Three magic words: soft, moist, and flavorful.

Too tired to stand by the stove but need to eat? Substack author and culinary creator Caroline Chambers gets it. Her new cookbook, What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking, will have you deleting that food delivery app from your phone in favor of throwing together quick, easy, and wholesome meals — and that includes dessert.

If you need a homemade cake on the fly, Chambers has got your back; her lemon cake with creme fraiche frosting is as easy as baking gets. Most of the ingredients are typical supermarket staples; the cake gets a boost of flavor, for instance, from lemon pudding mix. But Chambers also includes an extra special component: a decadent cup of creme fraiche to add moisture and tang. Plus, Chambers includes some totally optional tips on how to make the most of your baking experience if you want to add a little more flair to the end product.

Lemon Cake with Creme Fraiche Frosting Recipe

Serves 9

Ingredients

For the Cake

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 large lemons
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1.5 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
8 ounces creme fraiche, at room temperature
1.5 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 (3.4-ounce) package lemon pudding mix (such as Jell-O)

For the Frosting

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
8 ounces creme fraiche, at room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch of kosher salt

TIP: Garnish the cake with more lemon zest, if you’re feelin’ fancy.

LEARN: Save your butter wrappers! They’re the perfect thing to use for greasing baking dishes just rub the wrapper all over the dish.

RIFF: Make cupcakes instead! Line a cupcake pan with paper liners and scoop batter into the liners to fill them three-quarters of the way. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Let them cool completely before frosting.

Instructions

Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch baking dish (see Riff).
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from the heat and let cool.
Zest the lemons into a large bowl to get 2 tablespoons of zest. Add the granulated sugar and pinch the zest and sugar together until combined. Whisk in the eggs aggressively for 2 minutes; your wrists will be tired, but this will help make the cake fluffy.
Whisk in the melted butter and vanilla, then add the creme fraiche and stir until everything is combined.
Add the flour in a pile right on top of the wet ingredients, but do not mix yet. Add the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and lemon pudding mix on top of the flour and use your fingers to sift it all together. Stir just to combine; do not overmix. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and smooth out the top.
Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the top of the cake is golden and feels firm to the touch and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let the cake cool completely, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the frosting: In a large bowl, stir the butter with a rubber spatula to get it as soft as possible. Do your best to get it really smooth, then stir in the creme fraiche, incorporating it a little bit at a time. Add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, using a fork to sift it and get out any lumps. This is very important! Now stir it all together, using a spatula to forcefully smooth out any lumps. Stir in the lemon juice, vanilla, and salt.
Slather the cooled cake with the frosting. Slice into 9 squares and serve.