Lemon Curd Cake: Moist, Creamy & Easy to Make

This Lemon Curd Cake will steal your heart! This easy Lemon Curd Cake recipe is easy to make and produces a moist cake with pockets of creamy lemon curd in the cake and dollops of curd on the top of mascarpone buttercream.

So, with Lemon Curd being in the Cake and on the Cake, this Cake is not just for lemon lovers, special occasions or Afternoon Tea. Make it midweek in honor of Wednesday or simply because your kitchen needed a little sunshine. Whether you’re celebrating something big or that you made it through the day, this Lemon Curd Cake brings brightness, comfort, and a touch of elegance to any moment. So, when you are simply surviving the daily grind, this Cake will feel like a reward and a reset all in one slice.

What Makes This the Best Lemon Cake with Lemon Curd Recipe Special?

• There’s Lemon Curd in the cake and Lemon Curd on the cake! The flavor of lemon is everywhere in this recipe coming from fresh lemon zest, juice and curd.
• 35 oz (almost a liter) of Lemon Curd is used, that’s about 2-3 times more Lemon Curd when compared to other recipes.
• Its moist texture is a result of sour cream being added.
• A little corn starch is added to prevent cake sogginess.
• This is a lighter sponge with only the top covered in frosting.
• Perfect for any occasion, dress it up (or down) to suit your needs.
• Ingredients are easy to source and the instructions are easy to follow.
• No assembly of cake layers required.
• Tips for success and dietary adaptations are also included.

Ingredients You’ll Need for Lemon Curd Cake

• Flour: all purpose / plain flour, (or GF flour if needed.)
• Sugar: white granulated.
• Sour Cream: added for moisture.
• Eggs.
• Butter: room temperature, (plant based substitute would be coconut oil, use the same quantity.)
• Lemon: fresh, whole – both the zest and juice will be used.
• Lemon curd, homemade or store bought. I used prepared lemon curd I bought at a Farmer’s Market. It was very sharp (acidic), so I added some Greek yogurt to balance it out.
• Baking Powder: used as a rising agent.
• Corn Starch: helps with cake texture and preventing cake sogginess.
• Milk: fresh, whole.

Dietary Adaptations

For a vegan version of this cake, use coconut oil instead of butter and either applesauce or egg replacers instead of eggs. Use your favorite plant based yogurt to replace the sour cream and almond or oat milk to replace the dairy milk. Almond flour or other gluten free flour can be used to eliminate the gluten component of this Cake.

Scroll down to see a recipe for Eggless Lemon Curd.

Can You Use Store-Bought Lemon Curd?

Yes, like any ingredient that can be made at home or purchased in a store, there are pros and cons:

Pros: Lemon Curd Cake with store-bought curd reduces the steps when making the Cake and saves a little time. It’s one less thing to thing about. Lemon Curd in grocery stores have ingredients added to balance the flavor ensuring it is neither too tart or sweet. This type of Lemon Curd is shelf stable.

Cons: Store bought Lemon Curd may contain unwanted ingredients such as artificial additives or allergens. Nearly all commercially prepared Lemon Curd contains eggs.

Eggless Lemon Curd Recipe

Here’s a wee Eggless Lemon Curd recipe for those of you who want it:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (240 ml) water
• ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• ¼ cup (30 g) cornstarch
• ¼ cup (60 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
• 1 tbsp lemon zest
• 2 tbsp vegan butter or unsalted butter or coconut oil

Instructions:

1. In a small saucepan, whisk together the sugar and cornstarch.
2. Slowly add the water and lemon juice, whisking to avoid lumps. Stir in lemon zest.
3. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and becomes glossy—about 5–8 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and stir in the butter (or butter substitute) until melted and smooth.
5. Let cool to room temperature. It will continue to thicken as it cools. Store in a jar in the fridge for up to 7–10 days.

The overall consensus is to use homemade Lemon Curd for cake. The flavor and freshness of homemade curd is superior to the store bought version.

