This Lemon Sponge Cake is from my Grandma’s recipe box. I love digging through her recipes and discovering her yummy treasures. I thought it would be a sweet nostalgic dessert for the warmer months ahead. This dessert is perfect for Mother’s Day weekend and during the blazing hot weekends during the summer.

There’s something truly magical about the combination of zesty lemon and sweet strawberries. It’s like a symphony of flavors playing a perfect melody on your palate. And when you take that flavor harmony and wrap it up in a light, fluffy sponge cake, you’ve got a recipe for pure bliss.

What Is Lemon Sponge Cake?

You don’t see sponge cake recipes very often anymore. I love that it has that feel of nostalgia. A sponge cake has lots of eggs in it to give it a great lift. Typically you separate the yolks and whites as this lemon sponge cake does. Some have no baking soda or baking powder, some have baking powder to help with the lift and stabilization of the egg whites. What makes this lemon sponge cake recipe so special is that it was my Grandma’s, and I hope you enjoy it!

How To Make It

To create this cake batter you start by separating your eggs. Then use an electric mixer to beat the egg yolks in a large bowl on medium speed until the yolks become lemon-colored and start to thicken up a bit. Add the sugar to the yolks and beat until nice and smooth.

Add a little lemon juice to the yolk mixture and mix it in at a low speed. Then add a little of the flour, mixing it in. Repeat until all the lemon juice and flour has been added.

In a separate mixer bowl, add the egg whites and whip them until they start to form peaks. Add the baking powder and salt and whisk until stiff peaks form. (You want the egg whites to be able to stand straight up without the tip folding over.)

Fold the egg white mixture into the egg yolk mixture gently, until just combined. Pour the batter into an ungreased bundt pan and bake.

Strawberry Topping

This sponge cake has a very light lemon flavor. It’s delicious on its own, but I adore lemon and strawberries together. So I made a strawberry syrup to top it off. This is an easy strawberry syrup with frozen strawberries, lemon juice, sugar, and a little vanilla.

I like to sprinkle some confectioners’ sugar on top of the cooled lemon cake and then add the strawberry syrup when you serve the sponge cake. We’re not just talking about any old syrup here – we’re talking about a luscious, homemade concoction bursting with fresh strawberry flavor. It’s sweet, it’s tangy, and it’s downright irresistible. And when you drizzle it over slices of warm lemon sponge cake, it creates a masterpiece that’s as beautiful to look at as it is to devour.

This easy lemon cake is a great treat for the warm months ahead.