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Made with moist and fluffy cake, a velvety buttercream frosting, silky bavarian cream and a zesty curd filling, this is The Ultimate Lemon Layer Cake! You won’t find this much fresh lemon flavor in any other dessert.
Table of Contents
- Easy Lemon Layer Cake with Lemon Buttercream
- What You’ll Need
- How to Make the Lemon Cake
- How to Make the Lemon Buttercream
- How to Make the Lemon Curd
- How to Make the Bavarian Cream
- Assembling Your Cake
- Tips for Making Lemon Layer Cake
- How to Store Frosted Cake
- Can I Freeze Lemon Layer Cake?
- Watch How To Make It
- Get the Recipe
Easy Lemon Layer Cake with Lemon Buttercream
This layer cake is a lemon lover’s dream come true. The naturally-flavored lemon cake is super tender and buttery – it has such a lovely texture to it. The fillings and the frosting are also spot-on when it comes to flavor and texture. Once you try a bite with all of them together, your mind will be blown!
Fruit-themed desserts are one of my favorite things about summer. Whether it’s a classic Strawberry Shortcake or a fancy Berry Trifle, I’m there to help devour it. There’s simply no substitute for the flavors of ripe, in-season fruits! If you’re a lover of lemon, this cake has to be the next treat you try. You’ll fall in love!
What You’ll Need
Let’s talk about the ingredients for the cake, the frosting, the curd and the bavarian cream. Each one calls for juice and zest from fresh lemons for the most fabulous citrus flavor!
For the Lemon Cake
- All-Purpose Flour: You’ll need 3 cups.
- Baking Soda & Baking Powder: This cake uses 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda and 2 3/4 teaspoons of baking powder. the combination creates the best rise and texture.
- Salt: Just a teaspoon, for flavor.
- Butter: Unsalted; bring to room temperature.
- Sugar: For a moist cake with the right amount of sweetness.
- Egg Whites: You’ll need 4 egg whites; you can use the yolks in the lemon curd.
- Vanilla Extract: This will set the stage for all that lemon-y goodness.
- Milk: Just over a cup of milk makes this cake super soft and fluffy.
- Lemon Juice: Freshly squeezed!
- Lemon Zest: About 2 tablespoons.
For the Buttercream Frosting
- Unsalted Butter: Room temperature.
- Powdered Sugar: For volume and the right consistency.
- Salt: Just a pinch.
- Vanilla Extract
- Lemon Zest
- Lemon Juice
- Yellow Gel Icing Color
For the Lemon Curd
- Lemon Juice: About 1–2 lemons’ worth.
- Lemon Zest: Finely grated.
- Sugar
- Egg Yolks
- Butter: Salted.
For the Bavarian Cream
- Powdered Gelatin: This gives the cream its custard-like texture.
- Lemon Juice
- Egg Yolks
- Heavy Whipping Cream: You’ll need 3/4 cup to start and another cup later on.
- Sugar
- Vanilla Extract
- Lemon Zest
- Powdered Sugar
How to Make the Lemon Cake
These cake layers come together quickly and easily. You just have to combine the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients separately before mixing them together.
- Prepare for Baking: Preheat the oven to 350°F and line three 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper in the bottom and grease the sides.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside.
- Cream Butter & Sugar: Cream the butter and sugar in a large mixer bowl on medium speed for about 2-3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
- Add Egg Whites & Vanilla: Add the egg whites and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, as needed, to make sure everything is combined.
- Start Adding Dry Ingredients: Add about 1/3 of the flour mixture to the batter and beat on medium speed until incorporated.
- Add Milk & Lemon: Add about half of the milk and the lemon juice and zest and beat on medium speed until incorporated.
- Complete Batter: Continue alternating adding dry and wet ingredients, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, and beating until incorporated after each addition. There should be three total additions of dry ingredients and two total additions of milk. End with the dry ingredients.
- Bake: Divide the batter evenly between the cake pans and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cakes comes out clean. Don’t be alarmed if the tops are a little browned – that is normal.
- Let Cool: Remove the cakes from the oven and allow them to cool for 1-2 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
How to Make the Lemon Buttercream
This lemon frosting is also super fast and simple. You’ll be whipping it up to top off all sorts of yummy treats!
- Beat Butter: Add the butter to a large mixer bowl and beat until smooth.
- Add Half of Powdered Sugar: Slowly add about half of the powdered sugar, mixing until well combined and smooth.
