Name: Triple Lemon Layer Cake
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 2 1/4 cups cake flour (or 2 cups all purpose flour); 1 1/2 cups sugar; 3/4 tsp baking powder; 1 tsp baking soda; 1/2 tsp salt; 3 eggs; 2/3 cup vegetable oil; 2/3 cup fresh lemon juice; 1 cup sour cream; 1 jar lemon curd (12-14 ounces); 2 cups unsalted butter - softened; 9 cups confectioners' sugar; 6 tbsp fresh lemon juice; 3 tsp lemon zest; 4 tbsp heavy cream; 1 pinch salt

Triple Lemon Layer Cake

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Perfect For Easter – Or Any Celebration

A while back, while visiting a local Farmer’s Market (who doesn’t love a Farmer’s Market?), I bought this lovely jar of lemon curd. I had no idea what I was going to use it for, it was just so pretty and sounded wonderful…sweet and tart and creamy…so I bought it. And into my pantry it went, to be picked up, moved around, and forgotten about multiple times.

But last weekend, while trying to decide on a sweet Easter treat to make and share, I remembered the luscious sweet and decided to make my Triple Lemon Layer Cake using the jar of lemon curd instead of lemon cream. A perfect way to make a beautiful cake with less fuss and time.

When Life Gives You Lemons…

This moist, bright lemon cake is the perfect platform for the thick, creamy custard-like curd, and it is topped off with a fluffy lemon buttercream. Whoa! That’s a load of lemon love!

“In all my work, I try to say – ‘You may be given a load of sour lemons, why not try to make a dozen lemon meringue pies?'” – Maya Angelou

The secret to the tender cake (besides the lemon) is the addition of sour cream for extra moistness! I used cake flour, but you can certainly use all purpose flour instead (just decrease the amount of flour by 1/4 cup). Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder and soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Add eggs, oil, and lemon juice and mix until smooth. Then add sour cream and mix until smooth and creamy.

Pour into two 8-inch pans and bake for about 25 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool. Once the cakes have cooled, split each layer in half. There are several gadgets to make splitting the layers easier, but you can easily use toothpicks to mark the middle of the layers and then follow along the line carefully.

Put one layer on your serving plate. Pipe a ring of lemon buttercream around the outer edge to keep the lemon curd from coming out the sides as seen in the example below. Spoon half your jar of curd inside the buttercream ring and spread evenly.

Piping Buttercream — Pipe a ring of buttercream to hold in your filling

Place the second cake layer on top. Frost this layer with the buttercream. Place the next cake layer on top of the frosting. Repeat with another ring of buttercream and lemon curd. Place the final layer on top, then frost the entire cake as normal.

Of course, you could make your own lemon curd. It’s not difficult, but it is time consuming, and since I am all about keeping it simple as often as I can, this semi-homemade option was a great decision!

Give this sweet-tart of a cake a try…it’s pretty, simple, and delicious! And let me know in the comments if you do, or share your favorite cake flavors with us! And if you’re not already a subscriber, don’t leave without signing up so you won’t miss any more of the good stuff!

Until next time, keep A Slice of Spice in your life!

Michele