Excited to share with you my Lemon Blueberry Cake recipe. The combination of lemon and blueberry is such a classic duo and is good in so many forms: pancakes, muffins, baked french toast, and of course, cake!

Lemon Blueberry Cake

This popular flavor combination has been done by many before, but I love how each cake or muffin or pancake recipe is a little different. One of my favorite versions of a Lemon Blueberry Cake is from Sweetapolita. Rosie’s recipe is one of the first cakes I ever made and I’ve always loved her flavor combinations and sprinkles!

Cake Layers

My version of a Lemon Blueberry Cake is inspired by Rosie’s cake. I’ve altered my lemon cake layers from my Lemon Bar Cake. The one difference you’ll see between the Lemon Bar Cake and this Lemon Blueberry Cake is that I’m not using lemon pudding mix. Instead, I’ve subbed some of my buttermilk with fresh lemon juice. The texture and flavor are just as awesome as the Lemon Bar Cake. I just decided to give you another option for a lemon cake in case you can’t get your hands on lemon pudding.

When you’re making the cake layers, make sure you allow for plenty of time (a couple of hours, usually) for the wet ingredients to get to room temperature. Room temperature ingredients are better absorbed by dry ingredients, and that helps your cake to rise better.

Size Matters

Also, try to find the smallest blueberries possible. The smaller the blueberries, the better they’ll stay in place as they bake in the cake batter. You’ll also want to make sure you dust your blueberries in flour to help prevent them from sinking, as well.

You can see some of my blueberries held great in their spot and some of the bigger ones definitely fell to the bottom.

The Most Delicious Lemon Buttercream

The buttercream for this cake is the same buttercream I use in my Lemon Bar Cake. To get a bright yellow color, you’ll want to add some yellow food coloring. I like using Americolor food gels. For the cake layers and buttercream, I added a few drops of “lemon yellow.”

Assembly

Don’t forget to:

• Chill your cake layers before assembly
• Pipe a rim of buttercream around the edge of your cake layers
• Not to overfill your cake layers with too much lemon curd. Save leftover curd to serve with each slice of cake (or to use on toast in the morning!)
• Apply a crumb coat before your final coat of frosting

Video Tutorial

Tools

You can find the spatulas and scrapers I used over on SHOP.CAKEBYCOURTNEY.COM.

You’ll also find my first cookbook, “CAKE, by Courtney” with this recipe and so many more HERE.

More Cakes to Love

• Mom’s Legendary Lemon Bars
• The Best Homemade Lemon Curd Recipe
• 3 Delicious Ways to Use Lemon Curd
• Blueberry Streusel Muffin Cake
• 5 Easy Lemon Cake Recipes From Scratch

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Lemon Blueberry Cake

Lemon cake layers with fresh blueberries, lemon curd and lemon buttercream

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Intermediate, Lemon Blueberry Cake, Lemon Cake

Servings 20

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 3/4 cups (350 g) granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp (9 g) lemon zest, one large lemon
• 1/2 tsp (2.8 g) salt
• 3 tsp (12 g) baking powder
• 3 cups (345 g) cake flour
• 6 eggs whites, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup lemon juice about three large lemons
• 3/4 cup (194 g) buttermilk, at room temperature
• 1 cup (140 g) blueberries, try to find the smallest ones
• 3 drops yellow food coloring, optional (I used Americolor Lemon Yellow)

FOR THE CURD

• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp (9 g) grated lemon zest, one large lemon
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice, about 3 large lemons
• 3 large eggs
• 4 egg yolks
• 4 tbsp (56.5 g) unsalted butter, cold

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• 2 cups (446 g) unsalted butter, slightly cold
• 6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar, measured and then sifted
• 2 tsp (8.4 g) lemon extract
• 1/4 cup (57.5 g) heavy whipping cream
• pinch of salt
• 4 drops yellow food coloring, optional (I used Americolor Lemon Yellow)
• *This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake, as decorated above. If you want additional piping, you'll want to make an extra 1/2 batch.

