Lemon Fiesta Cake

What a gem! It's not often I'm this wowed by a cake, this impressed with a recipe. Comparing it to some other 5-star cakes is almost unfair. As if the cake isn't good enough on its own, the rich, buttery, sweet lemon glaze (which I gradually brushed on with a pastry brush) soaks in and transforms this into something celestial. The kind of cake that when you taste that first bite you close your eyes and sigh, "Mmmmm." (I'm not kidding) This cake is so good, so delicious, so perfect, that it almost defies description and it will probably sound trite when I try. It is fluffy, moist, light, buttery, lemony and pretty as a picture. A simply lovely lemon cake. I can't imagine making this cake any differently than how the recipe directs. I can only imagine that any change would change its perfection. Leave OUT the glaze? No! Frost with butter cream? Please don't! Don't fill it, don't frost it, don't add, take out or change anything. This is one of the best cakes, if made as the submitter directs, you'll ever eat. (Oh... I forgot. I did leave out the raisins. That was a good thing.)

I have a very similar recipe for a lemon loaf (baked in the large loaf pan). We don't use the lemon extract or raisins and use more zest. Also, instead of the frosting, it's really good to combine about 3/4 cup each of fresh lemon juice and sugar to use as a glaze. When the cake comes out of the oven, let it cool for about 15 minutes, then poke it all over with the slender skewer and pour the glaze over. It will soak it up and it adds amazing flavor. Highly recommended.

This cake is absolutely divine! Great texture, and even my BF who hates lemon loves this cake. I've made it twice now but instead of raisins I use fresh blueberries- so yummy!

I have made this cake twice (without raisins) and each time it has come out delicious. First time I baked as directed in a square pan (did not make the glaze) and my family loved it. Second time I made cupcakes and reduced baking time to 15 minutes. When the cupcakes came out I spooned over a little glaze on each cupcake. I prefer this cake without the glaze which just adds a lot of calories and not much flavour. When I made the cupcakes I subsituted 1 cp lemon flavoured yogurt for buttermilk and added fresh lemon juice in place of lemon extract. I think these two subsitutions really enhanced the flavour of the cake. This is a really good and easy recipe. The lemon flavour is not overpowering and the cake is moist and yummy.

Very good cake, very moist! I made into 2 squares and stacked the squares (instead of the bundt). Poked holes all in and used glaze that was suggested in recipe. I thought it was delicious but hubby asked where the buttercream frosting was, LOL. Thanks for the post!

I did not add the lemon extract or the raisins, and I glazed it with only lemon juice and sugar, combined and heated. I garnished with fresh lemon zest and hubby asked where the icing was! Oh well. It seemed a bit dry, though. He ate it, but I would probably not make it again.

This came out a bit crusty and heavier than I would have liked. That said, it was very tasty and a big hit. People kept asking what the spicing they were tasting was. I'm guessing that was the buttermilk. (I used a whole-fat buttermilk) Also the glaze portions are really high. I used about 1/3 of the glaze, and I still almost bathed the cake!

I wanted to like this cake. It's easy and pretty.. but not very lemony and not very sweet. I left out the raisins and added blueberries - the blueberries were fresh and ripe and very sweet, but still the cake needed more. The glaze is AWESOME. I glazed the cake whole and the parts that slurped up the glaze are yummy. I plan on making a 2nd batch of glaze and glazing each slice to make it better.

I made this cake for my mother's birthday and it was wonderful. The golden raisins really go well with the lemon. Even though I didn't use all of the lemon topping on the cake (my mother is dieting), it was still good.

Delicious lemon cake! This cake is very similar to a cake my mom made when I was growing up. I really like that this was a version without a cake mix included in the ingredient list. I did not measure the lemon zest, I just scraped until there was nothing left on the lemon. I also omitted the raisins so that my family would eat the cake. The glaze added a nice amount of sweet/tartness goodness to the cake. Glad I discovered this recipe while looking up a way to use up some buttermilk.

I want to preface this by saying I hate reading reviews where people have altered the entire recipe and then rate it based off of that. With that being said, I had to use ingredients I had being that I unknowingly needed to make them last minute. I thought the actual cake part of this was light and fluffy. They turned out well, but I didn't think they were sweet enough. If I made these again I would up the sugar to 2 cups. Also, I used cake flour instead of all-purpose (if you do that, add two extra tablespoons to each cup of flour) and I did not have lemons on hand, so instead I used the zest of two small limes. In addition, I didn't have any buttermilk, so I made a substitute of milk and white vinegar. I also did not have any lemon extract, so I used about 1 1/2 tablespoons of lemon juice. If I made them again like this, I'd probably up that to 3 tablespoons. I was hoping for them to have a little kick, and the lemon flavor was subtle in this. I also omitted the raisins because that didn't sound appealing to me. Moving along, I don't have a Bundt cake pan, so I decided to just turn them into Lemon Cupcakes. After they came out of the oven, I let them cool and I mixed up 10x, a lot of lemon juice, and a few drops of water. I made the glaze so it was a thick consistency, and I heavily covered the cupcakes with the icing. I did the glaze like that because I didn't feel like messing with boiling stuff on the stove. The glaze made them taste so much better.

