to share the classic recipes that I have enjoyed for years, as well as newer discoveries, that have become fast favourites.
    More about me here ...


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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Maureen says

      May 02, 2022 at 8:57 pm

      5 stars
      Baked in a 9” springform pan so I made one and a half times the recipe, per another commenter. My cream cheese mixture completely covered my cake batter layer (there was no stopping it lol) but it wasn’t an issue in the end. Baked for 55 minutes and it still seemed pretty jiggly, but set up fine as it cooled. Taste was EXCELLENT, and very lemony…we loved it!! Will definitely be making again. 😋

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        May 03, 2022 at 9:20 am

        So glad to hear, Maureen :) Thanks so much!

        Reply
    2. Bev says

      March 27, 2022 at 3:23 pm

      Love lemon! Making now, but the filling ran all to the sides, how do I keep it so some of the cake batter is showing?

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        March 27, 2022 at 3:32 pm

        Hi Bev, you can try to push it back towards the centre, but not sure how successful that will be. Did you use full-fat (not "light" or low-fat) cream cheese to make the filling?

        Reply
    3. Joann says

      March 14, 2022 at 9:20 pm

      5 stars
      This is an impressive spring dessert. I had to increase the ingredients by half because I only had a 9" pan. But everything came out great. I served it with homemade whip cream. Can't wait to make it again.

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        March 14, 2022 at 9:49 pm

        So glad you enjoyed it, Joann :) Thanks so much!

        Reply
    4. Carol says

      February 02, 2022 at 2:30 pm

      I love the idea for this cake with two exceptions. I wish it was a bit thicker and I know the cake part needs to hold together the filling and cake but there has to be a better cake than a quickbread style of cake.Seems to me no matter how careful you are with this for a base you are going to come up with something more like a filled muffin than a cake. Crumb is coarse.
      I haven't tried it yet but smells amazing so I think it will probably taste good.
      I wonder if there is sponge style cake or oil based recipe as opposed to butter based (the one and only time I don't love butter) that would hold this sort of filling. Do you have any idea?

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        February 02, 2022 at 7:08 pm

        Hi Carol, as the name suggests, this is a butter cake - a cake where there is a high ratio of butter to flour - will always produce a more dense, moist type of cake. I think that type of cake is needed to keep the lemon cream on top.I suspect a lighter cake would not hold the topping well (would just fall into the lighter batter).

        Reply
        • Carol says

          February 03, 2022 at 10:35 am

          I have found recipe that I will try for an olive oil lemon cake. I think the cake will be substantial enough to hold the lemon cheesecake filling. THis recipe is good and I have tasted it. It has great flavour but it just isn't what I am looking for right now. I do not intend this to be criticism for recipe because it is a wonderful recipe.

          Reply
          • Jennifer says

            February 03, 2022 at 10:57 am

            Let me know how it works out, Carol :)

            Reply
    5. Nichole A Flynn says

      July 20, 2021 at 3:35 pm

      5 stars
      I love this cake but am wondering if there is any way to convert this to cupcakes? I need a more transportable and shareable dessert.

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        July 20, 2021 at 6:56 pm

        I have no idea, Nichole, as I've never tried it. Possibly. If you try it, let me know how it works out.

        Reply
    6. Inge HATTON says

      February 16, 2021 at 11:51 am

      I would like to bake this cake today but only have ricotta cheese in my fridge - can I use that instead of cream cheese. Thank you. Inge

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        February 16, 2021 at 12:02 pm

        Hi Inge, I'd love to say you could try it, but I honestly don't think it would work, as ricotta has so much more liquid than cream cheese. Possibly if you squeezed the liquid out, but still a big chance it might end up a mess and you'd waste that lovely ricotta.

        Reply
    7. Cher S. says

      January 08, 2021 at 4:19 am

      5 stars
      I just made this tonight, realized I have a 10 inch spring form pan and larger. So I divided the batter between two 14oz ramekins. I attempted to turn one out, but it was too hot and collapsed. I'm hoping they baked alright, they both baked like a cake should and what I was able to taste was delicious!!! Fingers crossed the other one is better since it's still in the ramekin.

