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This lemon curd cake is made of 4 layers of tender, sweet, perfectly tangy lemon cake filled with lemon curd and frosted with smooth lemon buttercream! Prepare yourself for a gloriously mouth-puckering dessert.
Why You’ll Love This Lemon Dessert
From the curd to the cake to the buttercream, this mouth-puckering lemony dessert is loaded with flavor from real lemon juice and fresh lemon zest. Here are just a few of the reasons you have to try it. Like, now.
- Perfect lemon curd. I used my classic lemon curd recipe. It really brings this dessert together. It’s the perfect combination of sweet and tangy and I love its smooth, silky texture. It’s the perfect filling for this lemony layer cake.
- Just the right amount of tart. People (including me) often hold back a little bit in lemon desserts for fear that the finished product will be too tart. I didn’t do that in this recipe. If you’re a lemon lover, you’ll be overjoyed at how this dessert makes your mouth pucker just the right amount.
- Texture. The cake itself has a nice density to it. Not too fluffy and not too heavy. It’s super satisfying to sink your teeth into. Plus, the use of oil instead of butter makes it so nice and moist.
- No fancy mixing methods. One great thing about this cake is that it doesn’t require much to put it together. The cake batter itself is particularly easy to make. Just whisk together the dry ingredients before mixing in the wet ingredients followed by the sour cream. It’s as simple as that.
What You’ll Need
You won’t need much to make this lemon curd cake and you might already have a lot of the ingredients in your kitchen. Here’s a shopping list for you. Be sure to scroll to the recipe card below for exact measurements.
Lemon Cake
- All-purpose flour – Be sure to measure your flour correctly, either with a food scale or using the spoon and level method. A quality 1:1 gluten-free flour should also work.
- Sugar
- Baking soda and Baking powder – A combination of the two gives the best rise and texture.
- Salt – This amplifies the flavors in your cake. Without it, the cake would be bland.
- Eggs – Be sure to use large size eggs, not medium or extra large.
- Vegetable oil
- Fresh lemon juice – Fresh. Seriously. The bottled stuff just isn’t the same.
- Sour cream
Lemon Curd
- Fresh lemon juice – Use fresh lemon juice. I know it takes a little extra effort but it’s just so much tastier.
- Lemon zest – Be sure to zest the lemons before you juice them.
- Sugar – Adds sweetness and volume to your curd.
- Egg yolks – These thicken your lemon curd and add to the tart flavor.
- Unsalted butter
Lemon Buttercream
- Unsalted butter – If the butter is too cold, you’ll get a lumpy frosting. Too melted and your frosting will be runny. Allow it to soften at room temperature before using.
- Powdered sugar – For volume and the right consistency.
- Fresh lemon juice – Real, freshly squeezed lemon juice really does make a difference here. So ditch the bottled stuff and grab your lemon press!
- Lemon zest
- Vanilla extract
- Salt – You don’t have to add salt, but it does help cut the sweetness a bit.
- Heavy cream – Use as much as needed to get the right consistency frosting.
How to Make Triple Lemon Cake
Ready to start baking? Here’s a quick look at how to make this outstanding triple lemon cake. Be sure to scroll to the recipe card below for more detailed instructions.
Cake layers
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 350°F, line the bottom of two 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper, and grease the sides with non-stick baking spray.
- Combine the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the wet ingredients. Whisk the eggs, vegetable oil, and lemon juice into the dry ingredients followed by the sour cream.
- Bake. Divide the batter between the cake pans and bake for 22-27 minutes.
- Cool. Allow the cakes to cool in their pans for 2-3 minutes before transferring to cooling racks.
Lemon curd
- Combine. In a double broiler set over simmering water, combine all of the ingredients. Heat until they begin to melt/thin out.
- Cook. Cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture reaches 160 degrees F or coats the back of the spoon.
- Chill. Transfer the lemon curd to a large bowl, press a layer of clear wrap over the top, and chill in the refrigerator.
Lemon buttercream
- Make the buttercream. Beat the butter until smooth. Mix in half of the powdered sugar followed by the lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla extract, and salt. Mix in the remaining powdered sugar.
- Get the texture right. Add heavy cream, as needed, to get the right consistency of frosting.
