Italian Lemon Drop Cake with Lemon Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients

Cake Ingredients

• 3 C flour
• 2 Tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 2 C unsalted sweet cream butter softened to room temperature
• 1 3/4 C sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 C buttermilk
• 1 Tbsp lemon zest
• 1/3 C fresh lemon juice
• 3 9 inch round cake pans

Lemon Frosting ingredients:

• 3 C unsalted sweet cream butter softened
• 6 C powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp lemon zest
• 3 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 3-6 tbsp heavy whipping cream
• 1 large piping bag fitted with a star tip
• Lemons thinly sliced for toppings

Instructions

Cake Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 and spray the cake pans with pam baking spray
2. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Set aside.
3. Using a standing mixer, beat the butter and sugar together creamy.
4. Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract until combined.
5. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients just until combined.
6. With the mixer still running on low, add the buttermilk, lemon zest, and lemon juice and mix just until combined.
7. Pour batter evenly into cake pans.
8. Bake for around 21-26 minutes or until the cakes are baked through.

Frosting Directions

9. Using a standing mixer, cream together all ingredients until stiff and smooth peaks form
10. Using a cake slicer, slice a thin layer off the tops of the cakes to create a flat surface.
11. Place 1 cake layer on your serving plate.
12. Evenly cover the top with about 1 cup of frosting.
13. Top with 2nd cake layer and evenly cover the top with about 1 cup of frosting.
14. Top with the third cake layer and the 4th the same way.
15. Spread the remaining frosting all over the top and sides.
16. Scoop remaining frosting into the piping bag and pipe dollops all over the cake
17. Pipe larger dollops of frosting onto the top of the cake
18. Place the sliced lemons in between the larger dollops
19. Cut and enjoy!