I'm only rating the actual cake part of this recipe. I did not make the butter/lemon glaze that goes on top. I instead made a lemon buttercream that I frosted it with. For the cake part, I pretty much left the recipe as is except that I left out the raisins (no one in my family likes them and I can't imagine lemon with raisins?). The cake was fine - with a light & fluffy texture and it was moist. The cake does not taste really lemony by itself. With the icing it tastes better (I put lemon juice & lemon extract in my icing). If you are looking for a basic lemon cake recipe, this one will do but I bet you can find something better. If you don't like a really sweet cake, then you might like this cake. It's not sweet by itself but with the frosting (or glaze I'm sure) it's extra sweet. Just how I like it. I will probably not make this again.

not enough flavor for the calories

Love this cake! Made it without the raisins and doubled the lemon extract. It was pretty yummy. Also used a lemon flavored buttercream instead of the suggested glaze. My whole family asked if I would make it again tomorrow!

Awesome!!! I actually used 3/4 cup buttermilk, and 1/4 cup tropicana no pulp orange juice. Instead of lemon extract I used juice from half a lemon and zest from the full lemon I also had to make my own buttermilk by adding a spoon on vinegar. I made double the amount of glaze and also added zest from a full lemon and a tablespoon more sugar to my mix.... I used a rectangle brownie pan and had batter left over so I used some small ceramic/glass pans (I'm not a baker do not familiar with the names /types of dishes) I also added a tsp more baking powder.... My cake turned out fluffy and moist.... And really tasty... Though I made extra glaze I only used what I felt it needed and kept the rest on the side for the people who preferred more sweet and tangy from the glaze.... Awesome!!! Also the shallow rectangle pan was done in 30 mins and the glass ones took 45 mins

I'm a huge fan of the Starbucks lemon loaf and have been looking and looking for recipes that come close to the taste/texture of their loaf. This is it (pretty darn close). I followed this recipe EXACTLY (omitted raisins lol) and it is excellent (just as the "submitter" of this recipe describes - light, lemony and fluffy)! I'm all for low/lower fat recipes; however, next time I make this I'm going to add just an extra tablespoon or two or butter as the cake was just a TAD dry, and a little extra lemon extract because I LOVE LEMON. Try this cake! Oh, lastly, do NOT substitute the EXTRACT for lemon juice OR lemon oil. It will throw off the recipe. Cheer!

This was really good! I used grated lemon peel from 2 lemons, lemon juice instead of extract (fresh,too), and sour milk in replace of the buttermilk I didn't have. Also, I did not add the raisins (my family aren't crazy about them), I also wasn't able to make the glaze that it called for, but instead I made my own glaze with powdered sugar,water and a little lemon juice. It soaked into the cake! Next time I will make this glaze, though. Nice, moist and fluffy!!!!

This cake is not attractive but it well makes up for that with the taste. I made it as directed with the exception of subbing lemonade for the lemon extract. I didn't have the extract even though I thought I did. It worked beautifully. I used a pastry brush to put the glaze on the cake. There is plenty of glaze and it makes the cake so moist. The cake looks like cornbread and is not pretty on the outside. The inside is so delicate, soft, moist and tasty. There was plenty of lemon flavor. To me the cake was perfectly sweet. Not too tart and not too sweet. I highly recommend this cake. I would NOT omit the glaze and use another icing. If you want pretty choose another recipe. If you want a good cake, make this!

This cake is really good. It's not the most amazing cake ever hence the four stars.

We left out the raisins and added 2 scoops of lemon curd to both the cake and frosting. This was perfectly moist and the sugar coating made the crust! Loved it and I will try again with raisins!

Fantastic! I am not a baker and this was my first homemade cake. Everyone loved it! I did add blueberries instead of raisins because no one eats them. Other than that, followed it exactly. Will definitely make this again.

Cake is very good (moist, flavorful). I left out the raisins and added 1/4 c sour cream after reading several reviews that indicated their cake was dry. 50 min was perfect for my oven. I did not try the lemon topping, used lemon icing instead (mostly to cover flaws I created when some to the cake stuck to my bundt pan). I will definitely make this cake again.

Love this cake! Getting ready to make it for the second time for a very picky older couple. They let me know when something doesn't taste up to their standards but this most certainly does! It stays moist even after being in the fridge for a couple of days which I can't say for many cakes.

VERY MOIST!! I didn't have lemon extract, so I subbed extra lemon zest. Just had to have an second helping- excellent cake! Thanks for sharing the recipe!