Assemble the cake
- Turn 2 layers into 4. Remove the domes from the top of the cakes and cut each cake horizontally to make 4 layers of cake total.
- Build the cake. Place the first layer of cake on a serving platter, pipe a dam of frosting around the outer edge, and fill the dam with half of the lemon curd. Add a cake layer and top with 1 cup of frosting. Add another cake layer, pipe a dam around the edge, fill the dam with frosting, and top with the last cake layer.
- Frost. Add a thin (crumb coat) of frosting to the outside of the cake and chill in the fridge for 1-2 hours before frosting the outside of the cake.
- Decorate. Pipe swirls of buttercream on top of the cake and garnish with lemon slices.
- Chill. Refrigerate the cake until ready to serve.
Tips for Success
When done right, this lemon cake with lemon curd is one of the dreamiest desserts ever. Pay close attention to these tips and tricks in order to get it there.
- Don’t overmix. When combining the wet and dry ingredients for the cake layers, don’t over-mix. This can cause the glutens in the flour to overdevelop which will cause the cake to become tough and overly dense.
- Use fresh lemon juice. In the cake, the curd, and the frosting. Bottled lemon juice will not give the same flavor.
- Cook over low heat. When making the lemon curd, cook over low heat. This, in combination with constant whisking (see my next point), will help keep the eggs from scrambling and will ensure that the lemon curd doesn’t burn.
- Whisk constantly. When cooking the lemon curd, whisk constantly. This will help prevent the eggs from scrambling and/or burning. It will also help add air and volume to the custard.
- Don’t overcook the custard. If you overcook the custard, it will become thick and lumpy and will not spread evenly over the cake layers. Cook it just until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Cool the curd. As the curd cools, it will thicken to the perfect consistency to spread over the cake. So give it some time to chill in the fridge before you use it in this dessert.
- Room temperature butter. Take the butter out of the fridge for a while before using it in the buttercream. You want it to soften otherwise you might find yourself with a lumpy frosting.
- Cool cakes. Allow the cake layers to cool completely before filling and frosting. Otherwise, the frosting and the curd will melt right off.
- Do your homework. Stacking, filling, and frosting a cake can be a little tricky. So I suggest looking through my posts on how to level and torte a cake, how to fill and stack a layer cake, and how to frost a smooth cake with buttercream while your cakes bake. They are full of information that will make the process a piece of cake (ha!).
How to Store Leftovers
Store this scrumptious lemon curd cake in an airtight cake carrier. If you don’t have one, wrap the dessert in a double layer of plastic wrap. I suggest using toothpicks to prop the plastic away from any decorations. If you’ve already sliced the cake, arrange the slices in a single layer in an airtight container. Whichever method you choose, store the cake in the fridge for up to 4-5 days.
Can I Freeze This Lemon Cake with Lemon Curd?
You can! Pop the cake in the freezer for a couple of hours to firm up before wrapping it in a double layer of plastic wrap. Alternatively, arrange slices of cake in a single layer in an airtight container. Either way, you can store the dessert in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Allow the cake to thaw in the fridge before serving.
More Lemon Desserts
You can’t get much more lemony than this triple lemon cake but if you’re on the hunt for more lemon desserts, here are some of my favorites.
- Lemon Cake with Lemon Bavarian Cream
- Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake
- Lemon Loaf Cake
- Lemon Sugar Cookies
- Lemon Cheesecake
- Lemon Pound Cake
- Lemon Layer Cake
- Lemon Poke Cake
Triple Lemon Cake
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
- Yield: 12-14 Slices
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
This lemon curd cake is made of 4 layers of tender, sweet, perfectly tangy lemon cake filled with lemon curd and frosted with smooth lemon buttercream! Prepare yourself for a gloriously mouth-puckering dessert.
Ingredients
Lemon Cake
- 2 cups (260g) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups (310g) sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 large eggs
- 2/3 cup (160ml) vegetable oil
- 2/3 cup (160ml) fresh lemon juice
- 3/4 cup (173g) sour cream
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 large egg yolks
- 3 tbsp (42g) unsalted butter
Lemon Buttercream
- 3 cups (672g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 12 cups (1380g) powdered sugar
- 6 tbsp (90ml) fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest
- 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- 1–2 tbsp (15ml-30ml) heavy cream
Instructions
Cake Layers
- Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C) and prepare two 8-inch cake pans with non-stick baking spray on the sides and parchment paper in the bottom.
