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Lemon lovers are thrilled with all the bright lemon flavor packed in our luscious Lemon Curd Cake. We’ve incorporated lemon juice and zest in the cake layers, buttercream frosting and of course the tangy lemon curd filling. This pretty cake is truly a burst of lemon sunshine!

An overhead shot of a lemon curd cake topped with buttercream flowers with lemon curd centers.

Lemon Curd Cake Recipe

Our recipe for Lemon Curd Cake is divided into three steps. Each component can be made ahead and the final cake assembled when needed.

We borrowed the reverse creaming method from America’s Test Kitchen to produce a moist and tender cake that’s also sturdy but with a light crumb.

Decorating and serving

If you’ve followed me for a while you probably know that I’m not an expert cake decorator. However, I think this simple cake design looks fantastic and requires very little skill, time or effort.

Lemon Curd Cake is a great dessert for birthdays, showers, Easter, Mother’s Day and any other reason you can think of. Everybody needs a sunny lemon cake in their life!

Ingredients for Lemon Cake with Lemon Curd Filling:

Lemon cake layers:

lemon zest (no white pith)
granulated sugar
whole milk at room temperature
fresh lemon juice, strained before measuring
large egg whites at room temperature (reserve egg yolks for another use)
vanilla extract
bleached cake flour like Softasilk (cake flour creates a finer crumb than all-purpose flour)
baking powder
table salt
unsalted butter cut into 12 pieces and softened but still cool

Filling:

2 cups store-bought or homemade lemon curd. We recommend our easy homemade lemon curd for this recipe.

An array of ingredients used to make lemon buttercream frosting.

Ingredients needed for Lemon Buttercream Frosting:

unsalted butter, room temperature
block cream cheese at room temperature
Confectioners’ sugar
table salt
fresh lemon juice strained before measuring
vanilla extract
heavy cream (more or less as needed for desired consistency)

Helpful Equipment:

three 8-inch cake pans (affiliate link)
8-inch parchment paper circles (affiliate link)
electric mixer
offset spatula (affiliate link)

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A mixing bowl with flour, sugar, butter and cream cheese mixed to pea sized pieces.

Lemon cake batter in a mixing bowl with a spatula.

How to make Lemon Curd Cake

Prepare the lemon cake batter:

First, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease three 8-inch cake pans. Line the bottom of the pans with parchment paper circles. Grease the parchment and flour the pans. Set aside.

In a small food processor combine the lemon zest with 3 or 4 tablespoons of the granulated sugar. Process until the sugar is bright yellow and the zest is in small flecks.

Next combine the milk, lemon juice, egg whites and vanilla together and set aside.

Using a mixer combine the flour, all remaining granulated sugar, lemon sugar, baking powder and salt on low until blended. Add the butter, 1 piece at a time, and continue mixing until only pea-size crumbs remain.

Pour in half the egg white mixture into the dry ingredients and blend. Add the remaining egg white mixture. Blend again until combined. Stir the batter a few times by hand using a spatula scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl until well blended. Do not overmix.

Divide the batter between the three prepared pans and smooth the tops. Bake until the tops are lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean, about 18 to 22 minutes. Rotate the pans halfway through baking.

Cool the cakes in the pans for 10 minutes the remove and discard the parchment. Cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

A mixing bowl filled with silky smooth lemon buttercream frosting.

Make the Lemon Buttercream:

Using an electric or stand mixer beat the butter and cream cheese on medium speed until smooth. Add half the Confectioners’ sugar and salt and blend on medium-low until most of the sugar is incorporated. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and blend again.

Add the remaining Confectioners’ sugar, lemon juice, vanilla and cream. Blend on medium until smooth and blended. Scrape down the bowl as needed then fold together using a spatula.

A layer of cake topped with lemon curd on a platter.

Assemble the cake:

Place one cake layer on a plate or cake stand. Pipe a small border of buttercream around the outside edge of the cake to create a wall.

Spoon lemon curd in the center then spread to the edge. Add another cake layer and repeat with a buttercream border and more curd filling.

Top with the final layer of cake. Frost the sides and top of the cake smoothing or decorating as desired.

NOTE: If making buttercream flowers with lemon curd centers as shown in the photos, set aside 1/3 to 1/2 cup of curd before filling the cake layers.

