Van's Favorite Lemon Star Cake Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup white sugar
½ cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ¾ teaspoons baking powder
¾ cup milk
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour a 9-inch round cake pan or line a muffin tin with paper liners if making cupcakes. Shop star bakers.
Cream the butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. This usually takes about 3-5 minutes with an electric mixer on medium speed.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition to fully incorporate them into the mixture. Stir in the vanilla extract.
Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Sift together the all-purpose flour and baking powder.
Alternately add the dry ingredients and the milk to the butter mixture, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Mix until just incorporated. Do not overmix to keep the cake tender.
Fold in the lemon zest and lemon juice, mixing until evenly distributed throughout the batter.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan or divide among cupcake liners, filling each about 2/3 full.
Bake in the preheated oven. For a cake, bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. For cupcakes, bake for 20-25 minutes. Oven times may vary, so keep an eye on your cake to avoid overbaking.
Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto the rack to cool completely. If making cupcakes, let them cool in the pan for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack.
Optional: Glaze or Frosting - Once cooled, you can enhance your lemon cake with a simple lemon glaze (made with powdered sugar and lemon juice) or your favorite frosting. A cream cheese frosting pairs beautifully with the lemon flavor.
Add details like lemon slices and some fresh herbs for that extra something special.