Moist & Tangy Lemon Cake with The Best Lemon Filling!

This moist and tangy lemon cake with a luscious lemon curd filling, topped with creamy lemon buttercream frosting and sweet candied lemon slices... It's is the perfect treat for any occasion and sure to satisfy all lemon lovers out there!

Lemon Cake

The Perfect Treat for Easter & Winter Holidays

Lemon cake is a versatile dessert that is perfect for any occasion, but it's particularly suited to the springtime and winter holidays. Its bright, tangy flavor and beautiful yellow color make it a refreshing and festive dessert that can be enjoyed all year round.

Easter is a time for new beginnings and fresh starts, and a lemon cake is a perfect way to celebrate the arrival of spring. Whether you're hosting an Easter brunch or a family gathering, a lemon cake with its light, airy texture and lemony flavor is sure to be a hit. It pairs well with a variety of other springtime flavors like strawberries, blueberries, and fresh herbs.

Lemon cake is also a great choice for winter holidays like Christmas and New Year's. While heavier desserts like pumpkin pie and fruitcake are traditional during this time, a lemon cake can add a refreshing and unexpected twist to your holiday dessert table.

Its bright, sunny flavor is a welcome respite from the rich and heavy flavors of the season. And if you decorate your lemon cake with candied lemon slices or snowy white frosting, it can also be a beautiful and festive centerpiece for your holiday table.

Lemon Cake Recipe

This easy-to-follow lemon cake recipe makes a deliciously, moist, lemon cake with a tangy lemon curd filling, lemon buttercream frosting, and sweet candied lemon slices on top!

Lemon Cake Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
½ cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
½ cup buttermilk

Lemon Curd Filling

½ cup fresh lemon juice
½ cup granulated sugar
3 large egg yolks
¼ cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Frosting Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
4 cups confectioner's sugar
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

Candied lemon slices:

1 large lemon, thinly sliced
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water

Lemon Cake Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined.
In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Mix in the lemon juice and lemon zest.
Gradually add in the flour mixture, alternating with the buttermilk, until the batter is smooth and well combined.
Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing them from the pans and transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

After Lemon Cake is Baked

While the cakes are cooling, prepare the lemon curd filling. In a medium-sized saucepan, whisk together the lemon juice, sugar, and egg yolks over medium heat until well combined.
Add in the butter and continue whisking until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
Remove from heat and strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any lumps.
Let the lemon curd cool to room temperature.
Once the cakes have cooled, use a serrated knife to level off the tops of the cakes.
Spread a generous layer of lemon curd on top of one of the cake layers.
Place the second cake layer on top of the lemon curd layer, making sure it's level.
Prepare the lemon buttercream frosting by creaming the softened butter until light and fluffy.
Gradually add in the confectioner's sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest, beating until the frosting is smooth and creamy.
Frost the top and sides of the cake with the lemon buttercream frosting.
To make the candied lemon slices, combine the sugar and water in a medium-sized saucepan and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the lemon slices.
Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the lemon slices are translucent.
Remove the lemon slices from the syrup and let them cool on a wire rack.
Arrange the candied lemon slices

Using Lemon Zest to Flavor Lemon Cake

Lemon zest is a wonderful way to add bright, tangy flavor to your lemon cake. Zest is the outermost layer of the lemon's skin, which is packed with aromatic oils that are bursting with flavor. When adding lemon zest to your cake batter, it's important to use a fine grater to avoid getting any bitter white pith in your zest.

To zest a lemon, simply run the lemon across the grater, rotating the lemon as you go to avoid grating too deeply and getting any pith. You can also use a zester or vegetable peeler to get thin strips of zest, which can be finely chopped and added to your batter.

Lemon Juice and Baking Powder/Baking Soda

Lemon juice is often used in baking recipes as a natural acid to react with baking powder or baking soda, which helps the cake rise and become fluffy. Baking powder and baking soda are leavening agents that create carbon dioxide gas when mixed with a liquid and heat, causing the cake to rise.

When using lemon juice in a recipe, it's important to note that it reacts differently with baking powder and baking soda. Baking powder is a mixture of baking soda, cream of tartar, and cornstarch. It reacts with the acid in the lemon juice to create carbon dioxide gas, which helps the cake rise. However, if you use too much baking powder, your cake may rise too quickly and then collapse, resulting in a dense cake.

Baking soda, on the other hand, is a base that needs an acid to react with to create carbon dioxide gas. When combined with lemon juice, it produces carbon dioxide gas rapidly, causing the cake to rise quickly. However, if you use too much baking soda, your cake may have a bitter taste and a soapy texture.