Lemon curd cake

This lemon curd cake recipe with cream cheese frosting is a perfect cake to serve on any occasion. This cake is not overly sweet and has a tangy, refreshing flavor and creamy texture.

Why you should try lemon curd cake

• Refreshing flavor – Same as with my Lemon cookies, Lemon crinkle cookies, and Lemon poppy seed muffins, this cake is made with fresh lemons, which gives it an incredible tangy flavor.
• It’s easy to make - While you can certainly buy lemon curd cake from a bakery or grocery store, it's also easy to make at home with just a few simple ingredients. This allows you to customize the flavor and texture to your liking, and it's a great way to impress your guests with a homemade dessert.
• It’s perfect for any occasion - Whether you're looking for a dessert for a special occasion or just a treat to enjoy on a weeknight, lemon curd cake is the perfect choice. It's elegant enough to serve at a dinner party, yet simple enough to enjoy as a casual dessert with friends or family.

Ingredients and substitutes

For the lemon cake layers

Flour - You can use either all-purpose flour, as I did, or replace it with the same amount of cake flour for a finer crumb.

Salt and baking powder - We add salt for the flavor balance and baking powder to lighten the cake even more and improve the texture during baking. 

Eggs - Eggs are a very important part of this cake, so make sure that they’re at room temperature before whipping them with sugar. Eggs that weren't whipped well won't provide a good lift to the cake during baking.

Sugar - Use white granulated sugar or the same amount of caster sugar.

Fats – Unsalted butter gives the cake amazing flavor and oil makes the cake extremely moist. Also, it keeps the cake soft even after refrigeration. As for the type of oil, use anything neutral in flavor. Sunflower oil, canola oil, or extra mild olive oil will work well in this homemade lemon curd cake recipe.

Lemons and vanilla extract - I like to add lemon flavor to the cake using fresh lemons (juice and zest). Additionally, you can add ½ teaspoon of lemon extract and vanilla.

Milk – Use whole milk at room temperature.

For the lemon curd recipe

Lemons - As always, for the lemon curd we use fresh lemon juice and the zest of a medium lemon.

Sugar - Granulated white sugar will work just fine. I like my curd to not be overly sweet because a lot of sweetness comes from the frosting. So, I add less sugar to my curd. You can adjust the amount if you want more sweetness.

Corn starch - This stabilizes the lemon curd filling, so it doesn't run away when we stack the cake layers on top of each other.

Butter - Unsalted butter acts as a thickener and makes the lemon filling extra smooth.

For the cream cheese frosting

Cream cheese - Use cold original Philadelphia cream cheese or similar.

Heavy whipping cream - Should be very cold.

Powdered sugar - Don't add more than stated in the recipe or the frosting will become runny.

Vanilla extract – Alternatively, you can all lemon extract.

Cooking tips

• Measure your ingredients using a digital kitchen scale, especially when it comes to the cake layers. If you add too much flour, your cake texture becomes heavy and dense. Too much heavy cream and powdered sugar in your frosting will leave it too unstable to frost the cake with.
• Scrape down the sides of the bowl frequently when you make the cake batter and the cream cheese frosting to ensure that all the ingredients are well incorporated.
• Don’t overwhip the frosting. Keep an eye on the frosting when you work with the cream cheese and heavy cream frosting. If you overwhip it, it’ll split and there will be no way back. So, stop your mixer often to check the consistency. The cream should hold its shape well.
• Make the cake layers and lemon curd the day before. Making the cake can be time-consuming, so you can split the process into two days. The first day you make the sponge cake and lemon curd, the next day you whip up the frosting and assemble the whole thing. Make sure that you keep your sponge in the fridge wrapped in plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out. Also, make sure the lemon curd is covered with plastic wrap that touches it.
• Use up egg whites leftovers. If you don't know what to do with the egg whites that are left after making the lemon curd, try my Meringue cookies or Mini parlova recipe.

Step by step directions

Making the lemon curd

1. In a saucepan, add all the ingredients except the butter.
2. Cook over medium heat, whisking continuously until the mixture starts simmering and thickens.
3. Remove from the heat and add the butter. Mix until it has melted and been incorporated. 
4. Then, cover with plastic wrap (making sure it touches the mixture) and refrigerate until cold.

Making the lemon cake layers

1. Preheat the oven to 160C (320F) and line the bottom and the sides of three 6-inch cake pans (15cm) with parchment paper.
2. In a bowl, sift together all dry ingredients. 
3. Beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Then add the lemon zest, oil, and vanilla and beat again.
4. Add the eggs one at a time and beat until emulsified.
5. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in three parts, alternating with the milk and lemon juice in two parts and beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat until just combined.
6. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
7. Let the cakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

How to make the cream cheese frosting

1. Place all the ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and mix on low until no dry powdered sugar is left. Then, beat on medium until reaching a homogenous consistency. Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix on high until thick and fluffy.
2. Mix the frosting with a rubber spatula to remove air bubbles. Then, place the mixture in a piping bag before assembling the cake. No need for a nozzle, just cut off the tip of the bag wide enough to pipe out the cream. 