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch round cake pans or four 6-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray, line the bottoms with parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.
• In a medium-size mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking powder. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
• In a small mixing bowl, combine the buttermilk and lemon juice. Set aside.
• In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar and zest together on medium speed, until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
• Scrape down the sides of the bowl and begin to add the egg whites, one at a time, scraping down the sides and the bottom of the bowl and mixing well between each addition. Mix on medium-high speed until no grains of sugar remain, about 2 to 3 minutes.
• With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and the buttermilk mixture, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Be sure not to over mix. Over mixing your cake batter will cause it to sink. ***As you add the last of the buttermilk mixture, this is a good time to start coloring your batter if you'd like it a brighter yellow.
• Coat your blueberries in a tablespoon of flour and then gently fold them into the cake batter.
• Divide the batter evenly between the three pans, about 18 ounces in each 8-inch pan or about 13 ounces in each 6-inch pan. Bake the cake layers for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out with a few moist crumbs on it. Allow the cake layers to cool in the pans on wire racks for about 10 to 15 minutes. Invert cake layers onto a wire rack to cool completely. TIP: spray your wire rack with nonstick spray to prevent the cake layers from sticking.
• Allow to cool completely before wrapping in plastic wrap and storing in the freezer until ready to decorate.

FOR THE CURD

• This element is best done a day or two ahead of stacking and decorating your cake.
• Whisk the sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Whisk in the whole eggs and yolks in a small bowl and then whisk them into the lemon mixture.
• Cook the mixture over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until it's thick like pudding, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter, a few pieces at a time until incorporated.
• Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl, pushing it through with a rubber spatula. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until completely set, at least 4 hours and up to 5 days. 

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• Turn the mixer to low and gradually add the powdered sugar, followed by the cream, salt and lemon extract. Mix until combined. Add yellow food coloring, if using. Mix until incorporated completely. Turn the mixer to medium-high and beat the frosting for about 5 minutes.
• Before applying the buttercream to your cake, use wooden spoon to beat the frosting by hand for about 2 minutes to push out any air pockets. 

ASSEMBLY

• Spread a small dollop of frosting onto a cake board. Place the first cake layer, top side up, on the board.
• Spread about a half cup of frosting over the cake layer and pipe a rim of frosting around the edge of the cake to create a barrier to the filling.
• Spread about 1/4 cup of the curd in the center of the cake, carefully spreading it to the edge of the piping.
• Place a second cake layer on top of the piped frosting and filling and repeat step 2 and 3. Place the final cake layer, top side up, on the second layer of filling.
• Lightly coat the cake with a thin layer of frosting to lock in the crumbs. Freeze the cake for about 10 to 15 minutes to set the frosting.
• Finish frosting and decorating the cake with the remaining frosting. Serve a spoonful of the remaining lemon curd with each slice of cake.

The post The Best Lemon Blueberry Cake with Lemon Curd and Lemon Buttercream first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Is it Springtime Yet?

This winter is proving to be a long one and even though spring is supposed to officially start in just a couple weeks, I’m doubtful it will really come. We’ve had so much snow and so many freezing cold days this winter. And just when you think it’s over with the arrival of blue skies and 55 degree weather, winter comes back with a vengeance. It hit hard again last week for a couple days and I couldn’t help but dream of springtime… and spring baking. Flavor combinations started flooding my head and the one that seemed most appropriate was a cake inspired by lemon bars.

Lemon Bars

Why lemon bars, you ask? Well, this past weekend was my mom’s 60th birthday and she’s a huge fan of lemon bars. She actually makes the most delicious lemon bars and I’ve been eager to get another lemon cake recipe on the blog for a while. It seemed like the perfect inspiration for a new cake.

Plus, a few months ago, my brothers, sister and I decided to surprise my mom with US for her birthday! Yup, the four of us together would be our big gift to her. But I didn’t want to show up empty handed, and we all know that every birthday needs a cake… so, it was the perfect time to try out this new recipe.

