FAQ’s
Helpful tips
Here are some important Pro tips by Maude
- When measuring the flour, you want to spoon the flour gradually into the measuring cup. Do not scoop and level (this yields more flour than you need). Spoon in flour and scrape/level the top with a knife.
- I highly recommend freezing your cake layers before frosting your cakes! You only need to freeze the cakes for 12-24 hours. This step not only makes the cakes easier to work with (less crumbs) but also creates a super moist and delicious cake. To freeze, you can simply cover the cakes (in their pans) with plastic wrap, followed by foil and freeze. Just make sure you run a knife along the edges of the cake. This will help with easy removal later. To thaw the cakes, remove from the freezer, let the layers sit at room temp for about 30-60 minutes. Then on a clean flat surface, flip the pans over, jiggle the pans and the cakes should fall out onto the surface. Then proceed with assembly!
- Add a layer of cream cheese frosting to your layers before creating the dam and adding your curd. The combination of cream cheese and lemon is heavenly!
More Recipes!
Here are some more cake recipes you might enjoy!
Salted Caramel Latte Chocolate Cake
If you try this recipe, I would love your feedback! Please leave a star rating, a comment below or on the reel in Instagram! Also please share what you made and tag @eatmaudes !! Thank you so much for stopping by and making yumminess with me!
Lemon Curd Cake
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Equipment
Ingredients
Cake
- 1/2 cup oil (I use canola, but you can use vegetable or even olive oil)
- 1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature
- 3 tbsp sour cream, room temperature
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp lemon zest (1-2 lemons)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup flour
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- Cake Filling: 1/4 -1/3 cup homemade lemon curd (store bought is fine but I love the homemade!)
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened to room temp
- 1 stick unsalted butter, softened to room temp
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tbsp half and half
Instructions
Enable Step-by-Step Mode- Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease two 6 inch pans. Place fitted parchment paper into the bottom of the pans.
- In a small bowl, mix lemon zest and sugar. Set that to the side to rest. In a medium mixing bowl, sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Give the mix a good whisk! Set this mixture also to the side.
- In a large mix bowl using a whisk, mix buttermilk, oil, lemon juice, sour cream, vanilla and eggs. Whisk well until mixture is pale in color.
- Pour lemon sugar and flour mixture into the oil mix. Mix everything until just barely combined (there will be lumps, but no flour or dry ingredient streaks).
- Pour mixture into prepared pans. Bake 30-35 min, ovens vary. The best way to know they are done is if a toothpick comes out clean!
- Place cakes on a cooling rack for about 1 hr. After 10 minutes of cooling, run a sharp knife along the edges of the pans to help loosen the layers (this will help with removal later) (see note below about freezing cake layers).
- For the frosting, place cream cheese and butter in a bowl. Using a hand mixer, beat until they are incorporated and smooth. Add powdered sugar, vanilla and half and half. Mix until smooth.
- Assembly: place one layer of the cake top side down onto a plate. Stuff about 1/4 cup of frosting into a piping bag or ziplock bag, cut the tip of the bag off. Apply pressure to the bag of frosting and draw a circle (border) along the outter rim of the cake layer. Pour about 1-2 tbsp of the lemon curd in the middle and smooth into an even layer. Place cake in the fridge so the curd can set. Note: This step helps the curd stabilize, preventing it from seeping out when you add and frost the next layer.
- Place the other layer on top, add more frosting on top and sides. Gently pour about 2-3 more tbsps of lemon curd on the top of the cake. Top with flowers or slices of lemon. Store in fridge until ready to serve. For the best texture and flavor, let the cake sit at room temperature for about 20–30 minutes before serving so the frosting softens and the flavors come through. Serve with more lemon curd!
- Storage: Because both lemon curd and cream cheese frosting are perishable, the cake should be stored in the refrigerator. Keep it in an airtight container or cake carrier to prevent it from drying out and absorbing fridge odors. If you don’t have a container, loosely cover it with plastic wrap or foil. It will stay fresh for about 3–4 days. For the best texture and flavor, let the cake sit at room temperature for about 20–30 minutes before serving so the frosting softens and the flavors come through.
- My recipe is adapted from the lovely Modern Honey delicious olive oil cake.
I made this cake today. It was so much fun to make. When I combined the sugar with the lemon zest, my kitchen started smelling so good! This cake is moist with bright, sweet lemon and creamy vanilla cream cheese flavors. The recipe instructions were very easy to follow. It was my first time making a lemon curd and it turned out delicious! I am going to make this again for Easter. This cake recipe is 5 star! Thank you!
Hi Tara!
I agree with you! That smell of lemon and sugar is intoxicating! Im so honored you used this recipe for your first lemon curd– How exciting! Thanks so much for trying this recipe and taking the time to come back and leave a review- it really means a lot! Happy spring baking! <3 Maude
This cake is MINDBLOWING! Made it for Easter lunch for my family and it was the first cake gone with one sliver left for me, the host! lol IT WAS AMAZING! Used fresh lemon and lemon zest from my lemon tree. EXCEPTIONAL! I only wished I could adjust the servings for the recipe so I can make a larger 8″ cake instead of the smaller 6″ cake, well, because we need more of this cake! THANK YOU!
Hi Cyndi!
Yay! Im so glad to hear that you and the family enjoyed this cake! I can’t think of a better cake for spring! I agree with you on the larger portions- I need to test doubling this recipe so I can make it available for you and others who have asked! Thanks so much for trying and taking the time to share your feedback. I appreciate it so much! <3 maude
I LOVE this cake recipe so much! I made the cake for my boyfriend’s birthday and his entire family loved it! It has a soft, airy, melt-in-your-mouth texture with the perfect amount of sweetness, and the frosting is super tasty too! Pairs perfectly with the cake. I’ll definitely be using this recipe for future baking. I’d suggest you use this recipe over other ones haha. I’m a picky eater, and this lemon cake was just perfection✨
Hi Lynette,
Aw this is incredible feedback! I am so honored to hear that you loved this recipe! And I am so glad to hear everyone also love it! I. just love that creamy frosting with the tang from the curd!
It means so much to me that you tried it and took the time to come back and share your experience. :’-) Thank you again and happy baking! xx maude
I made this recipe for my lemon-loving father’s birthday, and he gave it 5 stars! The cake is incredibly moist and pairs so nicely with my homemade fresh lemon curd and the cream cheese icing. I baked the cake layers a week before and was impressed at how well they held up in the freezer. Will definitely be making again!
Hi Ella,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe and leaving your commentary- I love hearing your story! How exciting that your dad gave it 5 stars! I agree- this cake is so moist and I also love that it freezes so well. I actually just baked up a sheet version of this cake and its in the freezer now! Im going to attempt the viral dot cake recipe with it (fingers crossed). Thanks again for trying! Happy baking to you! <3 maude
I made this cake and followed the recipe exactly. The sponge is too dense for my liking. I was looking for an airy cake. While the lemon flavor is there, the cake is quite sweet. Good concept, not my favorite recipe.
Hi Gab,
Thank you for trying the recipe and for your feedback! I’m glad you enjoyed the lemon flavor. This cake is designed to have a soft, tender crumb, so I’m sorry to hear yours turned out denser than expected. Small differences in mixing or baking time can sometimes affect the final texture, but I also understand that everyone has different preferences when it comes to cake. I appreciate you giving it a try! Thanks again! <3 maude