Step by Step Instructions – How to Make Lemon Cake Recipe with Lemon Curd

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F / 180 degrees C. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9 inch (22 cm) square cake pan and then line with parchment paper.

Add sugar and room temp butter in a bowl and cream together.

Add whole eggs, one at a time and mix with the creamed butter and sugar mixture.

In a separate bowl, sift in the flour, salt, cornstarch and baking powder.

Zest and juice an entire lemon.

Add about a third of the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and gently mix in.

Then pour in about a third of the milk and then a third of the sour cream and mix in.

Repeat the steps of adding flour, milk and sour cream until all of these ingredients are in the creamed mixture. Add the lemon juice and zest.

Place a third of the cake batter into the prepared pan.

Then add dollops of lemon curd. Using a wooden skewer (or similar), ‘cut through’ the curd to distribute it evenly across the cake batter.

Then spread half the batter on top of the lemon curd.

Add more dollops of curd and break up the dollops with a wooden skewer as before.

Finally, add the remainder of the cake batter. Spread the batter evenly across the pan and then place into the oven. Bake for about 30 mins, until the cake looks golden brown and a toothpick comes out ‘clean’ (no batter, just cake). Be sure to check if the toothpick is damp and determine if it is batter or lemon curd.

How to Make the Mascarpone Buttercream

• Butter: salted or not, your preference.
• Mascarpone cheese.
• Powder (icing) sugar.
• Whipped lemon curd.

• Place cut up pieces of butter in a bowl.
• Add the mascarpone cheese and blend with a hand mixer on a slow speed.
• Then add the icing sugar and mix well.
• Add in the lemon curd a tablespoon at a time until it is all added. Then stop mixing.

Spread the mascarpone buttercream over the cooled cake.

Add dollops of the remainder of the Lemon Curd all over the cake.

Use the wooden skewer to blend the dollops into the buttercream.

Optional is to decorate with edible flowers, I used chamomile flowers and leaves, and Shasta daisies.

Variations to Try with Your Lemon Curd Cake

Lemon Curd Cake Variations are endless – here’s a few to consider:

• Add berries such as blueberry, strawberry and blackberry.
• Continue with the citrus theme by including orange or lime zest and / or juice.
• For a boozy Lemon Curd Cake throw in a shot of lemon flavored vodka or dry gin for an adult version of this Cake.

Types of Cake Pans

Metal pans can be made from:
Aluminum: is lightweight, affordable, and excellent heat conductor for even baking. Prone to warping if low-quality. However there is a believed risk when using aluminum pans due to aluminum leaching at high temperatures especially when in contact with acidic foods such as lemon curd. However, the DHHS state that “aluminum levels found in processed foods and foods cooked in aluminum pots are generally considered to be safe.”

Anodized Aluminum: Treated aluminum with a non-reactive, durable surface that is resistant to leaching. It’s a safer choice for acidic recipes like lemon curd cake.

Nonstick-Coated Aluminum: Aluminum with a nonstick layer for easy cake release. The nonstick surface minimizes leaching but if and when the surface becomes scratched, then aluminum leaching may occur.

Stainless Steel: Durable and non-reactive but less commonly used due to poor heat conductivity. This will lead to uneven baking.

Carbon Steel: produces strong pans that heat evenly. Carbon steel is often used for specialty pans such as Bundt pans. Can rust if not dried properly.

Whatever type of pan you use be sure to line it with parchment, grease proof or wax paper, even if it is nonstick. I never trust a non stick pan after many failures and let downs! Another option is to grease it well with butter and a teaspoon of flour tossed around to coat the fat.

Size of Baking Pans Suitable for this Lemon Curd Lemon Cake

Aim for a volume of no less than 120 cubic inches. The square pan I used is about 162 inches cubed (9″ x 9″ x 2″), so that allows for a little space in the cake pan without running the risk of overflow.

For square and rectangular pans, simply multiply one side by the other and then multiply that by the height of the pan, for example, a 9 x 5 loaf pan, with a height of 2.75″ would have a volume of about 124 in³, (9 x 5 x 2.75).

