Lemon Curd Cake

This Lemon Curd Cake has four tender layers of white cake and decadent, tangy flavor. The layers are spread with homemade lemon curd and lemon buttercream for an incredible bite. It's a bakery-style cake that's simple to make at home.

This is the best lemon layer cake you can find that's also easy to make! With a homemade lemon curd recipe that you'll want to eat by the spoonful, you can't go wrong.

My little secret is you can use a store-bought vanilla cake mix here to make it a little easier on yourself when it comes to prep time.

I jazz up the cake mix by spreading a lemon buttercream and lemon curd (both from scratch!) in between the layers. The end result is so impressive, a bakery-style dessert right at home!

The lemon frosting is irresistibly delicious - sweet, sour and tangy. I love developing frosting recipes, they are one of my favorite things to add to cake and cupcakes.

This buttercream has a unique tip from me in the method, it's made by reducing lemon juice to intensify the tangy flavor. Once the reduction has cooled, that liquid is mixed into the frosting, pretty cool right?

Jump to:

• Why you'll love this recipe
• Lemon curd vs. lemon custard
• Ingredients
• How to make lemon curd cake
• Tara's expert tips
• Leftovers and Make-Ahead instructions
• FAQs
• Lemon Curd Cake

Why you'll love this recipe

• Triple lemon flavor! Zest in cake mix and so much juice in the curd and the frosting, there's lemon in every single component.
• Make it easy with store-bought cake mix. It's a great shortcut especially when you are making the frosting from scratch.
• Simple to make bakery-style dessert. This cake will wow anyone at your party and make them think you had a professional baker make it.

Lemon curd vs. lemon custard

The two sound very similar but are actually pretty different when it comes to flavor and texture. Lemon curd is made with butter and egg yolks cooked over low heat with lemon juice until just thickened. The curd is velvety, but not cream-based like custard. It also usually has a more intense lemon flavor.

The silky lemon curd is English in origin (from the early 1800's). It was originally called 'Lemon Cheese' since the juice was used to acidulate cream into curds then separated out using cheesecloth.

On the other hand, lemon custard has a milk and/or heavy cream base that is cooked over heat with lemon juice but usually has a thickener like cornstarch. It's thicker in consistency and has a less intense lemon flavor thanks to the cream base.

Ingredients

You can make your own cake or follow my lead and use a cake mix! I use lemon zest in both the cake and curd, and my favorite zesting tool is a microplane rasp.

White Vanilla Cake:

• White cake mix: Use a white vanilla cake mix for classic results. Follow the box instructions. *I prefer baking it in 7-inch round cake pans for thicker layers.
• Fresh lemon zest: Add to the cake mix to create a natural lemon flavor.
• Lemon curd: Get the recipe for my homemade curd, or purchase several jars of prepared curd at the store.

Lemon Curd:

• Unsalted butter: An entire half cup of butter creates a luscious curd.
• Fresh lemon zest: The zest intensifies the lemon flavor along with the juice.
• Lemon juice: Use fresh lemon juice so the flavor is bright and real.
• Salt: Just a pinch of salt helps bring out the butter and lemon flavors.
• Granulated sugar: Sweeten the lemon juice with white sugar for the most classic flavor and texture.
• Egg yolks: Six large eggs yolks help create the color and texture of curd.

Lemon Buttercream:

• Vanilla Frosting: Use my recipe for Fluffy Vanilla Frosting made with fresh butter and confectioners' sugar. A classic bakery American-style buttercream.
• Fresh lemon juice: This gets simmered and reduced to a few tablespoons of very intense-flavored juice. It makes the frosting pop.
• Confectioners' sugar: Make sure you get a good quality confectioners' sugar to insure it's fine and powdery. That creates a great frosting texture.
• Yellow food coloring: If you want your cake classically yellow, just a drop, maybe two added to the frosting will give you the spring yellow color.

How to make lemon curd cake

Cake:

1. Prepare your favorite vanilla boxed cake mix and stir 2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest into the batter.
2. Bake according to package instructions in two 7- or 8-inch round cake pans. Allow the layers to cool completely.
3. Slice each cooled cake layer in half to make 4 thin cake layers. Place 1 layer on your cake plate or platter and top with ¼ cup lemon curd, spread evenly. Top with a spoonful of Lemon Frosting and spread over the curd; top with second cake layer. Spread that layer with lemon curd and frosting and repeat one more time with the third layer. Top with the last layer.
4. Frost the entire cake with Lemon Frosting. Sprinkle with decorative sprinkles or pipe on designs: With desired piping tip, decorate the top and bottom edges of the cake to finish it.
5. Cake can be stored at room temperature for a day and refrigerated up to a week.

Lemon Curd:

1. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, melt butter. Once butter is melted, add the lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and sugar. Whisk to combine.
2. Whisk in the egg yolks until smooth. Reduce heat to medium-low heat and cook, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens, 5 to 6 minutes. Don't let the mixture boil.
3. You can use the classic trick to check if the mixture is thick enough: dip a wooden spoon into the curd and draw your finger across the spoon; your finger should leave a path and the curd won't run to fill it in.
4. Immediately pour the curd through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Use a rubber spatula to force all the curd through the sieve, leaving just the zest and any cooked bits of egg in the sieve. Scrape the bottom of the sieve to retrieve all the curd.
5. Transfer to a jar, cover and refrigerate until thick, about 4 hours. Or cover the top of the curd in the bowl with plastic wrap and let cool in the fridge to use for cake filling.

Lemon Frosting:

• Reduce the ½ cup lemon juice to 3 tablespoons by simmering it in a small saucepan and letting it evaporate. This will concentrate the flavor. Cool the reduction to room temperature.
• Make Fluffy Vanilla Frosting but mix the lemon reduction into the butter before adding the confectioners sugar. Add the extra ¾ cup confectioners sugar at the end. Tint yellow, with food coloring, if desired.

Tara's expert tips

• Reduce lemon juice to flavor the frosting. Reducing the juice intensifies the flavor in a smaller amount of liquid. This prevents the frosting from becoming too runny or wet and keeps the consistency light and smooth.
• Don't overcook the curd. This will make it too thick and gluey. To test the consistency of the curd, dip the spoon into the curd then run your finger through it. If the curd leaves a path and doesn't run together, it's good to go.
• Strain the curd for any cooked egg pieces. If the eggs cooked too quickly in the curd, you can strain it through a fine mesh sieve to remove the bits and pieces.
• Cool cake layers completely before layering and frosting. The curd and frosting will melt if the cake is even a bit warm.
• Use a measuring cup to evenly scoop out frosting in between the cake layers. This prevents a lopsided cake and ensures every bite has the same amount of filling.

Leftovers and Make-Ahead instructions

Store any leftover cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can also freeze individual cake slices wrapped in plastic wrap, then in an air tight container for up to 2 months. Thaw on the counter at room temperature a couple of hours before serving.

There are many make-ahead components to this cake. This makes it ideal for a party or large gathering. Prep the cake layers up to a day in advance and store at room temperature covered.

The lemon curd can be made up to 2 weeks in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. The buttercream can be refrigerated in an airtight container for one week. Allow it to come to room temperature before frosting.

FAQs

See the VIDEO: This lemon cake featured on TV.

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Recipe by Tara Teaspoon. Photography Darianne Edwards