Spring has sprung. That means ’tis the season of Lemon Everything! This bakery style cake is definitely a cake that will leave an impression. Perfect for Easter, weddings, baby showers, family gatherings, or any other festivity you have coming up, this Lemon Layer Cake will be raved about!
Sidenote: I survived our busy Spring Break, a basement remodel, and my mother’s surprise visit last week! But alas, that is for another Lemony post coming up! If you’ve read Banana Chocolate Marble Loaf and Baked Chocolate Donuts, you know that my dear Mom is a character who won’t stop trolling me on Instagram!
This lemon layer cake has layers of subtle lemon cake with fresh lemon curd and vanilla swiss meringue buttercream. Create a naked and rustic look with fresh lemon peels to top it off. This is a refreshing and elegant cake that is like cakes you find in bakeries or served at weddings.
There are three steps to making this Lemon Layer Cake. First, you will need to make a lemon curd. While that is chilling, make the lemon cake layers. Finish off with a vanilla swiss meringue buttercream.
Since Lemon curd is such a versatile filling and topping and it is also a star component of this lemon layer cake, I did a post within this post all about. I love cakes like this lemon layer cake. Not only am I lemon fanatic, but this is a versatile cake. By adjusting the lemon curd to your lemon preference, you can make it as bold in lemon or as subtle as you desire. My pictures show that I went a more subtle route with the curd to give it a more “wedding cake” taste.
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Lemon Curd
Fruit curds are a preserve, filling, spread, or topping. They are made by cooking eggs, fruit juice, sugar, and zest until thick and smooth. Once cooled, this flavorful preserve is used to fill cakes, pastries, tarts, and more. A variation of this Lemon Curd can be found as the filling for my popular Lemon Elderflower Cake.
Fresh, tangy, vibrant, yellow lemons are a year long treat. But to kick off the season of Lemon, there isn’t a better warm weather preserve to have in your arsenal of Spring Baking than Lemon Curd.
This curd is the star of any cakes, tarts, pies, and crumbles. It’s the pop of bright flavor and color that will fill or enhance cookies, scones and breads, donuts, and anything else you can think of this season. Seize the morning and spread it on some toast, pancakes, waffles, or muffins for a breakfast that will start any day off with pizzazz. And of course, this Lemon Curd is a zesty layer within this Lemon Layer Cake.
Curds, like this lemon curd, have bolder flavor than a custard due to the generous amount of fruit juice and zest. They also have beautiful bright colors that add to the Instagram appeal of your food pics!
How To Make Lemon Curd
While store bought lemon curd is readily available, fresh lemon curd is so much better tasting! It is also a lot easier to make than you may think. The first step to making this lemon layer cake is to make the lemon curd. Doing so allows enough time for the lemon curd to chill before layering it in the cake.
Lemon Curd takes only 5 ingredients, with an optional pinch of salt for 6 ingredients.
The first step in making this lemon curd is to whisk together eggs, sugar, pinch of salt, and fresh lemon juice in a double boiler over another saucepan with barely simmering water. Once the sugar dissolves, add in butter and continue to whisk as they curd thickens up. This takes about 5-10 minutes. The lemon curd is ready once it leaves a custard like layer on a spoon. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon zest. Put the lemon curd in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap set against the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Chill lemon curd in fridge for at least an hour.
The lemon curd recipe below gives you plenty of lemon curd to save for any of those recipes I listed above and then some!
Lemon Cake
Meanwhile, make your lemon cake layers. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and lightly flour three 9 inch cake pans.
Use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to cream room temperature butter and sugar or a few minutes, until fluffy and pale.
In the meantime, sift the dry ingredients in a large bowl (flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt and lemon zest). The addition of corn starch yields a tender and soft crumb to this lemon layer cake. If you have cake flour, then feel free to replace the flour and cornstarch with 2 1/2 cups of cake flour.
In another bowl, whisk together the oil, lemon juice, buttermilk, and vanilla extract.
This lemon cake is a cross between a vanilla and a white cake with the addition of lemon flavor. Several factors make this lemon layer cake fluffy and tender. Cakes that use all egg whites can get a tad dry, especially ones that need to be refrigerated. So a whole egg is added for moisture and extra flavor. In addition, a touch of oil also makes a moist cake.
After creaming the butter and sugar, add the egg whites and whole egg. Save all the yolks left out of the lemon layer cake for Lemon Bars, Banana Split Trifle or creme brulee!
Then after a couple of minutes, turn your mixer to lowest setting. Add half of dry ingredients. Then pour in the buttermilk lemon mixture. Finish with the rest of the dry ingredients.
Then divide the batter between the cake pans. Bake for approximately 24-28 minutes, until it a toothpick inserted gives a clean crumb. Allow the lemon cakes to cool in the pans for 10 minutes before turning them onto cooling racks. Cool completely.
Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Just like in my Chocolate Baileys Whoopie Pies, this vanilla swiss meringue buttercream uses the same method.
Begin by whisking together granulated sugar and egg whites in a bowl. That bowl gets set over a pot of barely simmering water. Do not allow the bowl to touch or submerge in the water. Whisk sugar and egg whites until the sugar is dissolved, about 4 minutes. Use your thumb and forefinger to rub the mixture and check for sugar granules. The mixture will be warm to the touch and smooth.