If using a round or bundt pan, it gets a little complicated with math, but the volume is listed below.

Table Showing Baking Times According to the Size and Type of Pan Used.

Baking pans made from different materials will have different baking times. Here’s an idea of baking times for all the varieties and sizes of bakeware that can be used:

Got Questions?

I’ve got answers – hopefully!

Here’s Some More Recipes, Savory and Sweet that use Lemon as a Key Ingredient:

Unbelievably Tender Lamb Sirloin, With Rosemary Lemon Mint Rub.

Hot Honey Lemon Pepper Wings

Lemon Lavender Ice Cream

Easy to Make Lemon Drizzle Muffins

Lemon Curd Cake

This easy Lemon Curd Cake recipe is easy to make and produces a moist cake with pockets of creamy lemon curd in the cake and dollops of curd on the top of the mascarpone buttercream.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 50 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Course Afternoon Tea, Coffee Treat, Dessert

Cuisine International

Servings 9

Calories 1470 kcal

Equipment

• 1 Square metal pan
• 1 Hand Mixer

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

Ingredients for the Lemon Curd Cake

• 1 whole lemon
• 22 oz all purpose flour plain flour
• 8 oz butter
• 3 tbsp corn starch
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 oz sour cream
• 4 oz milk
• 4 eggs
• 1 lb sugar
• 18 oz lemon curd I used whipped lemon curd.

Ingredients for the Lemon Curd, Mascarpone Buttercream

• 4 oz butter
• 8.8 oz mascarpone cheese or use cream cheese
• 1 lb powdered sugar icing sugar
• 17 oz lemon curd

Instructions

 

How to make the Lemon Curd Cake

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F / 180 degrees C. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9 inch (22 cm) square cake pan and then line with parchment paper.
• Add sugar and room temp butter in a bowl and cream together.
• Add whole eggs, one at a time and mix well with the creamed butter and sugar mixture.
• In a separate bowl, sift in the flour, salt, cornstarch and baking powder.
• Zest and juice an entire lemon.
• Add about a third of the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and gently mix in.
• Then pour in about a third of the milk and then a third of the sour cream and mix in.
• Repeat the steps of adding flour, milk and sour cream until all of these ingredients are in the creamed mixture. Add the lemon juice and zest.
• Place a third of the cake batter into the prepared pan.
• Then add dollops of lemon curd. Using a wooden skewer (or similar), 'cut through' the curd to distribute it evenly across the cake batter.
• Then spread half the batter on top of the lemon curd.
• Add more dollops of curd and break up the dollops with a wooden skewer as before.
• Finally, add the remainder of the cake batter. Spread the batter evenly across the pan and then place into the oven. Bake for about 30 mins, until the cake looks golden brown and a toothpick comes out 'clean' (no batter, just cake). Be sure to check if the toothpick is damp and determine if it is batter or lemon curd.

How to make the Lemon Curd, Mascarpone Buttercream

• Place cut up pieces of butter in a bowl. Add the mascarpone cheese and blend with a hand mixer on a slow speed.
• Then add the icing sugar and mix well.
• Add in the lemon curd a tablespoon at a time until it is all added. Then stop mixing.

Notes

I used whipped lemon curd for two reasons. Firstly, I bought it at a local farmers’ market and found it to be too thick and very concentrated and secondly, by adding some Greek yogurt to it, the texture became airier and the flavor more balanced.

The total amount of 35oz lemon curd is divided between the cake, buttercream and used as decoration. The proportions are as follows:

18 oz used in the cake, evenly split into 2 layers.

9oz added to the mascarpone buttercream.

Remaining 8oz used to decorate the top of the cake.

Nutrition

Serving: 1pieceCalories: 1470kcalCarbohydrates: 225gProtein: 15gFat: 58gSaturated Fat: 35gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 187mgSodium: 721mgPotassium: 156mgFiber: 2gSugar: 167gVitamin A: 1501IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 148mgIron: 4mg

Keyword Buttercream, lemon, mascarpone

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