This lemon curd cake is extra moist, bursting with lemon flavor, and topped with a luscious lemon cream cheese frosting. Perfect for Easter, Mother’s Day, or any lemon lover’s delight!
Why You’ll Love This Lemon Curd Cake Recipe:
- Amazing Lemon Flavor: Lemon zest in the batter and a tart lemon curd filling make every bite super lemony.
- Super Moist: Thanks to the buttermilk, this cake is incredibly soft and moist.
- Cream Cheese Frosting: The frosting melts in your mouth, adding to the cake’s rich texture.
- Homemade Goodness: This cake is made from scratch with no shortcuts, ensuring the best taste.
Lemon Curd Cake
Ingredients
**For the Lemon Curd:**
- ½ cup 120 ml fresh lemon juice (about 3 large lemons)
- 4 large egg yolks at room temperature
- ¾ cup 150 g granulated white sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon 10 g lemon zest (about 1 large lemon)
- ½ cup 112 g unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
**For the Lemon Cake:**
- 2 ¼ cups 281 g all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 10 tablespoons 140 g unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ½ cups 300 g granulated white sugar
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup 240 ml buttermilk, at room temperature
- 3 tablespoons 30 g lemon zest (about 3 large lemons)
**For the Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting:**
- ¾ cup 168 g unsalted butter, softened
- 6 oz 170 g cream cheese, cold
- 2 ¼ cups 293 g powdered sugar
- ½ tablespoon 5 g lemon zest (about ½ large lemon)
Instructions
**For the Lemon Curd:**
- **Mix Ingredients:** In a medium saucepan, whisk together lemon juice, egg yolks, sugar, salt, and lemon zest.
- **Cook:** Heat over medium-low, stirring frequently, for 20-25 minutes until thickened. It should coat the back of a spoon.
- **Add Butter:** Remove from heat and slowly whisk in the cold, cubed butter until melted.
- **Cool:** Transfer to a small heatproof bowl, cover with plastic wrap (touching the curd to prevent a skin), and chill in the fridge.
**For the Lemon Cake:**
- **Preheat Oven:** Preheat to 350°F. Spray a 9×9-inch pan with non-stick spray and line with parchment paper.
- **Mix Dry Ingredients:** In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- **Cream Butter and Sugar:** In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer for 2 minutes until fluffy.
- **Add Eggs and Vanilla:** Mix in eggs and vanilla on medium speed until smooth and pale, about 1 minute.
- **Combine:** Gradually add dry ingredients and buttermilk, mixing on low speed until combined. Fold in lemon zest.
- **Bake:** Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- **Cool:** Let the cake cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
**For the Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting:**
- **Beat Butter:** In a large bowl, beat butter on high speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
- **Add Cream Cheese:** Add cold cream cheese and beat until fluffy, about 1 minute.
- **Add Sugar:** Sift in powdered sugar and mix on low speed until combined. Add lemon zest and beat on high until fluffy.
**Assembling the Cake:**
- **Release Cake:** Once the cake is completely cooled, carefully turn the pan over to release the cake and place it on a serving plate.
- **Poke Holes:** Poke holes on the top of the cake using a wooden stick or the handle of a wooden spoon.
- **Fill with Lemon Curd:** Transfer lemon curd to a piping bag and pipe it into the holes.
- **Frost:** Spread a thick layer of lemon cream cheese frosting over the cake using an offset spatula. Swirl some lemon curd into the frosting.
- **Serve:** Enjoy your delicious lemon curd cake!