This cake is better eaten the first day that it is made unless you like a denser cake. It's very light and fluffy the first day but gets denser the second day. I think it also needs a bit more of the lemon topping. I used 4 Tbs. of fresh lemon juice since I like to taste the lemon. I would definitely make it again. Also would be great with blueberries or strawberries on top and whipped cream.

This turned out awesome! I did not have lemon extract, so I replaced 1/4 cup of buttermilk with 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice. Did everything else as written. Delicious, moist, melt in your mouth scrumptious! Thank You for sharing!

I made this as directed the first time. It was wonderful. I especially liked the lemon topping. I ate almost all of it by myself! The second time I made it into cupcakes and doubled the lemon zest and used a lemon icing. It was really good too.

We added almond extract, added sliced almonds instead of raisins, made a chocolate drizzle and sliced almonds for the top instead of the glaze. Delicious.

Needed baking beyond 50 minutes (more like 80-90 minutes!), but perfect otherwise. Can reduce the amount of glaze as well, I didn't end up using all of it for the cake. Didn't have any lemon extract to substituted with some more lemon zest, which seemed to work equally well. Thanks for this one, will definitely make this again!

I made it according to the recipe with the exception of the raisins. If you love lemony desserts, you will love this. Perfect with your favourite cup of coffee or tea. I not only added the sauce on the hot cake, but also sifted some icing sugar just before serving! Everyone raved about the cake when I served it after Easter dinner. Yummmmmmmm!!!

It was good, but I would never make this specific recipe again if I wanted a lemon cake. I will look elsewhere for a better one. It was much more of a coffee cake texture - you couldn't eat it without a beverage. Otherwise it was good, just not the texture/moistness I like.

I made this cake with all organic, non gmo ingredients, for the glaze I used 3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice and 3/4 cup organic sugar...The cake was a hit for my son's birthday!!!

Fabulous!! I omitted the raisins, but otherwise followed the recipe exact. I used this recipe for making cake pops, and the cake came out so moist and very lemony. Perfect lemon cake!

I made this exactly according to the instructions and it turned out perfectly. Personally I love the raisins with the lemon. Will definitely make this one again and again.

I've only made this cake once, and it was a huge hit! Made it Friday, disappeared that Sunday. My sister probably loved it the most. I think she ate half of it! Just enough lemon, and just enough sugar. Although, I did add extra lemon zest, and left out the lemon extract. But I did add the lemon extract in the glaze. Also left out the raisins because my dad and I hate them. Definitely on my "Make Again" list.

Really good. This cake was just lovely. It had a nice crumb and a nice flavor. They glaze was also amazing. I'm not sure about these weird reviews about it not being sweet enough and such. The cake with the glaze is perfect I didn't change anything other than leaving the raisins out as another reviewer suggests and because I just don't care much for them in softer foods. This is one we will be making again. Thanks for the yummy recipe.

This was a good cake while fresh, but seemed a coarser sort- not what I was looking for, so still looking for that fine and almost wet recipe I used to eat years ago- a specific one...very moist.

Delicious! We did leave out the raisins though since I didn't have them in my pantry and had everything else. I will make this again soon.

Really delicious! Made it for my mother and grandmother for Mother's Day, and it was wonderful to have with coffee after our meal. I ended up making my own buttermilk by adding lemon juice to some milk, and I didn't have any extract, so I used extra zest (I completely used 2 lemons). Wonderfully moist, and the glaze truly does soak into the cake to give it a lot more body and flavor!

Absolutely delicious and easy to make it!

I made these into 22 cupcakes, and instead of making the glaze, I used lemonade frosting. (The cupcakes had a very light lemon flavor, so if I were to make the recipe in the recommended Bundt pan, I'd use the glaze to intensify the flavor). I skipped the raisins (I'm not a fan), increased the lemon extract to a full teaspoon, used the zest from two lemons, and cut the sugar in half.

This recipe was okay. I found it to turn out a bit dry and not quite as sweet as I would have expected. The glaze is very nice though. Still on a search for more cake like texture.

Although the flavor is good this cake is too dry.

Will absolutely try this again. The flavor was perfect, however, I think I baked it too long for my convection oven and it came out a bit too dry.

Delicious and moist...i made the buttermilk with half milk and half yogurt and a bit of vinegar. Also added one tbsp of tumeric. Loved this!!

Omitted raisins, used lemon emulsion in place of extract, and 2.5 tablespoons of grated rind. DEEEEE-licious.

Just delicious. My siblings and I really enjoyed it...

Made this at work. It was awesome. I love lemon. It was so moist.

Loved the cake it was light and totally delicious. I did however omit the raisins and added fresh blueberries. perfect summer cake

This cake was one of the best I've had. Always use real lemons. It makes all the difference. Thanks for the recipe.

