Memorial Day is this weekend which signifies the start of summer! We’ve been having some beautiful weather here in Seattle and we wanted to create the perfect summery cake to celebrate the holiday weekend. Ami made a key lime pie cake recently which got us thinking what other “pie cakes” can we make. Lemon meringue immediately came to mind. We are hug fans of lemon cake with lemon curd and adding a couple other components to it could only make it better!
This cake features moist lemon cake layers filled with lemon curd, homemade whipped cream, frosted with lemon curd buttercream and topped with toasted meringue and candied lemon slices. There are A LOT of elements to this cake, but it is totally with it. All the components of the cake can be made in advance, but if you want to simplify the cake even more we have some alternatives. Although we HIGHLY recommend making the cake as is, here are some time saving tips. You can buy jars of lemon curd if you don’t have time to make the curd from scratch. Homemade whipped cream is really easy to make and taste so much better, but if you are really strapped for time you can buy this at the store. The consistency won’t be as stable so keep that in mind. Candied lemons are a delicious touch and look beautiful on the cake, but not necessary. Decorate the cake as you wish. Comment below and let us know how your creations turned out! Or just a simple hi to let us know you were here :). We would love to hear from you!
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
Lemon Curd
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
- pinch kosher salt
- 1/2 cup (1 sticunsalted butter cut into pieces
Instructions
- 1/2 cup (1 sticunsalted butter, cut into pieces
- In a heatproof bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon juice and salt until blended. Add the butter and lemon zest. Set the bowl over (not ia saucepan of simmering water and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture has thickened to the consistency of mayonnaise, 12 to 15 minutes.
- Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl. Place a piece plastic wrap on the surface of the lemon curd to keep a skin from forming. Refrigerate until completely cool, at least 2 hours and use with in a week.
Lemon Curd Buttercream
Ingredients
- 2 cup butter, room temperature
- 6 cups powdered sugar
- 4 tbsp heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup lemon curd (cooled)
Instructions
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter (about 1 minute on high)
- Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time. Mixing on medium speed and occasionally stopping to scrape the bowl.
- Add the heavy cream and lemon curd and mix until combined.
- Beat on high for 3-5 minutes to fluff up the buttercream.
Homemade Whipped Cream
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer. We recommend chilling the bowl in the frig beforehand.
- Using the whisk attachment on your stand mixer, beat on low until combined and then increase speed to high. Beat until stiff peaks form, but do not over beat.
Meringue
Equipment
- Kitchen torch
Ingredients
- 4 large egg whites
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Seperate the egg whites making sure not to get any yolk in the whites. Eggs will separate better cold, but allow egg whites to come to room temperature before you make the meringue.
- Fill a medium pot with about an inch or two of water and bring to a simmer (not a boil).
- Use the metal bowl of you stand mixer and make sure it is spotlessly clean and free of any grease. In the bowl, whisk together the egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar.
- Place the bowl over the pot of simmering water making sure the bottom of the bowl is not touching the water. Essentially creating a double boiler.
- Continue whisking until frothy and egg whites are warm to the touch. If you feel the mixture between two fingers it should be smooth and not grainy.
- Transfer the bowl to your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat until stiff and glossy peaks form. This could take about 10 minutes.
- Add the vanilla in during the last 30 seconds.
- Using a piping bag and large star tip, pipe rosettes on your chilled frosted cake. You can also spread it on with an offset spatula. Make sure you chill your cake first. We recommend chilling the cake while you make the meringue. A chilled cake will help the meringue hold form and not soften your frosting too much when you char the meringue.
- Lightly char the meringue with a kitchen torch.
Notes
Well I haven’t made it yet but have saved it and plan on making it soon. It looks and sounds absolutely delicious. I love how you’ve laid out the recipes – so much easier to follow than a lot. Beautiful presentation!!
Thank you, Kim! Can’t wait to hear what you think!
Are there assembly instructions? Specifically, how is the filling done between the layers? Is is both whipped cream and lemon curd between each layer?
Hi Chrissie,
Yes, there is both whipped cream and lemon curd between the layers. What we recommend doing is applying a layer of the whipped cream and then create a dam around the edge with the whipped cream. Fill inside the dam with a layer on lemon curd. The damn will hold the lemon curd in so it doesn’t seep out when stacking and frosting the outside. Don’t make the filling layers to thick or else it will be difficult to stack. Use any extra lemon curd to serve with each cut slice. Hope this helps!
Are candied lemons a thing you buy in the States? Not sure I’ve seen them here in the UK, so are they something you can easily make?
Hi Christy,
We made the candied lemons and have added a link in the blog post that will take you to the recipe we followed. Hope this helps!
Happy Baking,
Ami and Tara