- Add the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt to a large bowl and whisk together to combine.
- Add the eggs, vegetable oil and lemon juice to the dry ingredients and whisk together to combine. Do not over mix.
- Add the sour cream and whisk together until well combined. Do not over mix.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans and bake for 22-27 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Remove the cakes from the oven and allow to cool for 2-3 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Lemon 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 160 degrees, or coats the back of a spoon.
- Pour the lemon curd into a heat proof bowl, cover with clear wrap pressed onto the top of the curd to avoid a film developing, and refrigerate until cold.
Lemon Buttercream
- To make the buttercream, add the butter to a large mixer bowl and beat until smooth.
- Add half of the powdered sugar and mix until well combined and smooth.
- Add the lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla extract and salt and mix until well combined and smooth.
- Add the remaining powdered sugar and mix until well combined and smooth. Add heavy cream, as needed, to get the right consistency of frosting.
To Build the Cake
- To put the cake together, use a large serrated knife to remove the domes from the top of the cakes, if needed, so that they’re flat. Next, cut each cake horizontally to make 4 layers of cake total. See my tutorial for how to level and torte a cake.
- To build the cake, place the first layer of cake on a cardboard cake circle or a serving platter. Pipe a dam of frosting around the outer edge of the cake, then fill it with about half of the lemon curd. (For more help with building the cake, see my tutorial for how to fill and stack a layer cake)
- Add the second layer of cake on top, then spread about 1 cup of lemon buttercream evenly on top.
- Add the third layer of cake, another dam of frosting and the remaining lemon curd. Top the cake with the final layer of cake.
- Add a thin (crumb coat) of frosting to the outside of the cake, then place in the fridge to firm up for 1-2 hours. Once the frosting is firm and the cake is a little more steady, frost the outside of the cake. See my tutorial on how to frost a smooth cake with buttercream for help, if needed.
- Pipe swirls of buttercream on top of the cake with the remaining buttercream, if desired. Add lemon slices, if desired.
- Refrigerate the cake until ready to serve. Cake is best served cool, but not cold. Store in an air tight cake carrier or well covered. Best if eaten within 3-4 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Slice
- Calories: 1044
- Sugar: 110.8 g
- Sodium: 224.1 mg
- Fat: 58.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 128.3 g
- Protein: 6.2 g
- Cholesterol: 156.1 mg
It’s my wife’s birthday today, she loves lemon cake, and she picked this over the Silver Palate lemon cake, which is really saying something. I think the only tricky part of this is knowing when to take the lemon curd off the heat. So how about this to make things easier: just whisk the curd gently until it reaches an temperature of 155F (68C) on an instant-read thermometer. Also recommend chilling the two cake layers to make it easier to cut them into four layers. Also, others say “too much frosting”. Bah! My wife says “no such thing!” 🙂
My son requested a lemon blueberry cake for his 12th birthday. I (of course) came to life love & sugar bc the recipes are fail proof. I made the recipe as shown except I reduced the icing and filled two layers with whole blueberries. I topped it with more blueberries and it was a smash hit!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it and am so glad to hear you enjoy the recipes overall! That’s awesome!
I made this recipe exactly as written and I couldn’t be happier with the results! My family said it was the best lemon cake that could easily be sold in a top notch bakery! (Their words, but I agreed!)
Wonderful! So glad they enjoyed it!
I love this recipe – I make it for my birthday every year now! The cake is moist and bakes perfectly every time. The lemon curd is perfectly tart. When it comes to the icing, you only need one third of the recipe. What is indicated here will make enough for a three tiered wedding cake! Some will find it super sweet so I would suggest a lemony buttercream.
The sugar in the frosting is off the charts because it is an American Buttercream recipe. This type of buttercream is always over the top sweet. This is why I almost always make an Italian Buttercream. It is delicious and calls far less sugar yet it is the perfect amount of sweetness and creaminess! It is actually very easy to make. I follow the Preppy Kitchen recipe and it comes out perfect every time. As for this lemon cake – wow! Absolutely delicious!!! Thanks for this amazing recipe!