Lemon Bar Cake

This cake has all the makings of a lemon bar, but in cake form, of course. I started with a shortbread crust that you’ll bake on it’s own for about 8 minutes. I then added a lemon cake on top of the crust. This lemon cake is so divine and would be equally delicious without the crust if you wanted to just have a basic lemon cake.

I’ve filled the inside with a lemon curd and lemon buttercream.

I realize that sounds like a lot of lemon, but trust me, it all blends so beautifully that it doesn’t feel over powdering. Plus, the savory shortbread crust is the perfect contrast to the tartness and sweetness of the rest of the cake.

I was able to share this cake with friends and family and it’s been a hit all around!

Tips:

• Make the lemon curd a few days in advance.
• Make sure not to put too much curd in between the layers so it doesn’t lose stability. Instead, use only about 1/4 to 1/3 cup curd in the cake and serve extra on the side of each slice.
• Make sure to use a sharp knife to cut the cake.

Enjoy!

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Lemon Bar Cake

Lemon cake layers baked on a shortbread crust, with lemon curd filling and lemon buttercream.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Lemon Bar Cake, Lemon Bars, Lemon Cake, Lemon curd

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Servings 18

Author Courtney Rich

Ingredients

FOR THE SHORTBREAD CRUST

• 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
• 12 tablespoons (169.5 g) unsalted butter room temperature
• 2 1/2 cups (300 g) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon (2.8 g) Kosher salt

FOR THE CAKE

• 3 cups (345 g) cake flour
• 1 3/4 cup (350 g) granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup (2 oz.) instant lemon pudding mix
• 1/2 teaspoon (3 g) salt
• 2 teaspoons (8 g) baking powder
• 12 tablespoons (169.5 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/4 cup (300 g) buttermilk, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) lemon extract
• 6 egg whites, at room temperature
• Yellow food coloring optional

FOR THE LEMON CURD

• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon (9 g) grated lemon zest one large lemon
• 1/2 cup lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
• 3 large eggs
• 4 egg yolks
• 4 tablespoons (56.5 g) cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces

FOR THE LEMON FROSTING

• 2 cups (452g) unsalted butter, slightly cold
• 6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar, measured and then sifted
• 2 teaspoons (8.4 g) lemon extract
• 4 tablespoons (60 g) heavy whipping cream
• Pinch of salt
• Yellow food coloring optional
• *This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping, you’ll want to make an extra 1/2 batch.

Instructions

FOR THE SHORTBREAD CRUST

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch or four 6-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray, line each pan with parchment and spray again. Set aside.
• Combine the sugar and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat for 1 to 2 minutes until creamy. Stir in the salt and flour. If the mixture is too crumbly, you can add another tablespoon of butter.
• Evenly divide the shortbread cookie crumbs into each cake pan (about 8 ounces in the 8-inch pans or 6 ounces in the 6-inch pans). Using the back of a spoon, press the shortbread cookie crumbs into an even layer on the bottom of the pan.
  

  Bake for about 6 minutes. Will be light in color. Let cool while you make the cake batter.

FOR THE CAKE

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. 
• In a medium size bowl, lightly whisk the egg whites and add the lemon extract. Set aside.
• In another medium size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
• In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, and pudding mix together on medium speed, until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
• Scrape down the sides of the bowl and begin to add the egg mixture in 3 separate batches, mixing until well combined, about two minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure all the batter has been incorporated. Continue to beat the batter on medium-high speed until smooth.
• With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and the buttermilk, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Mix until combined. Fold in food coloring, if using.
• Divide batter evenly among your pans, right on top of the shortbread crust, about 16 oz of batter in each 8-inch pan or 12 oz in each 6-inch pan.
• Bake the cakes (on the shortbread crust) until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs inserted into the center, about 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool on wire racks for 10 minutes before inverting them onto cooling racks to cool completely. The cake will stick to the shortbread crust and flip out of the pan together.

