Lemon Curd Cake

This lemon curd cake is a moist and indulgent treat, with a perfect balance of tartness and sweetness that will leave your guests wanting more.

Prep Time1

Cook Time30

Total Time1 30

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Lemon Curd Cake Recipe

Servings:

Calories: 741kcal

Ingredients

Cake

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1½ cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon lemon extract
2 tablespoons lemon zest
2 cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk

Frosting

1½ cups unsalted butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons lemon zest
1½ teaspoons lemon extract
1 pinch salt
2 to 3 tablespoons heavy cream
½ cup lemon curd, for filling
Fresh lemon slices, garnish
spring of mint, garnish

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray two 9-inch cake pans with nonstick cooking spray and line the bottoms with a round of parchment paper.
Cream together the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until smooth and creamy.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add one egg at a time, beating between each addition.
Beat in the lemon juice, vanilla and lemon extracts, and lemon zest and mix on high speed for 2 to 3 minutes.
In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
To the wet ingredients, alternate adding ½ of the milk and ½ of the flour mixture, and then the remaining flour and milk. Mix just until everything is combined.
Divide the batter between the two prepared baking pans, spreading the tops even.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cakes comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Cool cakes for 5 to 10 minutes and then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool the rest of the way.
Prepare the frosting by whipping the butter until fluffy with the whisk attachment of a stand mixer. Add the powdered sugar, half at a time, and whisk on low until combined.
Whisk in the lemon zest, lemon extract, and pinch of salt. With the mixer running on low speed, whisk in 2 tablespoons of heavy cream. Add more cream until the desired consistency is achieved. Whip on high speed for several minutes until the frosting is light and fluffy.
Assemble the cake by piping a perimeter of the frosting around the top of the first layer. Fill with about ½ cup of lemon curd, spreading the curd to the frosting border. Gently press the second layer of cake down onto the filling to seal. Frost the cake with the rest of the frosting and decorate as desired. We garnished it with fresh lemon slices and sprigs of mint.

Notes

Make sure your butter is softened, and your eggs are at room temperature for the best results.
Oven temperatures vary and may need to be recalibrated periodically to ensure they are accurate. Make sure to keep a close eye on your cake as the suggested baking time approaches.
The buttercream is enough to frost the exterior of the two-layer cake. If you are filling the cake with frosting (in addition to, or instead of, the lemon curd filling) or if you’d like to do a lot of decorating, double the frosting recipe. We used a simple fluffy swoop design on the cake.

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