- Add Remaining Ingredients: Add the salt, vanilla, lemon zest and lemon juice and mix until well combined and smooth.
- Finish Adding Powdered Sugar: Slowly add the remaining powdered sugar and mix until well combined and smooth.
- Adjust to Taste: Add additional lemon juice, if needed, to thin out the frosting.
How to Make the Lemon Curd
Though this cake has plenty of lemon flavor throughout each layer, the curd is where it really shines. Here’s how to make it happen!
- Combine Ingredients: Combine all the ingredients in a double boiler or a metal bowl over a pot of simmering water.
- Thicken: Heat while whisking constantly until the mixture thickens and reaches 170-180°F, or coats the back of a spoon.
- Chill: Pour the lemon curd into a heat-proof bowl, cover with clear wrap pressed onto the the top of the curd to avoid a film developing, and refrigerate until cold and firm.
How to Make the Bavarian Cream
Last but not least, let’s discuss how to make the light and fluffy bavarian cream. As long as you’re watching it closely while it cooks, you’ll do just fine.
- Combine Gelatin & Lemon Juice: In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin onto the lemon juice and set aside.
- Whisk Egg Yolks: In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks together and set aside.
- Heat Remaining Ingredients: Add 3/4 cup of the the heavy whipping cream, sugar, vanilla extract and lemon zest to a large saucepan and heat over medium heat until warm.
- Add Cream Mixture to Eggs: Remove the cream mixture from heat and slowly pour the hot cream into the egg yolks to temper them.
- Cook: Add the egg and cream mixture back into the saucepan and return to the heat. Continue cooking over medium heat until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, or reaches about 160°F. It should happen fairly quickly.
- Add Gelatin Mixture: Add the gelatin mixture to the hot cream and stir until smooth.
- Let Cool: Pour the custard into another bowl and set that bowl inside another bowl over ice. Allow to cool to room temperature.
- Whip Cream & Sugar: While the custard cools, add the remaining cup of heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar to a large mixer bowl and whisk on high speed until stiff peaks form.
- Fold Into Custard: When the custard is ready, gently fold the whipped cream into the custard. Be sure it’s at least room temperature, so the whipped cream doesn’t wilt/melt.
Assembling Your Cake
Now that everything is prepped and ready to go, let’s get to the exciting part – putting it all together!
- Cut Cakes & Gather Fillings: The cake layers should be pretty flat, but if there’s a dome, trim the tops of the cakes so they are flat. Cut each cake in half, so that you end up with 6 layers of cake. Get the lemon curd and bavarian cream from the fridge and stir them until smooth. The bavarian cream may need a little hand whisking to work out any lumps.
- Start Layering: Place the first layer of cake on a serving platter. Pipe a small dam of frosting around the outer edge. Fill the dam with 1/3 of the bavarian cream. Place the second layer of cake on top of the cream. The cake layers are very tender, so I recommend using a cake lifter.
- Continue Layering: Add another dam of frosting around the out edge of the cake. Fill the dam with about half of the lemon curd. Repeat with another layer of cake, a dam of frosting and 1/3 of the bavarian cream. Then repeat with another layer, a dam and 1/2 of the lemon curd.
- Finish Layering: Repeat with the another layer of cake, a dam of frosting and the remaining 1/3 of the bavarian cream. Add the final layer of cake on top, then frost the outside of the cake with a crumb coat.
- Chill: Refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours for the cake to firm up.
- Frost & Serve: Frost the outside of the cake and decorate as you wish. Refrigerate the lemon layer cake until you’re ready to serve.
Tips for Making Lemon Layer Cake
With a cake this luxurious, it never hurts to have some extra recipe tips and tricks. I’ve got you covered!
- Make-Ahead Option: If you want to start working on this cake a day in advance, you can prepare both of the fillings ahead of time and store them in airtight containers in the fridge. Just give them an extra good stir before assembling the cake so they’re nice and smooth.
- Use a Cake Lifter: This cake is super soft and tender, which is amazing in every way, but it does come with some difficulty in terms of assembly. I recommend using a cake lifter to move the thin layers around without breaking them.
- Don’t Forget the Dams: The dams of frosting along the edges of the filling layers are super important. They hold everything in place so that nothing comes spilling out down the sides, so make sure you include them and that your frosting is thick enough to stay in place.
