Lemon Curd Cake

5 from 2 votes

This lemon curd cake is sweet, tangy, and refreshingly light. It's a lemon sponge cake with zesty lemon curd, topped with whipped mascarpone.

Prep Time1

Cook Time30

Total Time1 30

Course: Baking

Cuisine: British

Servings: servings

Ingredients

For the cake:

200 g caster sugar
1 lemon zested
2 lemons juiced
4 large eggs
250 g unsalted butter softened
230 g plain (all purpose) flour
2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt

For the lemon curd:

100 g caster sugar
2 large lemons
5 large egg yolks at room temperature
80 ml lemon juice
60 g unsalted butter diced
Pinch of salt

For the mascarpone cream:

250 ml double cream
250 g mascarpone cheese softened at room temperature
30 g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

For the lemon curd:

In a large heat-proof glass or ceramic bowl, mix together the sugar and lemon zest using your fingertips. Rub together until clumpy and totally mixed. Using your fingertips to mix together the sugar and lemon zest releases the citrus oil that is held in the zest which makes it even more lemony. Add the egg yolks and, using a rubber spatula or silicone whisk, whisk until thickened, pale and slightly foamy.
In a large saucepan, heat the lemon juice over medium-high heat until it just comes to a boil. Remove from the heat and gradually pour over the foamy lemon-sugar egg whites, whisking constantly until all the lemon juice has been added.
Return the lemon-egg mixture to the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon – this should take around 5 minutes. Make sure you keep it over a gentle, low heat and stir constantly – if you leave it or let it boil, you will end up with a peculiar lemon scrambled egg yolk situation (not what we are looking for!).
Once it has thickened, remove from the heat and gradually add the butter and a pinch of salt. Stirring to ensure it is fully melted and incorporated. Strain through a fine sieve (optional) then pour into a jar and leave to cool completely before covering and chilling in the fridge.

To make the cake:

Whilst the lemon curd chills, make the cake. Preheat the oven to 160c Fan/180c conventional oven/355F and grease and line a 2 x 20cm loose-based round cake tins with non-stick baking paper. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, add the lemon zet and sugar. Using clean fingers, rub the sugar and lemon zest together until fragrant and well combined.
Add the softened butter to the lemon sugar and beat together until creamy and light. Add the eggs and beat again.
Tip in the flour and baking powder, then add the lemon juice. Add a pinch of salt too and mix until combined.
Divide into the two prepared cake tins and bake for around 30 minutes, until golden on top and a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Let cool for 15 minutes in the tin and then turn the cakes onto a wire rack to cool completely.

For the mascarpone cream:

Add the double cream and icing sugar to a large bowl and whisk until very loose, soft peaks, just thickened. I like to use an electric whisk.
Then add the mascarpone, at room temperature, and vanilla. Keep whisking until soft peaks and thick, but not stiff.
Transfer to a bowl, cover, and chill if using later. Otherwise, enjoy immediately! Make sure to serve at room temperature, or just not fridge cold.

To assemble the cake:

Once the cakes have completely cooled, set one on a flat plate. Spoon half the mascarpone cream on top in an even layer. Use a palette knife to spread the curd on top in a smooth and even layer.
Top with the second cake, followed by the remaining mascarpone cream, more lemon curd, lemon slices and fresh raspberries.

Notes

Scroll up for a step by step guide on how to make lemon curd cake.

To store: Keep in an airtight cake tin or well-wrapped in clingfilm in the fridge for up to 3 days. Remove from the fridge 20 minutes before eating as it’s better room temperature rather than fridge cold!

To freeze: You can freeze the sponges not the icing. For the sponges, leave to cool and wrap tightly in clingfilm. Place in the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to use, take out of the freezer the night before and allow to thaw overnight at room temp.

Make ahead: You can make the full cake a day in advance. Cover and place in the fridge then remove from the fridge 30 minutes before serving so it has time to come to room temperature. You can make the sponge 3 days in advance. Leave to cool and wrap tightly in clingfilm. Keep in the fridge. Lemon curd can be stored in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to a week or frozen for up to a month.

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