Layered Lemon Cream Cake
This light and delicious Layered Lemon Cream Pound Cake is the PERFECT dessert for spring and summer! Layers of moist lemon pound cake are filled and topped with lemon curd and whipped cream. If you love lemon desserts, you need this recipe!
Table of Contents
How to Make Layered Lemon Pound Cake
This cake combines our lemon cream cheese pound cake with homemade lemon curd and whipped cream. It is the lemon version of our Strawberry Shortcake Cake.
Rather than pouring the pound cake batter into a bundt pan as we normally would, we divided the batter between three 8 inch cake layers (greased, floured, and lined with a circle of parchment) and baked at 325 F for about 25-30 minutes. Baking times may vary- the cake is done when an inserted toothpick comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached.
Allow the cake layers to cool in their cake pans on a cooling rack for 5 minutes before turning out. Allow to cool completely before filling.
Lemon Curd
As much as we love the lemony pound cake layers, the lemon curd takes the dessert to another level! We just love this recipe and have used it in a number of our cake recipes.
The curd is prepared in a saucepan, combining sugar, cornstarch, water, egg yolks, butter, lemon zest, and lemon juice. It is silky smooth, has fantastic lemon flavor, and it thickens as it cools. Chill in the refrigerator. See the recipe for the full steps and details!
Sweetened Whipping Cream
We love this simple sweetened whipped cream recipe! Heavy whipping cream is combined with confectioners sugar and a bit of vanilla, and whipped to stiff peaks.
It is light and dreamy, and the perfect complement to the lemon curd and pound cake. *Make sure to use heavy cream or heavy whipping cream as it will hold it's shape much better.
Assembling the Cake
Once the layers had cooled, and the lemon curd had cooled, we placed the first lemon pound cake layer on the pedestal. Next, we spread the top of the layer with a thin layer of lemon curd, followed by a layer of whipped cream.
We repeated these steps for the next cake layer. Then, we topped it with the final cake layer. We spread the top with lemon curd, and piped dollops of whipped cream around the top edge, and garnished with very small lemon slices.
We hope that you enjoy this delicious Lemon and Cream Pound Cake recipe! If you give it a try, we would love for you to let us know what you think! It is guaranteed to please a crowd ;0)
More Lemon Cakes
We love lemon cakes and have made so many over the years! Here are just a few of our favorites.
Layered Lemon Cream Cake
Ingredients
- 2 sticks unsalted butter softened (equivalent of 226g or 1 cup butter)
- 8 oz block cream cheese, softened. We used one package (8 oz.). Full fat cream cheese.
- 3 cups sugar (600g)
- 5 large eggs room temperature place in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes to speed up the process.
- 3 cups cake flour (342g)(Not self rising. We use Swan's Down, bleached)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder (2g)
- ½ teaspoon salt (3g)
- ¼ cup milk (60g)(we recommend whole milk or 2 percent).
- 1 tablespoon Lemon Extract (12g)
- ¼ cup Lemon Juice plus zest (The approximate amount of one lemon.) If you have less than ¼ lemon juice, make up the difference with milk.
Lemon Curd
- ¾ cup sugar (150g)
- ¼ cup cornstarch (30g)
- 1 cup water (236g)
- 2 large egg yolks lightly beaten
- 2 Tablespoons butter (28g)
- 1 Tablespooon grated lemon zest
- 4 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Whipped Cream
- 2 cups whipped cream or heavy cream (480g)
- ½ cup confectioners' sugar (58g)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (8g)
Instructions
- Grease and flour three 8 inch cake pans. (You could also use two 9 inch cake pans). We also like to line the bottom of our pans with parchment circles.
- Preheat the oven to 325℉
- In a separate bowl, whisk the cake flour, baking powder, and salt to combine, set aside for later.
- Using an electric mixer (paddle attachment if using a stand mixer), mix the butter and cream cheese on medium speed until smooth.
- Next, gradually add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy for three minutes.
- Add the eggs to the mixing bowl one at a time, blending after each until the yolk is incorporated.
- Combine the ¼ cup of milk, ¼ cup lemon juice, lemon extract, and zest.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture alternately with the milk to the butter/sugar/egg mixture in the mixing bowl. Begin and end with the dry ingredients. We do three additions of dry ingredients, alternating with two additions of wet. Mix just until incorporated.
- Scoop batter into prepared 8 inch pans.
- Bake at 325 degrees for 25-30 minutes. *Baking times may vary! Add additional minutes as needed. The cake layers are done when an inserted toothpick comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs attached.
- This makes approximately 9.5 cups of batter.
- Allow to cool in the pans for 5 minutes before turning out.
Lemon Curd
- Combine sugar, cornstarch and water in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly, until mixture thickens and comes to a boil (3-4 minutes).
- Boil, stirring, for 1 minute more.. Remove the pan from the heat.
- Spoon about ½ cup of the hot mixture into a small bowl with egg yolks and stir quickly until combined. Continue stirring, while pouring the egg mixture back into the saucepan.
- Return pan to medium heat and cook, stirring, until the curd is thickened and lemon colored (1-2 min). Remove from heat and stir in the butter, lemon juice, and lemon zest.-- Let the lemon curd cool, then press plastic wrap onto the surface, this will prevent a skin from forming on the top. Refrigerate.
- This will fill a 2-3 layer 8 or 9 inch cake with some leftover. The recipe can be halved.
- I have refrigerated the lemon curd for a week and it was fine....I'm not sure how long it will keep beyond that
- Makes 1 ¼ cups
Whipped Cream
- Chill the mixing bowl and beaters/ whisk attachment in the freezer for 10 minutes.
- Pour the whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla into the chilled mixing bowl, begin beating on low speed gradually increasing to medium high speed.
- The cream begins to thicken (approx. 1 ½ minutes) and soft peaks form. (Peaks that slightly bend over.) Watch closely as this happens quickly. Do not over mix.
Assembling the Cake
- Once the cake layers have cooled, place the first lemon pound cake layer on a cake plate or pedestal. Spread with a layer of lemon curd (ours was just a thin layer). Then, spread with whipped cream.
- Top with the next cake layer and spread with lemon curd and whipped cream. Top with the third cake layer.
- Spread the top layer with lemon curd (you may have some leftover). Then, we piped dollops of whipped cream around the top edge of the cake, and garnished with small lemon wedges. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container or under a cake dome.
- The cake needs to be refrigerated because of the whipped cream and lemon curd. However, for the very best flavor and texture, remove it from the refrigerator an hour or two before serving. This will allow the cake to warm and soften.