Lemon Sheet Cake
This lemon sheet cake is everything a spring dessert should be—light, bright, and unapologetically lemony. Made with oil and sour cream, it’s tender and moist with a whipped lemon sour cream frosting that makes it stand out from the crowd. No mixer needed, and potluck-perfect!
Servings: 18 servings
Calories: 280kcal
Ingredients
For the cake
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour (315g)
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup neutral oil like canola or vegetable
- 1½ to 1¾ cups granulated sugar (see note)
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice from ~5 large lemons
- 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest from ~2 large lemons
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup full-fat sour cream room temperature
For the frosting
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream well chilled
- ½ cup powdered sugar or more to taste
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 (8-oz) container full-fat sour cream stirred
- zest of 2 lemons
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 11x18 inch cake pan (or 9x13 for a taller cake - bake 25-30 minutes) (light metal color recommended) with parchment.
- Combine dry ingredients: In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.2½ cups all-purpose flour, 1½ teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt
- Beat oil, sugar, eggs: In a large mixing bowl, beat oil, sugar and eggs with a hand mixer on high speed until fluffy and light in color - about 2-3 minutes.1 cup neutral oil, 1½ to 1¾ cups granulated sugar, 4 large eggs
- Add remaining wet ingredients: Add lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla extract and beat on high until fully combined - about 30-60 seconds. Add sour cream on low speed until combined.1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ¾ cup full-fat sour cream
- Finish batter and pour into pan: Fold in dry ingredients gradually on low speed, mixing only until combined into a smooth batter. Pour cake batter into prepared pan and spread evenly.
- Bake and cool: Bake the cake for 17-25 minutes (depending on your exact pan used - make sure it doesn't burn, but underbaking leads to collapsing, so bake accordingly and check often). To test if the cake is done, insert a toothpick in the center of the cake. If it comes out clean (= no wet cake batter - moist crumbs are fine!), the cake is done.Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack until cooled completely before frosting.
- Finish cake: For frosting, beat heavy whipping cream with powdered sugar and vanilla extract until soft to nearly stiff peaks form. Fold in sour cream, lemon zest and lemon juice. Spread over cooled cake. Refrigerate up to 8 hours, or serve immediately (chilling will firm up frosting, but I like the cake best served after letting it sit at room temp for ~15-20 minutes)1 cup heavy whipping cream, ½ cup powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 (8-oz) container full-fat sour cream, zest of 2 lemons, 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Notes
- Lemon: Use fresh lemon juice and zest—bottled juice won’t cut it.
- Sugar: 1½ cups for less sweet, 1¾ cups if you love that sweet-tart hit.
- Frosting: Chill it to firm up, but let it sit out 15–20 mins before serving for the best texture.
- Pan size: Bakes best in a 10x15 jelly roll pan (20–24 mins). For a 9x13, bake 25–30 mins; for an 11x17, bake 17–20 mins.
- Don’t overbake or underbake: Cake dries out quickly if overdone, but sinks and turns gummy if underbaked. Check with a toothpick.
- Storage: Cover and refrigerate up to 3 days. Let sit at room temp 15–20 mins before serving.
- Freezing: Freeze unfrosted cake up to 2 months. Thaw at room temp, then frost fresh.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice (estimated from 18, using 1.5 cups sugar) | Calories: 280kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 15g