Lemon Curd Cakes

Make ahead instructions:

Baked and cooled cake layers can be wrapped and stored at room temperature for up to 1 day before assembling.
Buttercream frosting can be refrigerated for up to two days before using. Allow the frosting to come to room temperature before frosting the cake, about 30 minutes.

Storing Lemon Curd Cake:

Refrigerate assembled cake until needed.
Store leftover cake in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Bring the cake to room temperature 30 minutes before serving.

A slice of lemon curd cake on a plate with a fork.

Shortcuts and decorating ideas

Use white or lemon box cake mix in place of homemade.
Use store-bought lemon curd in place of homemade.
Decorate with lemon slices in place of the buttercream flowers.
Scatter yellow sprinkles on top for a festive touch.

Lemon Curd Cake

Prep Time: 45

Cook Time: 22

Total Time: 2 7

Yield:

Course: Dessert

Author: Tricia

Pin Recipe Print Recipe Rate Recipe

5 from 3 votes

Loaded with bright lemon zest and fresh lemon juice, this delicious and tender cake is a favorite with our lemon loving peeps.

Equipment

3 8-inch cake pans
3 8-inch parchment paper circles
electric mixer

Ingredients

Lemon cake:

zest of 2 lemons no white pith
1 ¾ cups granulated sugar divided (390g)
¾ cup whole milk (6oz) room temperature
¼ cup fresh lemon juice (2oz) strained before measuring
6 large egg whites room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 ¼ cups bleached cake flour (260g) like Softasilk
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon table salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (6oz or 170g) cut into 12 pieces and softened but still cool

Filling:

2 cups Lemon Curd homemade or store-bought

Lemon Buttercream:

16 tablespoons unsalted butter (226g or 8oz) room temperature
4 ounces block cream cheese room temperature
4 cups Confectioners’ sugar (480g)
⅛ teaspoon table salt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice strained before measuring
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons heavy cream more or less as needed for desired consistency

Instructions

To prepare the cake batter:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease three 8-inch cake pans. Line the bottom of the pans with parchment paper circles. Grease the parchment and flour the pans. Set aside.
In a small food processor combine the lemon zest with 3 or 4 tablespoons of the granulated sugar. Process until the sugar is bright yellow and the zest is in small flecks. If you don’t have a food processor combine the sugar and zest in a bowl and blend with your fingers until the zest is broken down and the sugar is bright yellow. You can also muddle the mixture using a mortar and pestle.
Combine the milk, lemon juice, egg whites and vanilla together and set aside.
Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment combine the flour, all remaining granulated sugar, lemon sugar, baking powder and salt on low until blended. With the mixer running add the butter, 1 piece at a time, and continue mixing until only pea-size pieces remain.
Pour in half the egg white mixture and increase the speed to medium-high. Beat until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Reduce the speed to medium-low and add the remaining egg white mixture. Blend again until combined. The batter may look slightly curdled; this is okay. Stir the batter a few times by hand using a spatula scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl until well blended. Do not overmix.
Divide the batter between the three prepared pans and smooth the tops. Bake until the tops are lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean, about 18 to 22 minutes. Rotate the pans halfway through baking.
Cool the cakes in the pans for 10 minutes the remove and discard the parchment. Cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

Prepare the frosting:

Using an electric or stand mixer beat the butter and cream cheese until smooth, about 30 seconds. Add half the Confectioners’ sugar and salt and blend on medium-low until most of the sugar is incorporated. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and blend again. Add the remaining sugar, lemon juice, vanilla and cream. Blend on medium until smooth and blended. Scrape down the bowl as needed then fold together using a spatula.

To assemble:

Place one cake layer on a plate or cake stand. Pipe a small border of buttercream around the outside edge of the cake to create a wall. Fill the center with about 3/4 to 1 cup of lemon curd. Add another layer and repeat with a buttercream border and curd filling. Top with the final layer of cake. Frost the sides and top of the cake smoothing or decorating as desired. NOTE: If making buttercream flowers with lemon curd centers as shown in the photos, set aside about 1/2 cup of the curd before filling the cake layers.

Recipe Notes

Baked and cooled cake layers can be wrapped and stored for up to 1 day before assembling.
Buttercream frosting can be refrigerated for up to two days before using. Allow the frosting to come to room temperature before using, about 30 minutes.
Refrigerate leftover cake for up to 5 days. Bring the cake to room temperature 30 minutes before serving.
Reverse creaming method adapted from America’s Test Kitchen

Nutritional information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered as an estimate. When multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

Nutrition

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