This lemon curd cake recipe with cream cheese frosting is a perfect cake to serve during the hotter months. This cake is not overly sweet, has a very light texture, and is absolutely delicious.
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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.
Oil - Oil makes the cake extremely moist. Also, it keeps the cake soft even after refrigeration. You can replace half of the oil with melted butter for an additional buttery flavor, but don't replace all of it with butter. 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 - I like to add lemon flavor to the cake using fresh lemons (juice and zest). Additionally, you can add ½ teaspoon of lemon extract.
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.
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.
Do not use cooking spray or any other type of oils on the sides of your cake pan. This cake is an egg foam cake, not a batter cake. That means that the eggs should be whipped well, trapping thousands of air bubbles inside the cake batter. When baked, air bubbles expand and lift the cake, making it tall enough that you can cut it into three layers. To bake tall, the batter should be able to climb the walls of your cake pan, which is possible only if there's a grip. If you treat the sides of your cake pan with oil, butter, or spray, the batter will slide down, the cake won't rise as much, and your sponge will be dense. So, cut out the circle and place parchment paper on the bottom of the pan, leaving the sides untouched.
Whip the eggs to the ribbon stage. The ribbon stage is when you whip the eggs with sugar to the point when the mixture is thick and runs down from the whisk slowly, leaving a ribbon on the surface of the mixture that disappears very slowly. The easiest way to achieve this stage is to use a stand mixer, but a hand mixer will work as well. You will just need some patience as it can take around 12 minutes of whipping on high. If you use a hand mixer, make sure to use a large mixing bowl as the egg will triple in size.
Fold the flour using a rubber spatula. We need to fold the dry ingredients gently without deflating the egg mixture. The best way to do so is to add dry ingredients in three parts and fold them using a rubber spatula, not a whisk.
Do not open the oven too early. It takes time for the cake to finish rising in the oven, so don't open the door for at least 30-35 minutes or the cake will deflate.
Let the cake cool down in the cake pan for 30 minutes. This will ensure that the cake won't sink after being released from the cakepan.
Make the sponge cake 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.
Step by step directions
For 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.
For the cake layers
1. Preheat the oven to 170С (340F) and line the bottom of the 7 by 4 inch deep (18cm by 10cm deep) cake pan with parchment paper. Leave the sides of the pan untouched.
2. Whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder in a bowl. Set aside.
3. In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add the eggs and sugar. Whip on medium-high for 8-10 minutes until the mixture has tripled in volume and is pale.
4. Sift in the dry ingredients in three parts, folding each part with a rubber spatula before adding the next one.
5. Combine the oil, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a bowl. Add in two tablespoons of the batter and whisk to combine until homogenous in consistency.
6. Pour the oil mixture into the batter and fold again just until incorporated.
7. Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake right away for 35-40 minutes, or until golden brown and the toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
8. Remove from the oven and let cool down for 30 minutes in the cake pan.
9. When just warm to touch, run the knife along the wall of the pan pressing tight against it to release the sponge cake. Place it onto the cooling rack to cool down.
10. Slice it into 3 layers. Each layer should be around 1" or 2-2.5cm. If you’re planning to assemble the cake the next day, keep the sponge cake wrapped in plastic wrap in the fridge.
For the 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.
Assembling the 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. 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 with buttercream.
Add some color – You can use your favorite gel food colorings to make the cake stand out.
Sprinkles – I added some sugar pearls to make my cake more elegant – and you can do it too.
Berries – Blueberries go very well with the lemon flavor, so you can top your cake with some.
FAQ
Store it in a cake box in the fridge for up to 4 days.
You can if your oven can fit three 7" pans at once. Egg foam sponge cake batter should be baked right after it's made. It can't wait on the counter as butter cake batter can. It will deflate and, as a result, won't rise properly in the oven. Also, you'll need to reduce the baking time by half.
Yes, you can freeze it 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.
More cake recipes
Recipe card
Lemon curd cake
Equipment
- Digital kitchen scale
- 7 by 4 inch deep (18cm by 10cm deep) cake pan
- Stand mixer or hand mixer and a large mixing bowl
- Rubber spatula
- Parchment paper
- Piping bags
- Saucepan
Ingredients
For the cake layers
- 4 large eggs at room temperature
- 150 g white granulated sugar
- 40 g canola oil
- 60 ml lemon juice juice of one medium lemon
- Zest of one lemon
- 170 g all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
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
- 750 g cream cheese cold
- 110 g powdered sugar
- 100 g heavy whipping cream cold
Instructions
For the cake layers
- Preheat the oven to 170С (338F) and line the bottom of the 7 by 4 inch deep (18cm by 10cm deep) cake pan with parchment paper. Leave the sides of the pan untouched.
- Whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder in a bowl. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add the eggs and sugar. Whip on medium-high for 8-10 minutes until the mixture has tripled in volume and is pale. If you use a hand mixer, it can take 12-15 minutes of whipping. If you lift the whisk, the mixture should slowly run down and leave a ribbon on the surface that slowly disappears into the mixture.
- Sift in the dry ingredients in three parts, folding each part with a rubber spatula before adding the next one. Try not to deflate the egg mixture too much.
- Combine the oil, lemon juice, and zest in a bowl. Add in two tablespoons of the batter and whisk to combine until homogenous in consistency.
- Pour the oil mixture into the batter and fold again just until incorporated.
- Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake right away for 35-40 minutes, or until golden brown and the toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and let cool down for 30 minutes in the cake pan.
- When just warm to touch, run the knife along the wall of the pan, pressing tight against it to release the sponge cake. Place the cake onto the cooling rack to cool down.
- Slice it into 3 layers. Each layer should be around 1" or 2-2.5cm. If you’re planning to assemble the cake the next day, keep the sponge cake wrapped in plastic wrap in the fridge.
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.
Claire
Can I use store bought lemon curd like Bonne Maman ?
Anna
Yes, you can!
LONDA Randolph
Can I just make 3 layers before I bake the cake, instead of cutting it after baking?
Anna
You can do it only if you can fit all three cake pans into your oven at once. This type of cake batter should be baked right away or it won’t rise properly. You’ll also need to reduce the baking time if you bake three layers instead of one. I can’t tell you exactly how much time it will take but I assume that it should be somewhere between 18-23 minutes.