This lemon curd cake is made with two layers of moist lemon cake, filled with lemon curd, and frosted with lemon buttercream frosting.
This lemon cake with lemon curd recipe will turn into your new favorite cake for summer and spring! It is perfect for Mother's Day, Easter, or any other events like birthdays and parties!
All lemon lovers will adore this cake for its rich lemon flavor from the lemon cake layers, lemon curd filling, and lemon buttercream frosting.
You will absolutely fall in love with this tender and bright lemon cake and you will not be able to stop at one slice. It is buttery, zesty, and tangy, and is made from scratch!
For more lemon desserts, try out our lemon crinkle cookies, lemon shortbread cookies, lemon bars with graham cracker crust, lemon pound cake, lemon curd cookies, lemon poppy seed muffins, and lemonade bundt cake.
Why this recipe works
- Lemon flavor- this cake is loaded with lemon flavor! It is made with a lemon cake, filled with bright lemon curd, and frosted with lemon buttercream.
- Simple- this cake recipe uses simple ingredients you can find in any grocery store or in your kitchen!
- Light and bright cake- This cake is perfect for summer and springtime and will light up your day!! It is light, fresh, and zesty.
- Frosting-Â this lemon layer cake is topped with a silky smooth lemon buttercream frosting.
- Homemade lemon curd- in my opinion, freshly made lemon curd from fresh lemons is the best light and zesty filling and the most delicious! Making your own lemon curd is easy and fun to make!
How to get flat cake layers
Our biggest tip to make even cake layers is to use a scale and cake strips. Weigh the cake batter and divide it into two even pans. Then use cake strips to make sure your cake layers bake evenly and don’t develop a dome on top.
Cake strips give you an evenly baked cake with a flat top.
Ingredients
Before you start to make this recipe, measure and prepare your ingredients so the cooking process will go smoothly and easily.
Butter- use unsalted butter for this recipe. Only butter will work for this recipe, no margarine, and no coconut oil. Margarine has a weird taste and can ruin the flavor of this cake.
Eggs- you will need eggs for this recipe. Make sure that your eggs are at room temperature.
Lemon juice- use fresh lemon juice for this recipe. Fresh lemon will give you the best result. We don't recommend using store-bought lemon juice. This will make the flavor pop!
Lemon zest-Â I recommend zesting the lemon first and then juicing it.
Flour– we used all-purpose flour for this recipe. cake flour will work great as well.
Baking powder– baking powder allows the cake to rise. Make sure that your baking powder is not expired.
Granulated sugar– we like to use granulated sugar, also the most common sugar used in baking. Caster sugar will work great as well.
Vegetable oil – we used vegetable oil for this recipe. canola oil will work great for this recipe.
Greek yogurt-Â you can use either Greek yogurt or sour cream. Get your Greek yogurt to room temperature. Any percent of fat will work for this recipe.
Vanilla extract- adds extra flavor.
Lemon extract- for extra lemony flavor. This is optional.
Buttermilk– gives the cake extra moisture. You can make your own buttermilk if you don’t have one on hand. Simply mix a cup of milk with a tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice and let it sit for at least 10 minutes.
Kosher salt- you will need about ¼ teaspoon of kosher salt for this recipe.
For the lemon curd filling
Lemon juice- use fresh lemon juice for this recipe. Fresh lemon will give you the best result. We don't recommend using store-bought lemon juice. This will make the flavor pop!
Lemon zest- you will need ½ teaspoon of lemon zest. We recommend zesting the lemon first and then juicing it.
Granulated sugar– we like to use granulated sugar, also the most common sugar used in baking. Caster sugar will work great as well.
Butter- make sure that your butter is unsalted.
Kosher salt-Â you will need about a pinch of kosher salt for this filling.
Eggs and egg yolks- you will need eggs and egg yolks for this recipe. Make sure that your eggs are at room temperature.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 180c (350f) and prepare 2 8-inch baking pans with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, add the soft butter, and lemon zest. Mix with an electric hand mixer until creamy and smooth for about 3 minutes.
Add the vanilla extract, granulated sugar, and kosher salt, and mix until well combined.
Add the eggs one at a time mixing constantly until a creamy mixture forms.
Into a measuring cup or small mixing bowl, add the buttermilk and lemon juice and mix.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl add the flour, and baking powder, and mix with a whisk until combined.