- Use a crumb coat: If you’re new to making layer cakes, you might not know what a crumb coat is. Basically, it’s a thin layer of frosting that goes over the sides and the top of the cake to catch any loose cake crumbs. Then when the cake is chilled those crumbs get set in place providing a smooth surface to apply the outer layer of frosting.
- Easy Decorating Idea: Roughly frost the cake on top of the crumb coat, then color the remaining frosting a nice shade of yellow. Place little blobs of the yellow frosting around the cake, then finish smoothing out the sides and you’ve got a lovely watercolor design going on. I piped the rest of the yellow buttercream around the edges and I love the final look! So bright, summery and lemon-y.
How to Store Frosted Cake
This cake should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge. If you can’t fit the whole leftover cake in a container, cut it into slices and store them separately. Enjoy leftovers within 3-4 days for the best results.
Can I Freeze Lemon Layer Cake?
You can! Though I recommend freezing individual slices. To freeze your lemon cake, wrap it tightly in a layer of plastic wrap and a layer of aluminum foil. Thaw frozen cake overnight in the fridge before enjoying.
Watch How To Make It
Print
Recipe
The Ultimate Lemon Layer Cake
- Prep Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Total Time: 7 hours, 55 minutes
- Yield: 12-14 Slices
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
Made with moist and fluffy cake, a velvety buttercream frosting, silky bavarian cream and a zesty curd filling, this is The Ultimate Lemon Layer Cake! You won’t find this much fresh lemon flavor in any other dessert.
Ingredients
For the Lemon Cake
- 3 cups (390g) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 2 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups (336g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups (414g) sugar
- 4 egg whites
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups (300ml) milk
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 2 tbsp lemon zest
For the Lemon Buttercream
- 2 1/4 cups (504g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 9 1/2 cups (1093g) powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 2–3 tbsp lemon juice
- Yellow gel icing color
For the Lemon Curd
- 1/4 cup (60ml) fresh lemon juice (about 1–2 lemons)
- 2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
- 1/3 cup (69g) sugar
- 4 egg yolks
- 2 tbsp (28g) salted butter
For the Lemon Bavarian Cream
- 1 1/2 tsp powdered gelatin
- 4 1/2 tbsp (68ml) lemon juice
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 3/4 cup (420ml) heavy whipping cream, divided
- 3 tbsp (26g) sugar
- 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 1/2 cup (58g) powdered sugar
Instructions
Make the Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C). Line three 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper in the bottom and grease the sides.
Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium sized bowl. Set aside. - Cream the butter and sugar in a large mixer bowl on medium speed for about 2-3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
- Add the egg whites and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, as needed, to make sure everything is combined.
- Add about one-third of the flour mixture to the batter and beat on medium speed until incorporated.
- Add about half of the milk and the lemon juice and zest and beat on medium speed until incorporated.
- Continue alternating adding dry and wet ingredients, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, and beating until incorporated after each addition. There should be three total additions of dry ingredients and two total additions of milk. End with the dry ingredients.
- Divide the batter evenly between the cake pans.
- Bake the cakes for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cakes comes out clean. Don’t be alarmed if the tops are a little browned, that is normal.
- Remove the cakes from the oven and allow to cool for 1-2 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Make the Buttercream
- Add the butter to a large mixer bowl and beat until smooth.
- Slowly add about half of the powdered sugar, mixing until well combined and smooth.
- Add the salt, vanilla, lemon zest and lemon juice and mix until well combined and smooth.
- Slowly add the remaining powdered sugar and mix until well combined and smooth.
- Add additional lemon juice, if needed, to thin out the frosting.
Make the Curd
- Combine all the ingredients in a double boiler (or in a metal bowl over a pot of simmering water). Heat while whisking constantly until mixture thickens and reaches 170-180 degrees, or coats the back of a spoon.
- Pour the lemon curd into a heat proof bowl, cover with clear wrap pressed onto the the top of the curd to avoid a film developing, and refrigerate until cold and firm.
Make the Bavarian Cream
- In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin onto the lemon juice and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks together and set aside.
- Add 3/4 cup of the the heavy whipping cream, sugar, vanilla extract, lemon zest to a large saucepan and heat over medium heat until warm.
- Remove the cream mixture from heat and slowly pour the hot cream into the eggs to temper them.
- Add the egg and cream mixture back into the saucepan and return to the heat. Continue cooking over medium heat until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, or reaches about 160°F. It should happen fairly quickly.
