Lemon Curd Cake
This lemon curd cake is the spring cake of my dreams. Four layers of fluffy vanilla sponge cake soaked in a lemon simple syrup and layered with chantilly cream and generous swirls of homemade lemon curd.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- The sponge is so light and fluffy and flavored with an easy lemon simple syrup.
- The lemon curd is sweet, tangy and sharp but balanced with a fluffy chantilly cream.
- The cake recipe is very forgiving and allows for many substitutions and dietary restrictions.
Make sure to check out my genoise for more details on this type of sponge.
If you like this cake I think you’ll like my fraisier cake, tiramisu cake and my prinzregententorte.
If you’re a lemon lover like me, you’ll love my lemon curd macarons and make sure to check out my new brown butter lemon white chocolate cookies!
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Flour: I use all purpose flour in most of my recipes and I HIGHLY recommend using a digital scale, as flour is so often over measured. Cake flour also works well here.
- Sugar: I used granulated sugar in the cake and lemon curd and I don’t recommend reducing it or swapping it.
- I use a little powdered sugar in the chantilly cream.
- Baking Powder: sponge cakes are known to not use a leavening agent so I didn’t include it in the recipe but many people have issues with genoise cakes rising properly. If you want, you can add in 1 ½ tsp of baking powder with the flour for a little insurance.
- Butter: I like to use salted butter in my lemon curd but it really doesn’t matter, unsalted is fine too.
- Eggs: make sure to use room temperature, large eggs. The weight of the eggs should be between 50-60g (without the shells).
- Pop them in hot water for a few minutes if they’re cold.
- Butter: I like to use salted butter but unsalted works well too. Make sure it’s melted but not hot.
- Heavy Whipping Cream: For the chantilly cream, make sure the heavy whipping cream is 36-40% fat and use it cold from the fridge.
- Vanilla: I usually just use a simple vanilla extract in cake batters but I like to use vanilla bean paste for buttercreams and frostings. Either works fine.
- Lemon: you’ll need at least two (large) lemons for the lemon curd and simple syrup.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Make the lemon curd by whisking together the lemon, sugar, eggs, salt and butter in a small pot over medium-low heat.
Step 2: Make the lemon simple syrup by bringing the lemon, sugar and water to a slow boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for just a couple of minutes. Remove and pour into a heat safe jar to cool completely (can refrigerate).
Step 2: Make the sponge cake by separating the eggs and beating the egg whites with the sugar until stiff peaks form.
Step 3: Add the egg yolks, vanilla and butter and beat at medium-high speed until it’s combined, just a few seconds.
Step 4: Sift in the flour and salt (and baking powder if using) and beat at medium-low speed, just until the flour is mixed in. Use a rubber spatula to fold the mixture a couple of times to scrape the edge of the bowl.
Step 5: Distribute the batter evenly among un-greased pans lined with parchment paper, about 17 ounces each, and bake for 25-ish minutes. The tops will be golden brown, no longer wet and spring back when you press on them gently.
Step 6: Remove from the oven, run a knife along the edge to release the cakes from the edge of the cake tin and let it cool in the pan until it’s easy to remove, about 10-20 minutes. Once the cakes have cooled completely, use a large serrated knife or a cake leveler to slice in half.
Step 7: Make the chantilly cream by beating together the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla just until you reach stiff peaks. Don’t over-beat (but if you do, try folding in a touch more cream just until it’s blended in).
Step 8: Assemble the cake by placing the first layer of cake onto a flat surface. Use 2-3 Tbsp of the lemon simple syrup to brush onto the slice side of the cake.
Spread a generous layer of chantilly cream on top (don’t go all the way off the edge of the cake, give it a centimeter or so because it will spread more when you place the next layer of cake on top). Swirl in some lemon curd and repeat.
For the top layer of cake, brush with simple syrup before placing it on top and then place it with the sliced side facing down.
Refrigerate the cake for at least an hour to set and serve slightly chilled.
How to frost/decorate this lemon curd cake
If you want to cover the outside with the chantilly cream too, it may be a little difficult since the cake is so light and the cream is so soft. You can lightly cover it after refrigerating (or freezing) it for a little until it’s more sturdy.
If you want to actually frost it nice and decorate the outside of this cake you’ll have to pipe a border of buttercream around the edge of the first layer of cake and then use the chantilly cream and berries as the filling. You can see how I did that for my cranberry orange cake.
I recommend a Swiss Meringue buttercream for decorating but American buttercream also works fine.
