Just like my peppermint patties recipe makes me think of Christmas, nothing says summer like lemons! That citrus flavor perfectly captures sunny days, sand between your toes and the smell of the ocean. I love recipes that contain lemon, as they just feel a step up from regular cakes. That’s why I was so excited to share this lemon cake recipe with you.

Even though they seem fancy, lemon cake recipes really aren’t that difficult! And it’s all about the presentation, but all that takes is practice. You can top this lemon cake with some flowers or fruit, I personally love to add some lemon slices.

For this lemon cake recipe, you’ll need lemon curd, which you can make yourself easily.

Ready to learn the simplest lemon cake recipe that will blow everyone’s minds?

Lemon Cake

Summer's here so whip out this delicious lemon cake recipe!
Print Recipe Rate Recipe

Ingredients

For Cake:

  • 1 cup unsalted butter
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp lemon zest
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 cup of lemon curd

For syrup:

  • ½ cup regular sugar
  • ½ cup water
  • ¼ cup lemon juice

For frosting:

  • ¾ cup whipping cream, chilled
  • ½ cup mascarpone cheese
  • 1-2 tbsp powdered sugar, depending on your taste
  • 2 tbsp lemon curd.

Instructions

For the cake:

  • Spread butter and flour over 2 x 9 inch baking pans, and preheat the oven to 350 F or 180 C.
  • Stir together flour, baking powder and salt.
  • Combine butter, sugar, and vanilla. Beat until pale and fluffy. Add in eggs.
  • Add lemon juice and lemon zest.
  • Alternate with the flour and buttermilk mixture.
  • Divide mixture between the prepared pans, and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely.
  • Poke holes in the cake with a toothpick. Brush the simple syrup (see below) over the cake so that the cakes are moist and juicy.
  • Place 1 of the cakes on a cake board, and then lather 1 cup of lemon curd over the cake. Place the second layer on top, and refrigerate till set.
  • Cover the cake with the mascarpone whipped frosting (see below), top with lemon slices and chill until serving time.

For the syrup:

  • Boil 1/2 cup of regular sugar with 1/2 cup water- bring to a boil till sugar dissolves, boil for 5 minutes and stir in 1/4 cup lemon juice. Cool completely.

For the frosting:

  • Whip heavy cream with powdered sugar until it stands up in peaks. Add in mascarpone cheese- beat till well incorporated. Add the lemon curd and beat till everything is combined.

Notes

Feel free to decorate with some flowers or fruit!