Once it reaches 160 degrees, remove the mixture to the stand mixer set with a whisk attachment. Use a high setting, like 8, to beat it for about 5 minutes. It will cool down and be fluffy and glossy. Then turn the mixer to highest speed and add in cubes of butter. Allow time for each to incorporate. Continue mixing for another 5 minutes. Swiss meringue buttercream has a curdling period right before it turns into silky buttercream, so don’t be alarmed! Then finish by adding in your vanilla extract. Remove to a piping bag fitted with a round or star tip.
Lemon Layer Cake
Begin assembling the lemon layer cake. At this point, decide how much lemon curd you want layered within this cake. Do remember that lemon curd is full flavored and super bold. For a subtle hint of lemon, follow these instructions. For a bolder lemon flavor, just add more lemon curd to the layers.
Start by putting a lemon cake layer. Then pipe out Swiss meringue buttercream in an even layer, making sure to have a higher edge around to hold in the lemon curd. Use a cake spatula to smooth in the buttercream within that edge before adding a couple tablespoons of lemon curd. Spread the lemon curd. Then put on a another cake layer and repeat. For the middle layer, add extra lemon curd. Then finish off by putting on your last cake layer. Use the last of the vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream to top and smooth the sides in a naked look. Decorate with fresh lemon peels.
Please join me on Instagram and YouTube! I love hearing from you, getting recipe requests, and seeing your #ritzymom pics. Tag your lemon layer cake pictures with @ritzymomblog #ritzymom for a chance to be featured on my stories or feed.
Lemon Layer Cake
This lemon layer cake has layers of subtle lemon cake with fresh lemon curd and vanilla swiss meringue buttercream. Create a naked and rustic look with fresh lemon peels to top it off. This is a refreshing and elegant cake that is like cakes you find in bakeries or served at weddings.
Ingredients
Lemon Curd
- 1/4 cup lemon juice from 2 lemons
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 4 tablespoons butter sliced
- pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
Lemon Cake
- 1 cup butter unsalted, room temp
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large egg whites
- 2 large whole eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 cup canola oil
- 2 1/4 cup AP Flour
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup buttermilk shaken
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- 5 large egg whites
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups butter
- 1/4 teasoon salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- lemon peels of 1 lemon for garnish
Instructions
Lemon Curd
-
The first step in making this lemon curd is to whisk together eggs, sugar, pinch of salt, and fresh lemon juice in a double boiler over another saucepan with barely simmering water.
Once the sugar dissolves, add in butter and continue to whisk as they curd thickens up. This takes about 5-10 minutes.
The lemon curd is ready once it leaves a custard like layer on a spoon. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon zest.
Put the lemon curd in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap set against the surface to prevent a skin from forming.
Chill lemon curd in fridge for at least an hour.
Lemon Cake
-
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and lightly flour three 9 inch cake pans.
Use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to cream room temperature butter and sugar or a few minutes, until fluffy and pale.
In the meantime, whisk up the dry ingredients in a large bowl (flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt and lemon zest).
In another bowl, whisk together the oil, lemon juice, buttermilk, and vanilla extract.
After creaming the butter and sugar, add the egg whites and whole egg. Save all the yolks left out of the lemon layer cake for Lemon Bars, Banana Split Trifle or creme brulee!
Then after a couple of minutes, turn your mixer to lowest setting. Add half of dry ingredients. Then pour in the buttermilk lemon mixture. Finish with the rest of the dry ingredients.
Then divide the batter between the cake pans. Bake for approximately 24-28 minutes, until it a toothpick inserted gives a clean crumb. Allow the lemon cakes to cool in the pans for 10 minutes before turning them onto cooling racks. Cool completely.
Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream
-
Begin by whisking together granulated sugar and egg whites in a bowl.
That bowl gets set over a pot of barely simmering water. Do not allow the bowl to touch or submerge in the water.
Whisk sugar and egg whites until the sugar is dissolved, about 4 minutes. Use your thumb ad forefinger to rub the mixture and check for sugar granules. The mixture will be warm to the touch and smooth.
Once it reaches 160 degrees, remove the mixture to the stand mixer set with a whisk attachment.
Use setting a high setting, like 8, to beat it for about 5 minutes.
It will cool down and be fluffy and glossy.
Then turn the mixer to highest speed and add in cubes of butter. Allow time for each to incorporate. Continue mixing for another 5 minutes.
Swiss meringue buttercream has a curdling period right before it turns into silky buttercream, so don’t be alarmed!
Then finish by adding in your vanilla extract. Remove to a piping bag fitted with a round or star tip.
Assembling Cake
-
Start by putting a lemon cake layer.
Then pipe out swiss meringue buttercream in an even layer, making sure to have a higher edge around to hold in the lemon curd.
Use a cake spatula to smoth in the inner buttercream before adding a couple tablespoons of lemon curd. Spread the lemon curd.
Then put on a another cake layer and repeat. For the middle layer, add extra lemon curd.
Then finish off by putting on your last cake layer. Use the last of the vanilla swiss merigue buttercream to top and smooth the sides in a naked look. Top with lemon peels.