Lemon Curd Cake
Celebrate something special with this Lemon Curd Cake, made with two layers of moist yellow cake, thick and luscious lemon curd and rich lemon curd buttercream.
Ingredients
For the Cake Layers:
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 2 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature 12 tablespoons
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- 2 large egg yolks at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- ½ cup sour cream at room temperature
- ½ cup whole milk at room temperature
For the Lemon Curd:
- 5 large egg yolks
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice about 2-1/2 lemons; be sure to zest 1 or 2 of them first
- 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
- 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter cut into 1/2-inch chunks
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
For the Lemon Curd Buttercream:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature 2 sticks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch kosher salt
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup prepared Lemon Curd
- 5-6 toothpicks for assembly
Instructions
Make the Cake Layers:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line bottom of two 9-inch round cake pans with parchment paper. Spray parchment and sides of pans with cooking spray. In medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt until well combined.
- In bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream sugar and butter 2 minutes or until smooth. Add oil and mix until well combined.
- Add eggs and egg yolks one at a time, mixing each addition until incorporated. Add vanilla extract and almond extract and mix until well combined.
- Add about 1/3 of the flour mixture and mix on low speed until just combined. Then add sour cream, another 1/3 of flour mixture, milk, and remaining flour mixture, mixing until just combined after each addition.
- Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Transfer to oven and bake 25 to 27 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of cake layers comes out with just a few crumbs, but no wet cake batter. Do not over bake.
- Transfer cake pans to cooling rack and allow to cool for 5 minutes before flipping cakes out onto cooling racks and allowing cakes to cool completely before assembling.
Make the Lemon Curd:
- In medium saucepot, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest until smooth. Cook over low heat 5 to 7 minutes or until mixture thickens (do not let it come to a full boil), whisking constantly.
- Remove from heat and add butter cubes a few at a time, while whisking. Whisk until all butter is fully melted and incorporated. Whisk in salt. Strain mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a medium bowl. Cover surface of lemon curd with plastic wrap, and then cover entire bowl with plastic wrap, and transfer to refrigerator at least 2 hours or until fully cool (up to 3 days).
Make the Lemon Curd Buttercream:
- In bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, scraping down sides of bowl occasionally. Add vanilla and salt and mix until well combined.
- With mixer on low speed, add sugar 1 cup at a time until all sugar is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl occasionally. Add 1/4 cup Lemon Curd and mix at medium speed 1 minute or until frosting is smooth and creamy.
- To assemble the cake, place one cake layer on cake serving plate. Spread cake with some of the remaining lemon curd. You do not need to use it all. You want the lemon curd layer to be thick enough to see and taste, but not so thick that it will ooze out between layers when you add the second cake layer.
- Place 5 to 6 toothpicks in bottom cake layer before placing top cake layer over them. Frost entire outside of cake with Lemon Curd Buttercream. If desired, spread any remaining Lemon Curd over top of cake. Slice and serve right away, or store refrigerated up to 2 days.
Notes
- Recipes adapted from Tastes Better From Scratch, A Red Spatula and Wilton.
Calories: 858kcal, Carbohydrates: 112g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 44g, Saturated Fat: 24g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 12g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 247mg, Sodium: 379mg, Potassium: 108mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 89g, Vitamin A: 1290IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 107mg, Iron: 2mg
This website provides estimated nutrition information as a courtesy only. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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