Add ½ of the dry mixture and the buttermilk mixture and mix it until almost combined.
Add the other half of the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
Divide the batter into 2 8-inch baking pans and bake in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes (depending on your oven) or until a toothpick is inserted into the cake comes out clean.
Let the cakes cool to room temperature and remove them from the pans.
Make the lemon curd
Put all of the ingredients in a saucepan and cook it over medium-low heat whisking constantly.
Once the butter melts, the consistency of the mixture will be thin, don't increase the heat. Keep whisking until the mixture thickens for about 5 minutes.
When the mixture thickens, transfer it to a fine-mesh strainer set over and bowl and strain the mixture from any unnecessary lumps. This will give you a perfect and smooth curd.
Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let the mixture cool for about 20-30 minutes.
Make the lemon frosting
Into a big mixing bowl, add the room temperature butter, lemon juice, lemon zest, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract.
Mix with an electric hand mixer for a few minutes until the buttercream is light in color and creamy.
Assembly
Pipe a small dollop of the buttercream on the surface that you will frost on. Lay the first cake layer over the frosting dot.
Pipe a circle around the edges of the cake. Then fill the circle with the lemon curd. Top with the second cake layer.
Frost the cake with a very thin layer of buttercream, and place the cake in the freezer to set for 15 minutes. (this is the crumb coat)
Remove the cake from the freezer and frost it with the remaining frosting and place it in the freezer for another 10 minutes to set.
Decorate the cake with slices of lemon and mint or edible flowers. Serve and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and butter. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly. you don’t want to place cold batter into the oven.
- Constantly whisk while making the curd! It is really important if you want to get a smooth and silky curd.
- Don't let the lemon curd come to a boil! This will cook the eggs and leave you with scrambled eggs. Make sure that the lemon curd mixture cooks over medium-low heat.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with a back of a knife.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have a moist cake and not a dense and dry cake.
- Line your baking pan with parchment paper! This step helps the cake to bake evenly, and it makes sure that your loaf cake will release easily from the pan.
- Make sure that your butter is at room temperature. An hour or two before making these cookies, take the butter out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature. The butter should be soft to the touch. If your butter is too cold, it will be harder to mix and there will be lumps of butter in the dough.
- Be patient! I know it’s extremely tempting to flip this cake as soon as it's ready. Allow the cake to cool to room temperature before flipping the cake. This step prevents the cake to fall apart.
Faq's
We use all-purpose flour for this cake, self-rising flour, and cake flour will work great as well.
This cake will last up to 3 days at room temperature or up to 5 days in the fridge. Cover the cake with plastic wrap or foil to prevent it from drying out.
There are a few ways to decorate this cake! Top it with fresh berries, top it with a big dollop of whipped cream, top it with powdered sugar, and top it with lemon slices.
Yes. You can use 8 or 9-inch cake pans. Take into consideration that the cake layers will be thinner and you will need to bake it for less time.
Storing
This cake will last up to 4 in the fridge. Cover the cake with plastic wrap or foil to prevent it from drying out. This cake tastes amazing the day after.
Freezing
Freeze this cake after it cooled completely in an airtight freezer-friendly container for up to 3 months.
Our tip is not to freeze it decorated or covered with frosting, because it can ruin the decorating of the cake, and make it soggy. We suggest freezing the cake, defrosting it, and assembling it.
Make it ahead
You can make this cake ahead by freezing the cake layers ahead of time. Wrap each cake layer with a few layers of plastic wrap and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature for 1-2 hours or in the fridge overnight.
When you are ready to frost and assemble the cake, make the frosting, and lemon curd, and assemble the cake!
Substitutions
Dairy-free-Â to make this cake dairy-free, replace the buttermilk with almond milk and replace the butter with vegan butter.
Gluten-free - if you want to make this recipe gluten-free, simply replace the flour with gluten-free flour.
Variations
Zest- We like adding lemon or orange zest to the strawberry mixture. If you do, add 1 teaspoon of lemon or orange zest to the strawberry mixture.
Frosting- Instead of making lemon buttercream, you can top this cake with lemon cream cheese frosting or cream cheese frosting. Also, you can use a classic vanilla buttercream recipe for this cake.
Or for a lighter frosting option, frost the cake with lemon mascarpone whipped cream from my lemon poke cake recipe.
Lemon curd- if you don't want to make your own homemade lemon curd, you can use store-bought lemon curd. There are awesome companies that make delicious lemon curd.