- Add the gelatin mixture to the hot cream and stir until smooth.
- Pour the custard into another bowl and set that bowl inside another bowl over ice. Allow to cool to room temperature.
- While the custard cools, add the remaining cup of heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar to a large mixer bowl and whisk on high speed until stiff peaks form.
- When the custard is ready, gently fold the whipped cream into the custard. Be sure it’s at least room temperature, so the whipped cream doesn’t wilt/melt.
Assemble
- The cake layers should be pretty flat, but if there’s a dome, trim the tops of the cakes so they are flat. Cut each cake in half, so that you end up with 6 layers of cake. Get the lemon curd and bavarian cream from the fridge and stir them until smooth. The bavarian cream may need a little hand whisking to work out any lumps.
- Place the first layer of cake on a serving platter. Pipe a small dam of frosting around the outer edge.
- Fill the dam with 1/3 of the bavarian cream.
- Place the second layer of cake on top of the cream. The cake layers are very tender, so I recommend using a cake lifter.
- Add another dam of frosting around the out edge of the cake. Fill the dam with about half of the lemon curd.
- Repeat with another layer of cake, dam of frosting and 1/3 of the bavarian cream.
- Repeat with another layer of cake, dam of frosting and 1/2 of the lemon curd.
- Repeat with the another layer of cake, dam of frosting and remaining 1/3 of the bavarian cream.
- Add the final layer of cake on top, then frost the outside of the cake with a crumb coat and refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours for the cake to firm up.
- Frost the outside of the cake and decorate as you wish. To create the watercolor look I used, frost the outside of the cake roughly, then color the remaining frosting with yellow gel icing color. Place a few blobs of yellow frosting around the outside of the cake, then smooth out the cake a few more times to spread the yellow frosting around and create the effect. Use the remaining yellow frosting to pipe around the edges.
- Refrigerate the cake until ready to serve. The cake is best when stored in an air tight container and eaten within 3-4 days.
Notes
You’ll need about 5 hours total of cooling time.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Slice
- Calories: 1144
- Sugar: 111.1 g
- Sodium: 346.6 mg
- Fat: 65.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 135 g
- Protein: 9.1 g
- Cholesterol: 264.2 mg
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Im in the middle of making this cake and all was well until the cake didnt rise enough to cut the layers. I had to borrow 8 inch pans. one was light aluminum the other two were dark. What pans do you use? Anything I should look out for next time? Overcreaming the butter? For now Im not going to try to cut them as they are all less then an inch high and Im not that skilled. Im sure it will taste delish.
thanks
Kate
My pans are lighter in color, but darker pans should be OK. Darker pans just might not take as long to bake and might brown more around the edges. Usually, people don’t cream the butter and sugar together long enough. Another possibility is overmixing after the flour has been added.
Hi,
I’m a big fan of blueberry and lemon together. Is there a way you’d recommend for this cake to incorporate blueberries (compote, adding blueberries in the batter, blueberries between layers, etc..?).
Any of those ways would work. I think which one you do depends on how much blueberry and lemon flavor you want. You could try putting some blueberries in with the lemon curd layers, or replace one of the fillings with the blueberry compote. You could certainly add them to the cake batter but I do think they would sink to the bottom when it’s baked.
Thank you so much for getting back to me so quickly! One more question. I know it says to put the cake in the fridge but would it be OK to leave out overnight?
With the lemon curd and the cream filling, it really should be refrigerated.
May i know what sugar you is in the lemon curd and cake? is it castor sugar?
I use regular granulated white sugar
do you sift your ingredients first?
I go through ingredients so quickly with all my baking that I don’t find it necessary to sift them usually. Usually giving flour and sugar a quick stir works just fine. If your ingredients seem a little lumpy (I think people notice this most with powdered sugar) you might want to sift them.
Excellent recipe! It was a hot at work. Cake is light and fluffy with just the right amount of lemon and sugar.
That’s great to hear! I’m so glad it was a hit!
Someone made this cake with 9 inches pan?
Thanks for your reply regarding the thickness of the layers. Although think I was easily able to cut them. The cake is now in the fridge with a crumb coat awaiting its final frost. The only problem I had was with the bavarian cream. It’s a little lumpy but tastes just fine. It was my first time making it so overall I’m pleased. I will be trying some more of your recipes.