How to assemble the lemon curd cake

1. Place the first layer of the cake on a serving plate, and spread an even layer of the frosting on top.
2. Pipe a thick border along the edges of the cake, creating a dam that will hold the lemon curd inside the cake. Spread the lemon curd layer inside the borders. Then, place the second layer of the cake on top and repeat the process.
3. Crumb-coat the cake with a little bit of frosting and place it in the fridge for an hour. Place the piping bag with the rest of the frosting into the fridge too.
4. Remove the cake from the fridge and frost it. Decorate with fresh blueberries and refrigerate for several hours or better overnight before serving.

Decoration variations

• Another frosting – Cream cheese frosting with heavy whipping cream is delicious and light, but it’s not very stable on a hot summer day. You can make a small portion of the buttercream of your choice and frost the chilled lemon curd cake with it to make it more heat stable. You can frost right on top of the cream cheese frosting. To make it easier, you can freeze the cake for 20-30 minutes before frosting it with buttercream.
• Add some color – You can use your favorite gel food colorings to make the cake stand out.
• Sprinkles – You can add some sugar pearls or sprinkles to make my cake more elegant.
• Berries – Blueberries go very well with the lemon flavor, so you can top your cake with some.

FAQ

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Recipe card

Lemon curd cake

This lemon curd cake recipe with cream cheese frosting is a perfect cake to serve on any occasion. This cake is not overly sweet and has a tangy, refreshing flavor and creamy texture.

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours hours

Chilling time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 2 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 14 servings

Calories: 457kcal

Equipment

• Digital kitchen scale
• 3 6" (15cm) cake pan
• Stand mixer or hand mixer and a large mixing bowl
• Rubber spatula
• Parchment paper
• Piping bags
• Saucepan

Ingredients

For the cake layers

• 200 g all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 120 g unsalted butter at room temperature
• 200 g white granulated sugar
• 30 g vegetable oil such as canola oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Zest of one lemon
• 2 large eggs at room temperature
• 2 tablespoon lemon juice
• 160 ml whole milk at room temperature

For the lemon curd

• 3 egg yolks can be cold
• 55 g granulated sugar
• 55 ml lemon juice
• Zest of one medium lemon
• 5 g cornstarch
• 55 g unsalted butter

For the frosting

• 600 g cream cheese cold
• 80 g powdered sugar
• 90 g heavy whipping cream cold

MetricUS Customary

Instructions

For the cake layers

• Preheat the oven to 160C (320F) and line the bottom and the sides of three 6-inch cake pans (15cm) with parchment paper.
• Whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder in a bowl. Set aside.
• In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or use a hand mixer and a bowl), add the butter and sugar and beat until pale and fluffy. Then add the lemon zest, oil, and vanilla and beat until fully incorporated. Scrape the bottom and the sides of the bowl and beat for a few seconds.
• Add the eggs one at a time and beat until emulsified.
• Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in three parts, alternating with the milk and lemon juice in two parts and beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat until just combined.
• Divide the batter between the prepared pans and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Bake in batches if needed.
• Let the cakes cool in the pans for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Wrap tightly in the plastic wrap and store in the fridge if you’re planning to assemble the cake another day.

For the lemon curd

• In a saucepan, add all the ingredients except the butter.
• Cook over medium heat, whisking continuously until the mixture starts simmering and thickens.
• Remove from the heat and add the butter. Mix until it has melted and been incorporated.
• Then, cover with plastic wrap (making sure it touches the mixture) and refrigerate until cold.

For the frosting

• Place all the ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or you can use a hand mixer) and mix on low until no dry powdered sugar is left. Then, beat on medium until reaching a homogenous consistency. Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix on high until thick and fluffy.
• Mix the frosting with a rubber spatula to remove air bubbles. Then, place the mixture in a piping bag before assembling the cake. No need for a nozzle: just cut off the tip of the bag wide enough to pipe out the cream.

Assembling the cake

• Place the first layer of the cake on a serving plate, and spread an even layer of the frosting on top.
• Pipe a thick border along the edges of the cake, creating a dam that will hold the lemon curd inside the cake. Place half of the lemon curd in the middle and spread evenly. Then, place the second layer of the cake on top and repeat the process.
• Crumb coat the cake with a little bit of frosting and place it in the fridge for an hour. Place the piping bag with the rest of the frosting into the fridge too.
• Remove cake from the fridge and frost. Decorate with fresh blueberries and refrigerate for several hours or better overnight before serving.

Video

Notes

Store it in a cake box in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Freeze baked and cooled down sponge cake wrapped in plastic wrap and then in a piece of foil for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before assembling the cake.

 

Store cooled down lemon curd in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. You can also freeze it for up to 2 months and thaw it in the fridge overnight before using it.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Lemon curd cake

Serving Size

 

1 serving

Amount per Serving

Calories

457

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

32

g

49

%

Saturated Fat

 

18

g

113

%

Trans Fat

 

0.4

g

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

3

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

8

g

Cholesterol

 

144

mg

48

%

Sodium

 

297

mg

13

%

Potassium

 

119

mg

3

%

Carbohydrates

 

39

g

13

%

Fiber

 

0.4

g

2

%

Sugar

 

26

g

29

%

Protein

 

6

g

12

%

Vitamin A

 

1091

IU

22

%

Vitamin C

 

2

mg

2

%

Calcium

 

108

mg

11

%

Iron

 

1

mg

6

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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