Are you a fan of black licorice? Well if you are reading this post we hope so. We both are and one of our all time favorite cakes we’ve made is our chocolate black licorice cake. Ever since we made that cake we have been wanting to incorporate licorice into other desserts and lemon licorice was first on our list. Lemon and licorice may seem like an odd pairing, but it is very popular in northern Europe. The two flavors surprisingly work very well together. This cake consist of lemon cake layers filled with licorice buttercream.
To achieve the licorice flavor in the buttercream we used anise oil. You can also use licorice extract. We actually have both and either will work depending on what you are able to find. You will need about 1-2 teaspoons depending on how strong you want the licorice flavor. We suggest starting with one teaspoon and adding more until you get to your desired flavor.
Our lemon cake is one of our go to cake recipes. A good lemon cake recipe is always nice to have on hand as it can pair with so many different flavors. We loved how well the lemon cake paired with the licorice buttercream. We actually made this cake for our birthday we recently celebrated. We had a few friends over for dinner, drinks and dessert. It was such a lovely evening and the first time we had been together in person in over 15 months. Yeah for finally being vaccinated!!! A couple of our fiends are not licorice fans and they were very surprised that they liked the pairing. The flavor of the lemon balanced really well with the licorice.
If you try this recipe we would love to hear what you think? After trying the lemon licorice cake we are very curious how other desserts with this flavor combo would taste. Possibly a lemon meringue pie with licorice meringue or maybe lemon cupcakes with licorice meringue frosting? If you have had another type of lemon licorice dessert we would love to hear what it was and how it tasted. Comment below and feel free to give us a follow on Instagram. Happy Baking!
More Lemon Cake recipes to try:
Lemon Cake
Ingredients
- 3 cups sifted all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter (softened, but still cool)
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 tbsp lemon zest
- 1/2 cup lemon juice (about 2-3 large lemons)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray cake pans with cooking spray and line with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high until creamed (about 1 minute). Scrape down the bowl as needed.
- Add both sugars and beat until creamed (about 2 minutes).
- Add the eggs and vanilla and beat on medium until combined. Scrape down the bowl.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients while beating on low speed.
- Add the buttermilk, lemon zest and lemon juice. Mix on the lowest speed to fully combine, but don't overmix.
- Divide batter between prepared cake pans. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (It took my 6 inch cakes about 35 minutes, but 8 inch cakes will take less time since the pans are not as full.)
Notes
Licorice Buttercream
Ingredients
- 2 cups unsalted butter slightly cold
- 2 pound bag of powdered sugar
- 1/2 tbsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp heavy whipping cream
- 1-2 tsp anise oil/extract or licorice extract
Instructions
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter. Start off at a low speed and then gradually increase until the butter is light in color and smooth. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the bowl as needed.
- Add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, mixing at a low speed until fully incorporated before you add the next cup.
- Add the heavy cream, vanilla, anise/licorice flavoring and salt and beat at a low speed for about 20 seconds. Try starting with one tsp of the anise/licorice and if you want a stronger flavor add more.
- Increase the speed to high and beat for about 5 minutes until the mixture is perfectly smooth and fluffy. Make sure to stop the mixer once or twice to scrape the bowl.
- Stir the buttercream by hand to remove any air bubbles.