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        January 08, 2021 at 9:14 am

        I hope it works for you. I think for ramekins, you probably need to let it cool if you hope to turn it out.

        Reply
    8. Kelly says

      December 14, 2020 at 9:10 pm

      5 stars
      Just made this for my dad's birthday, followed the instructions exactly, and it came out AMAZINGLY. My dad had asked for a lemon cake for his birthday and had been used to the typical boxed lemon cakes... but I wanted to give him something much better, especially in 2020! He absolutely loved this and we all thought it was a huge hit. He can't wait for me to make it again!

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        December 15, 2020 at 9:03 am

        So glad to hear, Kelly and hope your Dad had a wonderful birthday :) Thanks!

        Reply
    9. Priya says

      October 30, 2020 at 9:03 pm

      5 stars
      I love this recipe! I’m making it for a second time but it’s for a group of around 20 people this time around. Any recommendations for doubling to recipe or making it for a larger group of people?

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        October 31, 2020 at 9:27 am

        Hi Priya, You should be good to just double everything, divide between two baking pans and bake together, to yield two cakes to feed a crowd.

        Reply
    10. SL says

      August 01, 2020 at 4:17 pm

      5 stars
      It’s delicious, mine doesn’t look as beautiful as the one pictured but next time I’ll spread the batter higher, I think that was my mistake. Thank you for the recipe!

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        August 03, 2020 at 9:01 am

        Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks :)

        Reply
    11. Mari says

      May 08, 2020 at 10:42 am

      I am super excited about making this for my mom for Mother's day this Sunday, I am just wondering if you think it will be okay to make it the previous day? I am planning quite a spread and would like to get cracking!

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        May 08, 2020 at 11:14 am

        Hi Mari, I think it will hold nicely made the previous day. Enjoy!

        Reply
    12. Melissa says

      May 04, 2020 at 2:04 pm

      I only have a 7 inch or 9 inch spring form pan. Should I go bigger or smaller?

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        May 04, 2020 at 4:12 pm

        Hi Melissa, I think I"d go smaller. It will take a little longer to cook, as it will be thicker. Enjoy :)

        Reply
    13. Ashley says

      April 25, 2020 at 5:17 pm

      Hi, I just made this and it's baking right now. The filling was so runny that it immediately went to the sides of the pan. I followed the recipe to a T. Not sure how you are ending up with a filling that is thicker and doesn't spread. Any suggestions?

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        April 25, 2020 at 7:04 pm

        Hi Ashley, did you use full-fat cream cheese? Low or no fat cream cheese will not work, as it is too watery.

        Reply
    14. T says

      February 26, 2020 at 3:50 pm

      This looks delicious. I'm wondering if anyone has tried making it with a gluten-free flour and if you have any recommendations for a specific flour to try.

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        February 26, 2020 at 6:13 pm

        Hoping someone might weigh in for you on a good gluten free option :)

        Reply
      • Robyn says

        April 25, 2020 at 6:53 pm

        5 stars
        I've made it twice gluten free and it is yummy. The only change I made was the flour. Used Orgran all purpose plain flour.

        Reply
        • Jennifer says

          April 25, 2020 at 7:03 pm

          Glad to hear, Robyn and good to know it works with GF flour. Thanks :)

          Reply
    15. Elizabeth says

      December 19, 2019 at 10:47 pm

      I’m always looking for anything lemon. I always try a recipe before serving it to company and I will definitely be making this for our next dinner party. So good!! Thanks.

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        December 20, 2019 at 8:57 am

        So happy to hear, Elizabeth :) Thanks so much!

        Reply
    16. Margaret says

      September 17, 2019 at 2:24 pm

      5 stars
      This was the hit of the evening with dinner guests. Rave reviews all around. The flavor and texture were amazing. Will make this again often. Thank you for such a great recipe.

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        September 18, 2019 at 9:27 am

        So glad to hear, Margaret! Thanks so much :)

        Reply
    17. Emily Jones says

      July 21, 2019 at 3:41 pm

      Do I need to use a springform pan? If not, what size pan to you recommend?

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        July 21, 2019 at 7:11 pm

        Hi Emily, while this cake doesn't absolutely need a springform pan, you will not have an easy time getting this cake out of any other kind of pan. If you don't care about neat slices, you can just use an 8-inch round cake pan.

