Lemon curd cake is a fresh and flavorful moist lemon cake with layers of creamy tart lemon curd, frosted with a sweet, creamy and tangy lemon cream cheese frosting. With it’s beautiful bakery worthy appearance and easy preparation, this lemon cake with lemon curd is the perfect cake for all your spring and summer gatherings.
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Why Should You Make This Recipe
I love a beautiful layer cake. Bonus points if it also comes together quickly and easily. My Lemon Raspberry Cake, Easy Carrot Cake, Nutella Cake and Chocolate Orange Cake are all easy and stunning layer cakes. I am so excited to add this lemon curd cake recipe to the blog.
- Layers of flavors and textures: From the soft and moist lemon cake to the pop of tart and creamy flavor from the lemon curd filling balanced perfectly with the sweet and tangy lemon cream cheese frosting, this lemon cake with lemon curd is packed with the fresh flavors of spring and summer.
- Made with simple ingredients: This lemon curd layered cake is made from simple pantry ingredients and creates the most stunning cake for all your spring and summer entertaining needs.
Ingredients
Before I show you how to make this fresh lemon filled cake, make sure you have these ingredients ready to go.
Lemon Curd Cake
- Dry Ingredients: Gather purpose flour, baking powder and salt.
- Wet Ingredients: Gather granulated sugar, lemon zest, oil, unsalted butter, eggs, vanilla extract, sour cream, buttermilk and lemon juice.
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting and Curd Filling
Gather butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, lemon juice, vanilla extract, salt and homemade or store bought lemon curd.
Substitutions
Here are my recommended substitutions to make this lemon curd lemon cake.
- All purpose flour: To make this lemon cake gluten free, use a good 1-1 gluten free flour. I recommend using the one from Bob’s Red Mill. Measure based off the weight (300 g) for the most precise measurement.
- Baking Powder: I do not recommend using baking soda for this cake as it has not been tested.
- Granulated Sugar: I love using maple sugar as a refined sugar free option. If you choose to use maple sugar, pulse the sugar in a food processor to make it finer. This makes a lighter and fluffier cake.
- Lemon Zest: This is an essential flavor addition for this lemon cake. Use another light and bright citrus such meyer lemons.
- Unsalted Butter: Use salted butter if needed. Just make sure to omit the added salt listed in the recipe.
- Canola Oil: Any neutral tasting oil can be used as a substitute. An equal amount of softened butter (¼ cup, 57 g) can also be used in place of the oil (for a total of ¾ cup, 170 g).
- Eggs: This recipe has not been tested without eggs.
- Vanilla and Lemon Extracts: This gives a lovely background flavor to this moist lemon cake.
- Sour Cream: Use an equivalent amount of buttermilk or greek yogurt as a substitute.
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk gives the cake a moist and tender crumb. Replace the buttermilk with ½ cup (120 ml) of milk.
- Lemon Juice: Use freshly squeezed lemon juice from the same lemons used for the zest.
- Lemon Curd: If you have a homemade lemon curd recipe you like, feel free to use that. This lemon curd cake recipe calls for about ½ cup (120 ml) lemon curd. I personally love using this store bought lemon curd.
Variations
- Lemon Curd Sheet Cake: Make this cake as a 9 x 13. Follow the recipe as written through the ingredient steps. Pour the batter into a lightly greased and lined 9 x 13 baking pan. Swirl about ½ cup lemon curd into the batter right before baking. Bake the cake for 25 - 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool the cake in the pan for 10 - 15 minutes. Remove the cake to cool to room temperature on a cooling rack. Top with the lemon cream cheese frosting and more lemon curd if you like.
- 3 Layer 6-inch Lemon Curd Cake: Prepare the recipe as written. Pour the batter into the prepared 6 inch pans. Bake the 3 layers for 28 - 32 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- 2 Layer 9-inch Lemon Cake with Lemon Curd Filling: Prepare the recipe as written. Pour the batter into the prepared 9 inch pans. The baking time will be a bit shorter. Bake the 2 layers for 25 - 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
How To Make
Learn how to make lemon curd cake in a few easy steps.
Make the Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Lightly grease and line the bottom of (2) 8 inch cake pans with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk the all purpose flour, baking powder and salt until well combined.
