Lemon Cake, not a recipe, because I don’t do those, and this is not baking 101. I assume you have an idea what you’re doing.
You’re gonna need at least 3 lemons, something like buttermilk (I suggest substitutes), powdered sugar, butter, a baking pan of your choice, knife skills. Plus whatever is needed for your cake base.
Start with a white or yellow cake (unbaked) of your choice. It can be a box mix, or a recipe. I have used all of these as a base (and Betty Crocker Butter Cake box mix, too).
One egg cake: http://www.dinnerwithjulie.com/2017/03/20/one-egg-cake/ Almond flour pound cake: https://mygluten-freekitchen.com/cream-cheese-almond-pound-cake-gluten-free/ (GF, can be low carb) Lemon-poppy seed cake https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/lemon-poppyseed-bundt-cake-low-carb-and-gluten-free/
You also need 3 lemons (at least.) You want the peel, as well as the fruit. Wash those babies well. First up: slice one whole lemon as thinly as you can. Dump the slices into a small saucepan with 1 cup water and ½ cup sugar. Set it to boil, give it 1 minute at a boil, then turn off the burner & remove the pan from heat. These are the pretty lemon slices for decoration. (You can skip this.)
Take a vegetable peeler and get the yellow zest off the remaining two, with as little pith as possible. Once you’ve got the zest, cut them in half & juice them, removing seeds. If you have a yucky dishwasher or garbage disposal, put the remainder of the lemons either down the hole or impale on the tines in the upper & lower racks. (You’ll throw them away after this.)
Chop that zest as fine as you can.
Now, we mix up the cake, using either box directions or the recipe, and using melted butter instead of oil, and substituting 2/3 buttermilk for water and 1/3 lemon juice. (If you don’t want to have a quart of buttermilk for one recipe, you can mix 1/3 sour cream & 2/3 water. If you don’t do dairy milk, soy yogurt works here, at same ratio, plus 1 extra tablespoon of lemon juice.) Add the zest to the batter.
At the bottom of whatever greased pan you’re using (Bundt, cupcake tin, 9” springform, 9x13 casserole, loaf) lay those sugared lemon slices out so they’re pretty. Then pour in the batter, and bake pre instructions.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, you’re making this sugar bomb worse. You should still have some lemon juice left, probably around ¼ cup. If not, add bottled lemon juice or juice another lemon. Take a stick of butter (½ cup) & melt it in the microwave (or stovetop, if you’re old school). When it’s liquid, add the lemon juice and stir, then add 1 cup of powdered sugar. Which will dissolve into a pretty glazey syrupy stuff. If you have leftover zest, add it, but don’t feel bad if you don’t.
Now, time has magically fast forwarded and the cake is done. While it’s hot, turn it out onto something that’s got edges (tray, sheet pan), so the pretty lemon slices are up. Before it cools a lot, poke it full of holes with a skewer or toothpick, and pour the lemon-butter glaze over it. Pour slow, so it has time to absorb and doesn’t run all over the kitchen, because slippery & sticky are a terrible combination to have to mop up.
Now DON’T TOUCH IT UNTIL IT’S COOL. Not even a nibble.