Make sure to check out my cookbook Frosted for a million frosting options and how to use them! I also have an ebook, Frosted 2.0, that shows step-by-step photos of all the types of frostings in the cookbook. You can download that below.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can use dairy free butter in the lemon curd and the cake and if there’s a dairy free cream you like, you can use that for the chantilly cream.
I haven’t tested it myself but some people have told me they made my sponge cakes with gluten-free flour like Bob’s Red Mill and King Arthur Flour and it worked well.
Cakes made with chantilly cream are super fragile and nor very sturdy for decorating. If you do want to decorate the outside of this cake I recommend making a buttercream like Swiss meringue buttercream and piping a border around the edge of each layer of cake. Then use the chantilly cream and lemon curd as the filling.
You can see how I did that for my cranberry orange cake, chocolate blueberry cake, etc.
Two 9 inch cakes but they will be thinner – reduce bake time by a few minutes
Two 7 inch cakes but they will be thicker – increase bake time by a few minutes.
How to make ahead
You can make the sponges a day in advance and trim them before assembling. You can even make them a few days in advance and freeze them. If you feel they’re drier, just use a little more simple syrup.
The lemon curd can also be made in advance. Store it covered in the refrigerator for a few weeks.
The chantilly cream needs to be made right before assembling the cake. Whipped cream doesn’t hold up great so I recommend making that and assembling the cake the day of or the day before serving.
How to store finished cake
The cake can be stored in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
To freeze the whole cake, refrigerate it until it’s firm. Then wrap it in plastic wrap so it’s completely covered. Then wrap it in aluminum foil and freeze.
To freeze slices, place the slices in an airtight container and then place the container in a freezer bag, squeezing out all the excess air.
Bring it back to room temperature by thawing at room temperature for a few hours before serving or in the refrigerator overnight.
Thanks so much for reading today’s post, if you have any questions just comment down below. Make sure to leave it in the comment section because I can’t answer in the rating section.
If you make this super bright and springy lemon curd cake, I’d love it if you left a star rating for me. If it’s less than five stars, please let me know why! 🙂
As always, have a blessed day and happy baking!
Love, B
Hey,
I made it last night. It’s delicious. The sponges are light. Frosting is delicious and the tangy flavor pairs well. Can I make the this cake using vanilla cake recipe with swiss meringue frosting and lemon curd? What steps do I need to take if I choose vanilla cake with Swiss meringue ? Can I add lemon juice / zest and essence to Swiss meringue and brush the sponges with lemon syrup. Or will I end up with the funny flavor
You could def use vanilla cake and swiss meringue buttercream to make a similar cake. You can add lemon juice/zest or extract to the frosting and you can use a lemon syrup if you want to on that cake too.
https://baranbakery.com/6-inch-vanilla-cake-recipe/
https://baranbakery.com/how-to-make-swiss-meringue-buttercream/
It looks delicious, I would love to try it today. However, I would like to make it in 3 – 6 inches pan. Please guide if I should half the recipe or what ?
This looks delicious! I am the scratch baker in the house and my favorite cake flavor is lemon. I just came back from a wonderful weekend at the Biltmore Estate (if you haven’t been, it’s a must). We had an amazing dinner at one of the restaurants on site and they had a limoncello cake, I died and went to heaven…. I make my own birthday cake, I don’t trust anyone else to do what I want or expect. LOL.
I am interested in making this for my 48th on June 11. I love adding other fruits, mainly berries. Would this hold up with blueberries baked into the cake? I would love to hear any feedback you have. Plus, I have to make it delicious, I do not eat dessert typically. Love baking and seeing others enjoy. But, it’s my day and what I say goes! 🥰🤣
Hi Meredith, happy early birthday! I haven’t tested this type of sponge with blueberries but I would be a little skeptical. The sponge is lighter than traditional American cake and my not hold up the blueberries very well. If anything I would try wild blueberries since they’re much smaller.
If you love limoncello, you could brush some onto the cakes as a soak!
I made this over the weekend and it was soooo good ???????? loved the tangy yet seeet lemon curd paired with the light chantilly cream ☺️
I made this over the weekend and it was soooo good ???????? loved the tangy yet seeet lemon curd paired with the light chantilly cream ☺️
Just a question, there is no mention of eggs in the method for the lemon curd, do you just add them with all the other ingredients. Looking forward to trying this cake. I live lemon and vanilla.
Hi! Yes the eggs are added with all the other ingredients at the same time 🙂