- In the bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment mix the lemon zest and sugar until it’s the consistency of wet sand. Add the beat oil and softened butter. Cream on medium speed for 3 minutes or until fluffy and well combined.
- On low, beat in the the eggs, vanilla extract and sour cream one at a time until fully combined. On the lowest setting or by hand, mix the dry ingredients into the wet, alternating with the buttermilk and lemon juice in this order: dry, lemon juice, dry, buttermilk, dry.
4. Evenly scoop the lemon cake batter into the prepared pans (the total weight of the cake is about 1210 g). Bake the moist vanilla and lemon cake for 28 - 32 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Cool the cakes in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pan to cool completely on a cooling rack. Loosely wrap the cakes in plastic wrap to chill in the fridge for an hour. The cakes must be completely cooled before applying the frosting.
Make the Frosting and Assmble the Cake
- While the lemon cake layers cool, make the lemon cream cheese frosting. In a mixing bowl fitted with paddle attachment, cream the butter and cream cheese on medium speed for 4 -5 minutes until smooth and creamy. Mix in the powdered sugar, salt, vanilla extract and lemon juice until smooth and well combined. Scoop ½ cup frosting into a piping bag or zip lock bag. This is for the “frosting dam.”
- Place the first lemon cake layer on a cake stand or serving plate. Pipe a “frosting dam” around the edge of cake. Evenly spread the lemon curd filling on top of the cake layer, inside of the frosting damn. Transfer the cake to the fridge to chill for 15 - 20 minutes.
7. After chilling the bottom cake layer, top with the second layer of lemon sponge cake. Apply ½ - ¾ cup of lemon cream cheese frosting to the top and sides of the cake, smoothing it out to the edge of the cake and around the sides of the cake. This is the crumb coat. Chill in the fridge for 30 - 60 minutes. Apply the rest of the lemon cream cheese frosting to the lemon curd filled lemon cake. Place the cake in the fridge to set for about 20 - 30 minutes if the frosting is very soft. When you are ready to serve, top the cake with more lemon curd if you like, slice and enjoy.
How To Store, Make Ahead, Freeze and Thaw
- Store: This easy lemon cake with lemon curd is super moist and will do great when stored in the fridge. Keep the cake in an airtight container or covered in plastic wrap in the fridge for up to 4 - 5 days.
- Make Ahead: Parts of this cake can be made ahead and stored in the fridge or freezer until it’s time to assemble the lemon curd layer cake.
- Freeze Tightly wrap the frosted, unfrosted lemon cake in plastic wrap. Transfer the lemon cream cheese frosting to to a plastic ziplock bag. Store the wrapped cake layers and lemon cream cheese frosting in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Thaw: Thaw in the fridge overnight. The frosting needs to sit out at room temperature for 20 - 30 minutes before using to frosting the cake. The thawed cake layers can be assembled while cold from the fridge.
M’s Expert Tips
- Use a non-stick spray and line the bottom of the cake pans to prevent the cake from sticking.
- Use cake strips. The lemon cake layers should bake evenly, but I love using cake strips to ensure a flat top and evenly baked cake. Make sure to attach these to the cake pans before pouring in the cake batter.
- Bring cold ingredients to room temperature. This allows the ingredients to mix together more evenly, resulting in a softer cake.
- Don’t overmix the cake batter. Always use the lowest speed on your electric mixer or mix in the dry ingredients by hand. Make sure to mix the dry ingredients into the wet until mostly smooth and combined.
- Cool the cake in the pan for no longer than 10 - 15 minutes. If you try to remove the cake before 10 minutes, the cake may still be too hot to remove without falling apart. Removing the cake after 15 minutes may cause the cake to stick to the pan more easily.
- Chill the lemon curd. Homemade lemon curd should be stored in the fridge. Store bought lemon curd should be chilled for about a day before using in the recipe. This helps the curd stay inside the frosting damn more easily.
- Fully cool the cake before assembling and frosting. The moist lemon curd lemon cake takes about 1 hour to cool to room temperature after the cake has been removed from the pan. It’s recommend to chill the cake layers in the fridge for 1 - 2 hours before frosting them as well.