Pretty much follow this recipe except I use butter in the cake instead of oil. I also use butter in the fasting instead of shortening. It was delicious and I have been asked over and over again to make it.
Truly the best!
I used this recipe for my son and daughter-in-law’s baby reveal cake. I tripled the recipe because the design needed two tiers, three layers each.
Due to the style of the cake, I covered it using fondant.
I received so many compliments!
Thank you so much!
My son said he ate the rest of the cake the week after the party, lol.
He said he loved it and was ready for another.
This recipe was amazing!! I had never made lemon curd before but it turned out delicious. I actually made this into cupcakes and filled the inside with the lemon curd. I didnt change anything except for the buttercream as I didnt want to make so much. My coworkers loved it
Wonderful! So glad you enjoyed it!
I’m a beginner so I think that this recipe would be greatly improved by the addition of pictures at ambiguous and difficult steps. The steps I had most trouble with was “Bake for 25 minutes or until done” and during the cake assembly. I dont know what color this cake should be when it’s finished so I did a toothpick test after 24-25 minutes. According to that, the cake was done but it still fell apart when I tried to pull it out of the pan (maybe due to my lack of experience). Then when I tried to assemble, you could imagine my frustration when trying to piece together crumbled bits of mess with lemon curd and frosting. I think many would also greatly appreciate any tips you have on getting cakes out of the pan in one piece, butterfyling cakes and transfering larger cake pieces when stacking. In regards to taste, I have yet to try it as a whole, but individually the components tasted pretty good.
I’m sorry you had trouble. When preparing the cake pans, I like to spray the sides with non-stick spray and put a parchment circle in the bottom of the pan. As for help with assembly, I have a couple new tutorials you might find helpful – one on torting layers and one on building a cake. I hope that helps!
The cake didn’t work at all. I followed the recipe to a T and it came out dense and not good at all. The frosting with 12 CUPS of powdered sugar was disgusting. DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME!!!!
I made this cake for my husband’s birthday last year and he loved it. So did I, and I’m not a fan of lemon sweets. The curd was THE BEST PART! I’m making this again this weekend. Can’t wait to eat it…yummy!
Awesome! I’m so glad you loved it!
Hi!!
On the hunt for a cake, Mum wants a 60th cake with lemon & orange, 3 tiers. There’s a reason for the 3, wife, Mum and Granny. Dreading it as I normally only do Christmas cakes. Any tips on how to make this go smoothly for a sponge cake virgin?
I’m thinking of making this a naked Cale for a birthday do you think it would work
That should be fine, yes.
My friend requested a lemon smash cake for her son’s first birthday and I found this recipe! It turned out great! I used two 6-inch round cake pans and and baked them around 40 minutes, rotating half way through. I was surprised that there really wasn’t that much left over batter. After letting them rest overnight they sliced in half quite easily. I cut the frosting amount in half though, only due to using smaller pans than suggested. I colored the frosting a mint green with rainbow sprinkles on top and white detail icing on the edges. Great recipe!
Awesome! Glad you enjoyed it!
Lindsay, I can’t say enough good about your recipes! This is the 3rd recipe that I have tried, all my life I have loved sweets in so I have always done a lot of baking, and I’ve made a lot of lemon cakes, but this one is by far and away the very best!
It is absolutely the perfect combination of sweet and tart, and I think the perfect amount of filling. Thank you so much for sharing your recipes, you bring a lot of joy into a lot of lives with your sharing! Extra blessings for you!
Thank you so much Linda! So nice to hear that and so glad you enjoy the recipes!
I am curious as to why the cake part of this recipe is so different than the one you published just a month prior. This one has oil and sour cream and the other one had butter. Can you explain why the two are different and how they are different in the results?
I’m not sure which other recipe you’re referring to, since I have several lemon cakes on the site. This was literally the second post I ever shared on this site, so the others would all be more recent than this one. 🙂
As for why they would be different, they’re simply different cakes. Sometimes oil is nice, sometimes butter. If you let me know which other one you’re referring, I might be able to compare them a bit. Generally though, this cake is fairly dense, while my other lemon cakes are a little lighter. I hope that helps!