        Reply
    18. Úrsula says

      July 21, 2019 at 1:44 am

      Jennifer. This recipe looked delicious, I love lemon flavor anything, so I made it Tonight The flavor is amazing and I love the texture of the cream on top. My problem has been the cake, mine came out quite dry and I don’t know wish I did wrong. I did use cake flour, could that be the issue. I would like to make it again, maybe you can help me with what I did wrong. Thank you.

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        July 21, 2019 at 7:09 pm

        Hi Ursula, Yes, the use of cake flour is a likely cause if your cake is dry. The recipe does specify all purpose (or plain) flour. I suggest trying it with all purpose flour next time you make it.

        Reply
    19. Jeanette Jacobs says

      July 15, 2019 at 1:46 am

      5 stars
      Jennifer, do you think this cake could be frozen?

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        July 15, 2019 at 9:57 am

        Hi Jeanette, I haven't frozen it myself, but I feel like it should freeze fairly well :)

        Reply
      • Marissa says

        March 25, 2021 at 3:08 pm

        Hi Jeanette, I'm thinking of freezing it as well, did it work for you?

        Reply
    20. Tricia says

      June 23, 2019 at 7:45 am

      4 stars
      The cake was delicious and not hard to make.. the filling went a bit further when put on top of the batter but still was fine. Will be making this a lot I can see ... thank you ?

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        June 23, 2019 at 11:55 am

        So glad to hear, Tricia! Thanks :)

        Reply
    21. Ekaterina says

      June 13, 2019 at 6:11 pm

      5 stars
      Hello!I just made it! Recipe was quite easy to follow.Smells wonderful!!
      One question: maybe I’m not quite understand... I putt cake batter in my baking pan.After that put cheesecake filling in center leave 1/2 inch edges.But after baking it look very different than your cake in photo.Its look like pie with filling.Sorry for this example,I just try to explain))
      To different textures .On your photo it’s look single texture. What I do wrong?

      Anyway I think it will be tasty!
      Thanks for sharing

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        June 13, 2019 at 7:16 pm

        Hi Ekaterina, I'm wondering if you used low-fat cream cheese? You definitely need to use full-fat cream cheese here, as low-fat has a very different composition and lots more moisture, so it won't bake up with the same consistency.

        Reply
    22. Bj says

      May 22, 2019 at 9:23 am

      5 stars
      My husband and enjoyed this delicious lemony desert

      Reply
      • Jennifer Maloney says

        May 22, 2019 at 10:39 am

        So glad you enjoyed it! THanks :)

        Reply
    23. Saradora says

      May 13, 2019 at 8:24 pm

      5 stars
      Hi! My mom loves your website so I made this cake for Mother's Day and served with fresh blueberries. It turned out soft and delicious. I tried to follow your instructions exactly, using a 8.5" springform pan. I think I overbaked it because it looked more cheesecake-like than your photo (before baking the fluffy layer was spread into a mountain in order to keep it 0.5" from the edges); at 35 minutes the filling was very loose/wet and the edges weren't set, so I kept it in and checked it every 5 minutes until the edges were set, about 45 minutes. Everyone liked it and went for seconds.

      Reply
      • Jennifer Maloney says

        May 14, 2019 at 9:56 am

        So glad you enjoyed it, Saradora and yes, it is a hard cake to judge when it's done with the two textures going on. Thanks!

        Reply
    24. Julianny says

      April 25, 2019 at 6:55 pm

      5 stars
      Hey Jennifer, this recipe is truly amazing! Perfect combination of textures and flavors. I just finished making it the second time (added some unsweetened shredded coconut to the batter and used Meyer lemons - because my mom will love that!) and I'm super excited to have some again!

      Also, what's your favorite recipe at the moment?

      Reply
      • Jennifer Maloney says

        April 26, 2019 at 8:02 am

        So glad you are enjoying it, Julianny! Favourite recipe? Sweet or savoury? For sweet, the things I make with regularity here - my Carrot Cake Loaf, my pumpkin muffins and my rice pudding. Those are 3 things I can not keep my hands off ;)

        Reply
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