FAQs
Homemade lemon curd should be stored in the fridge. Store bought lemon curd can be stored at room temperature until opened. However, I found that chilling the lemon curd for a day before using in the cake does help keep the lemon filling from leaking out of the cake layers.
Both are similar in taste and texture. The difference is in how the fillings are thickened. Custards are thickened with milk, cream and cornstarch. Curds are thickened with eggs for a lighter texture.
Lemon curd is smooth and creamy, almost like a pudding. Lemon pie filling thick and slightly gelatinous, more like jello than pudding.
Homemade or store bought lemon curd will keep well in the fridge for up to one month when stored in an airtight container.
Other Lemon Recipes To Try
If you try this Lemon Curd Cake recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking! Happy Baking! - M
Lemon Curd Cake Recipe
Equipment
- 1 stand mixer with whisk attachment and paddle attachments or hand mixer with beaters
- 2 8 inch (20 cm) cake pans
- 2 parchment paper
- 2 cake strips
Ingredients
Lemon Cake
- 2½ cups (300 g) all purpose flour
- 2½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large lemons, zested
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¼ cup (60 ml) oil
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup (120 g) sour cream
- ¼ cup (60 ml) lemon juice
- ½ cup (120 ml) buttermilk, room temperature
Cream Cheese Frosting and Lemon Curd Filling
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 8 oz. (113 g) cream cheese, room temperature
- 4 - 4½ cups (480 - 540 g) powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ - ½ cup homemade or store bought lemon curd
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Lightly grease and line the bottom of (2) 8 inch cake pans with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk the all purpose flour, baking powder and salt until well combined.2½ cups (300 g) all purpose flour, 2½ teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt
- In the bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment mix the lemon zest and sugar until it’s the consistency of wet sand. Add the beat oil and softened butter. Cream on medium speed for 3 minutes or until fluffy and well combined.1½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar, 2 large lemons, zested, ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature, ¼ cup (60 ml) oil
- On low, beat in the the eggs, vanilla extract and sour cream one at a time until fully combined. On the lowest setting or by hand, mix the dry ingredients into the wet, alternating with the buttermilk and lemon juice in this order: dry, lemon juice, dry, buttermilk, dry.3 large eggs, room temperature, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ cup (120 g) sour cream, ¼ cup (60 ml) lemon juice, ½ cup (120 ml) buttermilk, room temperature
- Evenly scoop the lemon cake batter into the prepared pans (the total weight of the cake is about 1210 g). Bake the moist vanilla and lemon cake for 28 - 32 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool the cakes in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pan to cool completely on a cooling rack. Loosely wrap the cakes in plastic wrap to chill in the fridge for an hour. The cakes must be completely cooled before applying the frosting.
- While the lemon cake layers cool, make the lemon cream cheese frosting. In a mixing bowl fitted with paddle attachment, cream the butter and cream cheese on medium speed for 4 -5 minutes until smooth and creamy. Mix in the powdered sugar, salt, vanilla extract and lemon juice until smooth and well combined.½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature, 8 oz. (113 g) cream cheese, room temperature, 4 - 4½ cups (480 - 540 g) powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons (30 ml) lemon juice, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Scoop ½ cup frosting into a piping bag or zip lock bag. This is for the “frosting dam.”Place the first lemon cake layer on a cake stand or serving plate. Pipe a “frosting dam” around the edge of cake. Evenly spread the lemon curd filling on top of the cake layer, inside of the frosting damn. Transfer the cake to the fridge to chill for 15 - 20 minutes.¼ - ½ cup homemade or store bought lemon curd
- After chilling the bottom cake layer, top with the second layer of lemon sponge cake. Apply ½ - ¾ cup of lemon cream cheese frosting to the top and sides of the cake, smoothing it out to the edge of the cake and around the sides of the cake. This is the crumb coat. Chill in the fridge for 30 - 60 minutes.
- Apply the rest of the lemon cream cheese frosting to the lemon curd filled lemon cake. Place the cake in the fridge to set for about 20 - 30 minutes if the frosting is very soft. When you are ready to serve, top the cake with more lemon curd if you like, slice and enjoy.
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