Made it and Loved it :) Thanks :)

Great recipe! I did omit the raisins. Didn't sound appealing. Served with sliced strawberries and whipped cream. ..I will make this again, but double the zest and juice and try cake flour.

I made this delicious cake for my sister's birthday cake! It was a big "hit", and everyone wanted the recipe. Thank you for sharing!! Laurie

I made this delicious cake for my sister's birthday cake! It was a big "hit", and everyone wanted the recipe. Thank you for sharing!! Laurie

Perfect recipe!

Made the cake without raisins and it was lovely

This recipe is very good! I did use the rind from my entire large lemon in the batter, and I did leave out the raisins. To me, the glaze is what makes this cake so good. The "crust" portion of the cake is very moist and lemony because of the glaze. The inside is tender and not dense. Very nice cake with a cup of coffee. Thanks for the recipe!!

i added a bit more lemon juice, to give it a more sweet and sour vibe. but it was DELICIOUS!!

My cake sunk in the middle. Dont know why.

I made this with gluten-free all purpose flour, 1:1. The gluten-free flour was my only change. I do not know what it would be like baked with regular all purpose flour. It was a very thick almost gooey batter with gluten-free flour. I did make the lemon soak with powdered sugar for more of an icing. It was a hit at work!

Overall it was a very delicious cake. It was soft and fluffy. For those who dislike lemon treats will surely love this cake. The only thing I would recommend is to not put flour on the bottom of your pan before baking the cake, simply go for oil or butter that way the cake won’t stick to the bottom of the pan. :)

The receipe seemed easy enough but I got hung up on step 3 when I add the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk am I adding it by hand or with the hand mixer. I want to make it again but don't want to mess it up this time

I want to preface this by saying I hate reading reviews where people have altered the entire recipe and then rate it based off of that. With that being said, I had to use ingredients I had being that I unknowingly needed to make them last minute. I thought the actual cake part of this was light and fluffy. They turned out well, but I didn't think they were sweet enough. If I made these again I would up the sugar to 2 cups. Also, I used cake flour instead of all-purpose (if you do that, add two extra tablespoons to each cup of flour) and I did not have lemons on hand, so instead I used the zest of two small limes. In addition, I didn't have any buttermilk, so I made a substitute of milk and white vinegar. I also did not have any lemon extract, so I used about 1 1/2 tablespoons of lemon juice. If I made them again like this, I'd probably up that to 3 tablespoons. I was hoping for them to have a little kick, and the lemon flavor was subtle in this. I also omitted the raisins because that didn't sound appealing to me. Moving along, I don't have a Bundt cake pan, so I decided to just turn them into Lemon Cupcakes. After they came out of the oven, I let them cool and I mixed up 10x, a lot of lemon juice, and a few drops of water. I made the glaze so it was a thick consistency, and I heavily covered the cupcakes with the icing. I did the glaze like that because I didn't feel like messing with boiling stuff on the stove. The glaze made them taste so much better.

This was a big brunch hit! Incredibly moist and bright. I omitted the raisins, added 2 tablespoons of ground lavender buds to the sugar, and subbed a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice for the lemon extract. I also supplemented the lemon juice in the sauce with lime because I ran out (whoops). Will absolutely be making this again.

I loved the buttery lemon flavor that this bread imparts. It is moist with good texture.

I made this cake today and it is incredibly delicious! It's very light, moist, not overly sweet and is the ideal lemon-y flavor to suit our tastes. Because a piece on the bottom stuck to the pan and I was able to patch it successfully, I used a lemon frosting to cover up the 'repair' instead of the glaze. The baking time was perfect. I did not add raisins to the batter.

The cake is 10 stars! I cut on sugar because we don't like sweet things and used brown sugar instead of white. So my recipe had 1 cup brown sugar.

OMGoodness!! How easy and how scrumptious! Made no changes (oops left out the raisins) and still, this is the easiest and tastiest lemon cake possible. Moist and lemony, very nice, thanks!

Very moist the best lemon cake I have very baked.

This is a great recipe for a scratch lemon cake, which seems to be difficult to find now as most recipes require a cake mix. Which kinda defeats the purpose in my humble opinion. Anyway, I digress, I love this recipe and it can be modified as needed or wanted. It's fantastic on its own, but for more flavor one can, well, substitute ingredients like I tried this time. I switched the buttermilk with a mixture of 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt and 1/2 cup lemon pudding. I used lemon juice instead of extract. P.s.: no raisins. :-p

Very good and moist. I loved it. I did omit the raisins and I did not use the glaze recipe that was suggested. Loved the light lemon taste of the cake though!

This was awful not moist and no flavor! Yuk!

I was a little worried that this was going to be too lemony but it came out perfect. The only thing I did differently was omit the raisins.

I made this cake exactly as written minus the raisins and found it rather bland. I will try this again and not being a raisin fan I might add some cranberry.