Lemon Layer Cake

With layers of moist cake and lemon-infused mascarpone whipped cream, every bite of this Lemon Layer Cake is a citrus lover’s paradise. Sweet but not overly so, this lemon dessert is perfect for spring and summer!

The Best Lemon Cake with Lemon Whipped Cream

Today I’m bringing back my favorite lemon cake, the one I’ve used in recipes such as my lemon raspberry cake, and taking it to a brand new citrusy level by layering it with lemon mascarpone whipped cheese. Every bite of this cake is a bite of citrus heaven!

Bright in both color and flavor, and not overly sweet, this lemon dessert is perfect for spring and summer. I love that it has a little tangy flavor to it that balances out the sweetness.

Not to mention that the mascarpone whipped cream is just addictive. I could eat it by the spoonful! I tweaked my normal recipe by adding lemon zest to the whipped cream instead of vanilla extract and it makes the cake even better.

All the Ingredients You’ll Need

This lemon cake uses primarily pantry staples, plus lots of lemon and lemon extract for flavor.

For the Cake:

• Granulated sugar
• Vegetable oil
• Eggs
• Lemons – You’ll need both the zest and the juice.
• Lemon extract – You can also use vanilla extract.
• Light sour cream – Helps to keep the cake super moist.
• All-purpose flour
• Salt
• Buttermilk – I like to use buttermilk because it helps create a tender crumb but you can also substitute milk. If you don’t have any buttermilk in the fridge, you can make your own buttermilk by adding lemon juice to milk.
• Fresh lemon juice

For the frosting:

• Mascarpone cheese – The mascarpone should be cold, not room temperature.
• Heavy whipping cream
• Powdered sugar
• Lemon
• Fresh fruit for garnish

How to Make a Lemon Layer Cake

You’ll need about an hour of prep time plus time for the cake layers to cool to get this lemon dessert on the table.

Make the cake:

1. Prepare the pans. Line the bottom of each 8-inch baking pan with parchment paper and grease the sides. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Beat the wet ingredients. Beat the sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, and lemon extract until well incorporated and light in color. Add the zest of 2 lemons and the sour cream.
3. Add the dry ingredients: Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Alternate adding half of the dry ingredients with the lemon juice and buttermilk.
4. Bake. Divide the batter evenly between the pans, that’s about 1 2/3 cups per pan. Bake for 20 to 23 minutes/ I recommend rotating the pans in the oven halfway through baking to allow for even cooling. Cool the cake completely before frosting.

Prepare the Lemon Whipped Cream

1. Freeze the tools. Freeze the mixing bowl and whisk for 5 to 10 minutes. This helps keep the cream cold while it’s whipping.
2. Beat the ingredients. Beat the mascarpone cheese on medium-low and slowly pour in the heavy cream (about 1/4-1/2 cup), the mascarpone will turn to a liquid consistency. Then add the remaining heavy cream and increase the speed to beat until soft peaks form.
3. Add the remaining ingredients. Add the powdered sugar and lemon zest. Beat on high until stiff peaks form.

Frost and Decorate the Cake

1. Level the cakes. Use a cake leveler to cut the domes off the top of the cake. This will ensure the cake won’t tilt.
2. Layer the cake: You’ll need about half the frosting in a large piping bag, and cut off the tip about 1/2 inch up. Add a dollop of frosting to the cake board and place the first layer on top of that. Then pipe a thin layer of frosting, working your way from the outside edge into the middle. Place the second layer on top and repeat with a thin layer of frosting. Then add the third layer, and invert it so the bottom of the cake layer is now the top of the cake. This gives you a nice even top to work with.
3. Add the crumb coat: Use the remaining frosting to pipe a thin layer on the outside and top of the cake (also called a crumb coat). Use the piping bag to fill in any gaps between the layers as needed. Then use an angled spatula or cake scraper to smooth the edges out and remove excess frosting. I don’t recommend adding this back into the bowl and it usually contains cake crumbs.
4. Frost the cake. Separate out 1/4 cup of frosting to use for decorating. Use the remaining frosting to add the final layer. Pipe around the edge of the cake, from the bottom up, and then smooth out with a cake scraper.
5. Decorate and garnish with fresh berries.

Everything You Need To Know About Mascarpone Whipped Cream

I love mascarpone whipped cream because it’s more stable than your traditional whipped cream and works perfectly for cupcake frosting. I wrote an entire post about making mascarpone whipped cream but if this is your first time, here are a few essential things to know.

• What is mascarpone cheese? Mascarpone is like soft cream cheese. It has a more distinct flavor and a creamier texture, as it has more fat than cream cheese.
• Can I use cream cheese instead? Yes, if you can’t find mascarpone cheese you can also make this with full-fat cream cheese.
• Keep everything as cold as possible. Both the heavy whipping cream and mascarpone cheese should be kept cold until used. I also recommend freezing the bowl and whisk before starting.
• Beating to the proper consistency: If you find that the cream is not thick enough to pipe, it’s likely due to undermixing the cream. Try returning the whipped cream to the mixer and beat at the highest speed. You should be able to run a knife through it without it falling in on itself.

Tips for the Best Layer Cakes

While they look fancy, layer cakes are pretty easy to make. Here are a few tips to make them even easier.

• Use a cake leveler. While you can use a knife to cut off the dome on the top of the cakes, I find a cake leveler makes it much easier. This particular recipe is soft and moist and cutting it with a knife can be difficult.
• Use bake-even strips. To help your cake bake evenly, try using bake-even strips. They’ll prevent a large dome from forming as well.
• Bake the cake in advance. One important thing to remember with layer cakes is that the cakes need to be completely cool before adding the frosting and layering them. If you can, bake the cake several hours in advance or even the night before. Keep stored in an airtight container if you plan to make them in advance.
• Add a thin layer of frosting. If your layer cake is sliding all over the place, it’s likely because there’s too much frosting between layers. All you really need is a thin layer to hold the cakes together.

Lemon Cake Variations

I’m a huge fan of this lemon cake and today’s version with lemon mascarpone frosting isn’t the first one I’ve made. I’ve actually paired this lemon cake with a variety of flavors including raspberries, blueberries, and even coconut! If you’d like to switch things up a bit, here are a few of my favorite lemon cake variations.

• Lemon Raspberry Cake
• Lemon Blackberry Cake
• Blueberry Lemon Mascarpone Cake
• Lemon Coconut Cake

Storage & Freezing

Once the frosting has been added to your lemon cake, it must be stored in the fridge. Before frosting it, the cake can stay at room temperature for 2 or 3 days as long as it’s in an airtight container it will stay fresh.

The cake, both frosted and unfrosted, can be frozen. Cake layers should be double wrapped in plastic wrap and can be frozen for up to one month. Frosted cakes can be stored in an airtight container or a cake box that is double wrapped in plastic wrap. Frosted cakes can be stored for one month.

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More Lemon Recipes

• Easy Lemon Bread
• No-Bake Blackberry Lemon Cheesecake
• Lemon Raspberry Poke Cake
• Lemon Ice Cream Pie
• Easy Lemon Sugar Cookie Bars