More lemon recipes
Lemon tart- This lemon tart is made with a buttery pastry crust and filled with a zesty lemon curd filling. This tart is a ray of sunshine in a dessert!
Lemon cooler cookies-Â These lemon cooler cookies are made with fresh lemon zest and lemon juice, making the lemon flavor pop! These are the perfect summer cookies buttery and tossed in powdered sugar.
Lemonade bundt cake-Â This lemonade bundt cake is made with fresh lemon juice and lemon zest and topped with a lemon glaze. This cake and bright and will light up your day!
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📖 Recipe
Lemon Curd Cake
Ingredients
- 115 g Butter
- 2 tablespoon Lemon zest
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups Granulated sugar
- 4 Eggs large
- 1 cup Buttermilk
- ¼ cup Lemon juice
- 2 ½ cups Flour
- 2 ½ teaspoon Baking powder
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
Lemon curd
- â…“ cup Lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon Lemon zest
- â…” cup Granulated sugar
- 80 g Butter
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 Egg large
- 3 Egg yolks large
Lemon frosting
- 230 g Butter soften
- 2 tablespoon Lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Lemon zest
- 4 ¼ cups Powder sugar
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 180c (350f) and prepare 2 8-inch baking pans with parchment paper.
- Into a big mixing bowl, add the soft butter, and lemon zest. Mix with an electric hand mixer until creamy and smooth for about 3 minutes.
- Add the vanilla extract, granulated sugar, and kosher salt, and mix until well combined.
- Add the eggs one at a time mixing constantly until a creamy mixture forms.
- Into a measuring cup or small mixing bowl, add the buttermilk and lemon juice and mix.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl add the flour, baking powder, and mix with a whisk until combined.
- Add ½ of the dry mixture and the buttermilk mixture and mix it until almost combined.
- Add the other half of the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Divide the batter into 2 8-inch baking pans and bake in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes (depending on your oven) or until a toothpick is inserted into the cake comes out clean.
- Let the cakes cool to room temperature and remove them from the pans.
Make the lemon curd
- Put all of the ingredients in a saucepan and cook it over medium-low heat whisking constantly.
- Once the butter melt, the consistency of the mixture will be thin, dont increase the heat. Keep whisking until the mixture thickens for about 5 minutes.
- When the mixture thickens, transfer it to a fine-mesh strainer set over and bowl and strain the mixture from any unnecessary lumps. This will give you a perfect and smooth curd.
- Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let the mixture cool for about 20-30 minutes.
Make the lemon frosting
- Into a big mixing bowl, add the room temperature butter, lemon juice, lemon zest, powder sugar, and vanilla extract.
- Mix with an electric hand mixer for a few minutes until the buttercream is light in color and creamy.
Assembly
- Pipe a small dollop of the buttercream on the surface that you will frost on. Lay the first cake layer over the frosting dot.
- Pipe a circle around the edges of the cake. Then fill the circle with the lemon curd. Top with the second cake layer.
- Frost the cake with a very thin layer of buttercream, and place the cake in the freezer to set for 15 minutes. (this is the crumb coat)
- Remove the cake from the freezer and frost it with the remaining frosting and place it in the freezer for another 10 minutes to set.
- Decorate the cake with slices of lemon and mint or edible flowers. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and butter. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly. you don’t want to place cold batter into the oven.
- Constantly whisk while making the curd! It is really important if you want to get a smooth and silky curd.
- Dont let the lemon curd come to a boil! This will cook the eggs and leave you with scrambled eggs. Make sure that the lemon curd mixture cooks over medium-low heat.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with a back of a knife.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have a moist cake and not a dense and dry cake.
- Line your baking pan with parchment paper! This step helps the cake to bake evenly, and it makes sure that your loaf cake will release easily from the pan.
- Make sure that your butter is at room temperature. An hour or two before making these cookies, take the butter out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature. The butter should be soft to the touch. If your butter is too cold, it will be harder to mix and there will be lumps of butter in the dough.
- Be patient! I know it’s extremely tempting to flip this cake as soon as it's ready. Allow the cake to cool to room temperature before flipping the cake. This step prevents the cake to fall apart.
Lindsey Callia
I made the lemon curd and frosting. Both were absolutely delicious. I did add more lemon juice to the frosting but it still was amazing! Next time I will make the cake as well.