If you're a fan of lemon, then you'll love this lemon curd cake. It's moist, fluffy, and has a perfect balance of tangy and sweet flavors. Plus, it's quick and easy to make for any occasion.
A lemon curd cake is a delicious treat for lemon lovers. It is a fluffy cake with a fresh and sweet lemon glaze made with homemade lemon curd.
This cake has a wonderful fresh lemon taste that is perfect for spring or summer, but I also enjoy it a lot during the holidays.
You can skip the frosting if you want, but I think it makes the cake even better. And don't forget to top it with some whipped cream for extra festivity!
Why you will love this cake with lemon curd
- Homemade lemon curd. Creamy, buttery lemon curd gives the cake a tangy and sweet flavor.
- Easy to make. All you need are a few basic ingredients. Chances are, you've already got everything you need for the recipe!
- Fluffy, moist lemon cake.
- Suitable for freezing.
- Easily adjustable. Double or triple the recipe to make a lemon layer cake, or add flavors like white chocolate to the batter.
Ingredients
Flour - All-purpose flour is my go-to choice for baking cakes. It has less gluten than bread flour, so the cake comes out light and fluffy.
You can also use different flours if you want. For example, gluten-free flour works well too.
Tip: If you run out of baking powder, you can swap the flour for self-raising flour in this recipe.
Eggs - eggs are important for making a cake that is fluffy and light. They also add some color and moisture to the cake. But if you don't have eggs or can't eat them, you can use applesauce instead.
Just use about 40 grams of unsweetened applesauce for every egg you need.
If you don't have applesauce either, you can try other substitutes like mashed banana, yogurt, or flax seeds.
Lemon curd - Homemade lemon curd will give this cake the best flavor, but you can also save some time and use a store-bought one. If you only have salted butter, you can still use it for this recipe, but make sure to skip the extra salt.
Butter - butter gives the cake a nice creamy flavor. As always, I use unsalted butter in this recipe.
Do you only have butter with salt in it? No problem, but then don't add extra salt.
Powdered sugar - A simple way to prepare a lemon glaze is to use powdered sugar. You can combine it with either lemon juice or milk to create a thick glaze that sets fast.
If you don't have powdered sugar on hand, you can make your own from regular sugar. Just follow my easy guide on how to turn granulated sugar into powdered sugar.
How to make lemon curd cake
The first step is to prepare the lemon curd, which has to chill completely before you use it for the frosting.
Then you bake the lemon cake. Tip: For a more lemony taste, you can make small holes in the cake and drizzle lemon syrup over it after it comes out of the oven.
To make the icing, combine a tablespoon of curd and some milk, if needed, with the powdered sugar. The icing should be thick enough to stay on the cake.
Spread the rest of the curd and the icing over the cake and wait for the icing to set before slicing the cake.
My tips for baking the perfect lemon curd cake
Don't over-mix the batter. A common reason why cakes turn out tough is that the batter is mixed too much. When you mix the batter too much, you create too much gluten, which makes the cake chewy instead of tender.
Make sure your ingredients are at room temperature. This way, mixing your ingredients will be easier, resulting in a silky smooth batter.
Line your tin with parchment paper. Lining your cake tin with parchment paper will prevent the cake from sticking to the bottom.
Use a kitchen scale. When baking, it is important to measure your ingredients correctly. I know a lot of you use measuring cups, and that's fine, but I do recommend using a kitchen scale for the best results.
Keep whisking the curd. To prevent the eggs from curdling, it is important to whisk the mixture and avoid boiling it continuously!
Rub the lemon zest into the sugar before adding the butter. Rubbing the lemon rind through the sugar releases oils, giving your cake an intense lemon flavor.
So it's better not to skip this step!
Varieties
The cake has a refreshing flavor from the lemon, but you can also experiment with other citrus fruits.
Instead of lemon curd, you could try using orange curd or grapefruit curd.
To make the batter more interesting, you could add some candied lemon peel or white chocolate chunks.
Lemon goes great with many herbs, such as thyme and rosemary. You can also add some crunch and flavor with chopped nuts of your choice.
Frequently asked questions
Yes! You need to double the recipe for a 9-inch layer cake. I also recommend adding a cream cheese frosting and a layer of lemon curd.
Absolutely. While homemade lemon curd gives the best flavor, it can be tricky to make it if you're short on time. The store-bought lemon curd will also work.
Equipment
The following tools are essential for preparing a lemon curd cake: a saucepan with a thick bottom, a heatproof bowl (this is optional), a whisk, a kitchen scale, a measuring cup, a citrus press, a mixing bowl, a small bowl and a cake tin that measures 25 cm in diameter.
Storage
Cake can be stored for about five days before it is no longer tasty. To prevent the cake from drying out, it is important to store it airtight at room temperature.
The lemon curd can last much longer in the fridge if you seal it well.
You can also freeze the lemon curd cake if you want to enjoy it later.
It will stay good for at least three months in the freezer.
However, the glaze does not freeze well, so you should add it only when you are ready to serve the cake.
More easy cake recipes
Lemon curd cake
If you're a fan of lemon, then you'll love this lemon curd cake. It's moist, fluffy, and has a perfect balance of tangy and sweet flavors. Plus, it's quick and easy to make for any occasion.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250 gram) of flour
- 1 cup (200 grams) of sugar
- 2 sticks (230 gram) butter
- 4 eggs
- 5 tablespoons of lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the lemon curd
- 2 eggs
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 4 tablespoons (50 grams) of sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- A pinch of salt
- ¼ stick (30 grams) of butter
For the lemon glaze
- ½ cup + 3 tablespoons (100 grams) powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon curd
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice *optional!!! Look carefully at the thickness of the glaze before adding lemon juice.
Instructions
The lemon curd
- Add lemon juice, sugar, salt, egg yolks, and lemon zest to a saucepan. Stir until combined.
- Move the saucepan to the stove and heat the mixture over low heat while stirring. It is important that you keep stirring to prevent the eggs from solidifying.
- Once the lemon curd thickens, turn off the heat and add the butter.
- Stir the curd until the butter is melted, and pour it through a strainer into a heatproof bowl.
- Cover the lemon curd and let it cool completely.
The lemon curd cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C) and grease your cake tin. It's a good idea to put a piece of baking paper on the bottom.
- Put the sugar and softened butter in a large mixing bowl. Mix until the butter is nice, fluffy, and lighter in color. This may take about 3 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time. It is important that the egg is completely incorporated before you add the next one.
- Pour in the lemon juice and lemon zest and mix into the egg mixture.
- Add the flour, baking powder and salt and mix in gently.
- Pour the cake batter into a buttered cake tin and place it in the center of the oven.
- Bake the cake for about 50 minutes.
- To check if the cake is done, insert a skewer and see if it comes out clean. If it does, the cake is ready to be taken out of the oven.
- After baking, allow the lemon cake to cool for 10 minutes, and then remove it from the tin. Once it has completely cooled down, proceed with the recipe.
The lemon glaze
- Put the powdered sugar and one tablespoon of lemon curd in a bowl and stir well until you have a thick glaze.
- If your glaze is a bit too thick, you can add some more milk or lemon juice.
- Pour the glaze over the cake and spread the lemon curd on top.
- Let the glaze harden, and slice the cake before serving.
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Nicolle says
I absolutely LOVE a good lemon cake and am always happy to try a new recipe. Thanks so much for sharing ;-)
Monica says
Looks so good!!
Vanessa Ojeogwu says
Delicious!
Heather says
This lemon curd cake looks absolutely delicious and perfectly moist. I love lemon-flavored everything, so I'm excited to give your recipe a try!