This lemon curd cake is the perfect way to celebrate summer. A moist, tender lemon layer cake with a lemon curd center is frosted with lemon buttercream frosting to create a sweet, tangy dessert full of the flavors of summer. It's an easy cake that's hard to stop eating!
Summer might be coming to a close, but that doesn't mean it's over! I'm not ready to give up my bright, summery gluten-free desserts just yet, so I'm sending summer off with a bang with this delicious lemon curd layer cake.
Just like this gluten free carrot cake is the perfect spring treat, there is something about the sunny burst of lemon that instantly says summer. Using the help of a delicious ready-made lemon curd, this beautiful lemon curd cake recipe also couldn’t be easier.
This bright, sweet, and tangy flavor of this super moist lemon cake is perfect with the hearty comfort food flavors of dishes like garlic parmesan chicken, garlic shrimp pasta, or gluten free chicken piccata. Give it a try!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Basic Ingredients: This recipe uses basic baking ingredients commonly found in any grocery store or kitchen. There's nothing fancy here.
- So Easy: Both the cake and frosting are easy to make, and using store bought lemon curd significantly reduces both time and effort.
- Sweet, Tangy Summer Flavor: This cake boasts the perfect balance of sweetness and tang, thanks to its lemon buttercream frosting, sweet and tart lemon curd filling, and lemon cake batter.
- Perfect Texture: Using Greek yogurt gives the cake an incredibly moist and tender texture, and high-quality 1:1 gluten free flour ensures the perfect texture.
- Convenient: The cake can be made several days in advance in a container until ready to frost, making it a convenient dessert to pair with recipes like this oven-baked whole chicken.
Jump to:
Ingredients
You'll find a complete list of the ingredients and their exact amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Variations
- Flour: You can use all-purpose or cake flour in place of the gluten free flour if you don't have gluten issues.
- Milk: You can use regular milk if you have no dietary restrictions.
- Sour Cream: Sour cream and Greek yogurt can be used interchangeably in baking, so use whatever you prefer or have on hand.
- Lemon Berry Cake: Fold your favorite berries into the cake batter for a lemon berry cake.
How to Make Lemon Curd Cake
Whisk the dry ingredients in a bowl. Then, mix all the wet ingredients except the milk and yogurt as indicated in the recipe. Mix in half the dry ingredients, followed by the yogurt and milk, and the remaining dry ingredients until just combined.
Divide the batter between two prepared cake pans and bake at 350°F until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the cakes and let them cool completely.
Mix the frosting according to the recipe instructions. Then frost the cake by piping a circle of frosting around the outer edge of one cake. Then, fill the center with lemon curd.
Place the second cake on top of the first layer, and frost the sides and top of the layers. Garnish with lemon slices and serve.
Expert Tips
- Make sure all refrigerated ingredients for both the cake and frosting are at room temperature. This allows for more complete mixing while reducing the possibility of overmixing.
- Use organic lemons if possible. Regular lemons have a waxy coating to make them shelf-stable. You don't want waxy lemon zest in your cake!
- Use fresh lemon juice if possible. Bottled lemon juice is too bitter.
- Be sure your baking powder is fresh. Expired leaveners will result in a flat, dense cake.
- Mix your cake batter ingredients until just combined. Overmixing creates a tough cake.
- Your cake should be fully cooled before frosting. A cake that's even slightly warm will cause the frosting to thin and slide off.
Lemon Curd Cake FAQ
Yes, you can. Simply bake the batter in a cupcake tin, remove a bit of the cupcake's middle, and spoon lemon curd into the void. Then, frost with the buttercream.
Yes, you can. Replace the butter with plant-based butter and ensure your lemon curd is dairy free, as well.
A dry cake is usually the result of using too much flour. To avoid using too much flour, loosely spoon it into your measuring cup and level it off with a knife. Never scoop the flour out directly with the measuring cup.
More Delicious Lemon Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Lemon Curd Cake
Video
Equipment
- Offest spatula
Ingredients
Wet ingredients
- ¾ cup dairy free Greek yogurt or Greek yogurt if not df
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup butter melted and cooled
- ¾ cup oat milk and 1 tbsp - room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon extact
- 6 eggs room temperature
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
Dry ingredients
- 2 ¾ cup Gluten Free 1:1 Flour
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 3 tablespoon corn startch
- 2 ¼ cup sugar
- 4 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Frosting
Filling
- 1 jar Lemon curd
- 2 sticks dairy free butter room temperature
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 4 cups powder sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon lemon extract
- 2 teaspoon almond milk
- pinch of salt
- lemon zest optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉ . Lightly grease two 9” round cake pans and set aside.
- Add all of your dry ingredients to a bowl and whisk to combine them.
- Next add your butter and half of the sugar to a separate bowl and mix on medium high for a minute or until the mixture is fluffy.
- Add the oil and remaining sugar and mix on medium high for another minute or until it’s fluffy.
- Begin adding your eggs one by one, mixing after every second egg.
- Once the eggs have been incorporated add both extracts and the lemon juice, mixing to combine.
- Add half of your dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Mix in the milk and yogurt until incorporated.
- Finally add your remaining dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Your batter will be wet and pudding-like.
- Dive the batter between the two prepared cake pans.
- Allow your cakes to bake for 30-37 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cakes cool for an hour.
- To make your lemon buttercream frosting, add the room temperature butter to a bowl and mix on high for two minutes until fluffy. Turn your mixer to low and add a cup of powdered sugar. Increase the speed to high and continue to add one cup of sugar at a time along with the remaining ingredients.
- Mix until smooth and creamy.
- To assemble your cake, pipe a circle of buttercream around the outer diameter of the first cake.
- Pour lemon curd into the center and spread it out.
- Place the second cake on top.
- Frost the entire top and side of the cake with the lemon butter cream.
Notes
- Store at room temperature for up to 3 days in a covered container.
- Refrigerate for up to 5 days in a covered container.
- Freeze a whole cake wrapped in a double layer of plastic wrap and a layer of foil for up to 2 months.
- Freeze individual slices wrapped in plastic wrap in an airtight, freezer-safe container for up to 2 months.
- Bring to room temperature before serving.
- Make sure all refrigerated ingredients for both the cake and frosting are at room temperature. This allows for more complete mixing while reducing the possibility of overmixing.
- Be sure your baking powder is fresh. Expired leaveners will result in a flat, dense cake.
- Mix your cake batter ingredients until just combined. Overmixing creates a tough cake.
- Your cake should be fully cooled before frosting. A cake that's even slightly warm will cause the frosting to thin and slide off.
- Use organic lemons if possible. Regular lemons have a waxy coating to make them shelf-stable. Organic lemons don't have this.
Swathi says
Lemon curd cake is perfect with a lemony flavor. I have tried it. I need to try it.
Oscar says
I baked this Lemon Curd Cake, and it’s a delightful burst of citrus goodness! With its sweet yet tangy layers of lemon cake and buttercream, it’s the perfect cake to brighten up any summer celebration!
Criss says
This lemon curd cake turned out perfectly! It’s moist, zesty, and bursting with fresh lemon flavor—definitely a new favorite.