The recipe did not work for me. Followed instructions precisely. Could it be my oven? it works with gas. My cake has been in the oven for over an hour. And still is not cooked
Gosh, that seems strange. I haven’t ever used a gas oven, so I’m not sure. But it’s possible.
Hi,
I’ve made this cake twice now – because the first one tasted so good! – but both times the cakes were as flat as an eraser; they didn’t rise. I made them in two different hemispheres and kitchens so it can’t be the ingredients or the ovens that differ from yours. What am I doing wrong?
I should also like to point out that the first time I made this cake it took about 11 hours! It was a two-day process. I’m now already past the two hour mark this second time but haven’t finished. Still have tomake the icing and assemble. I cannot see how this can be done in two hours.
Hmm, hard to say for sure what’s happening without being there, but common issues are not fully creaming the butter and sugar together or over mixing the batter after the flour has been added. I’m sorry if that’s not much help!
I’ll take a look at the times. Thanks for the feedback!
Hello Lindsay!
Thank you for the recipe and I’m about to start!
I’m very new to making cakes, I wonder if I can use soy milk or almond milk instead? and is it okay to bake the cake separately since I only have one 8 inch pan? Thank you!
I haven’t tried those milks, but it should be fine. It’d be a little more ideal to have two pans and only have to do two rounds of baking, but you can try three. I hope you enjoy it!
This cake sounded so fun to make and boy was it ever!! I substituted all lemon juices and zests with orange juices and zests and it was awesome!! Thanks so much for a great recipe!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This lemon cake looks amazing! I would really like to make this recipe, but I only have 9 inch cake pans. Should I still bake three layers? Should I alter the amount of batter by changing the measurments? What is your advice? Thanks.
9 inch cake layers would be pretty thin I think. You could make two cake layers and just have less filling layers. Or you could try doing one and a half recipes worth and make three cake layers with that.
This recipe Was amazing! I did my own variation of Bavarian cream I add corn starch instead. Works like a charm thickens it up nicely and you don’t taste it. I warm up my cream in my saucepan. In a separate bowl mix the sugar, yolks, cornstarch, lemon, vanilla. Once cream is warm temper it Into the yolk mixture add back to pan which on low med heat until thickens. Place in bowl with saran-wrap and place in fridge. I use about 1-2tbsp cornstarch, I also personally like to add a couple more egg yolks and a whole egg. Once cooled I fold in the remainder of the whipped whip cream.Always comes out delicious! I also used a German buttercream for the outside instead of American.
And what brand of whipping cream did u use
Honestly, I most often use the Publix store brand. 🙂
Hi Lindsay! I’m relatively new to your blog, and while I’ve been reading for a little over three months now, this is only the second recipe I have tried so far (the other being your No-Bake Cheesecake). This cake was amazing! I made it for my birthday yesterday, and it turned out perfectly. The cake layers were moist, soft, and tender, wonderfully flavored, and the lemon bavarian cream was like a light, airy lemon mousse! Combined with the lemon curd, everything tasted fabulous together. I did run into a little trouble with cutting the cake layers into two to produce six different layers, but I think this is because they were too thin, as I used 9″ round cake pans instead of 8″ (I baked them for 24 minutes and they were perfect!). I cut one of the three cake layers in half, but it was very crumbly and thin, so I decided not to do the same with the other two (I just went ahead and did a bavarian cream layer, then a lemon curd layer, then placed a whole cake layer atop the lemon curd and layered both bavarian cream and lemon curd beneath the top cake layer). It all worked out in the end, and I was so pleased with it. I decorated it with piped frosting flowers, which is a technique I have never done before, but it turned out beautifully. I’m so glad I decided on this cake! It was a big hit, and I loved it! I can’t wait to try more of your beautiful cake recipes! 🙂
Hi Erin! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed the cake and the cheesecake! Thank you!
I want to try your cake but I only have salted butter on hand, do you think if I omit the salt it should be Ok?
This cake was a TON of work, but it was delicious. My only complaint with the cake was that it was rather dense, despite following the directions exactly. I usually whip up the egg whites separately to avoid this problem, but the recipe didn’t call for that so I didn’t do it. The flavor is delicious. I would double or even triple the lemon curd amount next time because it was not nearly enough to put a sufficient amount on both of the two layers it had to coat.
Hi, I made this cake yesterday and I’m going to be assembling it tonight. It seems a little crispy around the edges. Is this normal or should I start over. It smells and looks perfect. Thank you.
I don’t know exactly what you’re seeing, but it should be fine.