FOR THE LEMON CURD

• Whisk the sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Whisk in the whole eggs and yolks in a small bowl and then whisk them into the lemon mixture.
• Cook the mixture over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until it's thick like pudding, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter, a few pieces at a time until incorporated.
• Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl, pushing it through with a rubber spatula. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until completely set, at least 4 hours and up to 5 days. 

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• Turn the mixer to low and gradually add the powdered sugar, followed by the cream, salt and lemon extract. Mix until combined. Add yellow food coloring, if using. Mix until incorporated completely. Turn the mixer to medium-high and beat the frosting for about 5 minutes.
• Use wooden spoon to beat the frosting by hand for about 2 minutes to push out any air pockets. 

ASSEMBLY

• Spread a small dollop of buttercream onto a cake board. Place the first cake layer, top side up, on the board.
• Spread a thin layer of buttercream over the cake layer and pipe a rim of buttercream around the edge of the cake to create a barrier to the filling. Spread about 1/4 cup of the curd in the center of the cake, carefully spreading it to the edge of the piping.
• Place a second cake layer on top of the piped buttercream and filling and repeat step 2. Place the final cake layer, top side up, on the second layer of filling.
• Lightly coat the cake with a thin layer of buttercream to lock in the crumbs. Freeze the cake for about 10 to 15 minutes to set the buttercream.
• Finish buttercream and decorating the cake with the remaining frosting. Serve a spoonful of the remaining lemon curd with each slice of cake.
• The cake can be stored in the freezer for about a week, in an airtight container. Give the cake about 8 hours to return to room temperature before serving.

The post The Most Delicious Lemon Bar Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Lemon Kit Kats

During a recent visit to the grocery store, I found myself meandering down the candy aisle. Not something I usually do, but it’s nearly Easter, which means Easter candy! How could I resist?! I quickly locked eyes on a bright yellow bag of Kit Kats. Before you question my pick in candy, you must know – these weren’t just any Kit Kats. No, these were special. These were LEMON Kit Kats.

If you’re new here, I must inform you that my love of lemon desserts and treats has grown immensely over the years – thanks to my mom’s influence. (She loves all things lemon and makes the most delicious lemon bars – which inspired my Lemon Bar Cake). I used to pick chocolate without hesitation, but now, lemon flavored desserts have me thinking twice about my usual quick jump to chocolate or peanut butter (my other go-to). Sometimes the freshness and tartness of lemon really hits the spot.

And this cake does just that!

Lemon Kit Kat Cake

To recreate the Lemon Kit Kat candy bar in a cake, I made lemon cake layers, a lemon white chocolate buttercream, and a lemon white chocolate wafer cookie crunch filling.

The lemon cake is fluffy and moist, thanks to a combination of egg whites, lemon instant pudding mix, and a heaping one and a quarter cup buttermilk! I think the lemon instant pudding mix is a must, but if it’s something you can’t get your hands on, add an extra teaspoon of lemon emulsion and the zest of one lemon to the cake batter in place of it.

For the buttercream, we’re using my white chocolate buttercream and a bit of lemon emulsion (you can also use extract). This replicates the white chocolate coating on the outside of the KitKat bars and is an extremely delicious combination.

Wafer Cookie Crunch Filling

To mimic the crunch of the wafer from the Kit Kat bar, we’re taking some inspiration from Milk Bar and making a crunch filling. Christina Tosi, founder of Milk Bar, often takes elements like pretzels and potato chips, bakes them with butter, brown sugar, and milk powder, and then coats the clusters with white chocolate to give her cakes a layer of texture that doesn’t get soggy.

For the wafer cookie crunch, you’ll want to grab wafer cookies like Loacker lemon cream-filled wafer cookies. If you can’t find lemon flavored wafer cookies, you can absolutely use vanilla wafer cookies, like Voortman’s. With the vanilla wafer cookies, you’ll want to add the zest of a second lemon to the recipe below.

Once we bake the crushed wafer cookies with milk powder and butter, we get crunchy clusters that we’ll then coat with white chocolate. Once that white chocolate hardens, it ensures the clusters maintain their crunch.

One note about the filling – it’s highly munchable. Try to save a little for the cake

How to Make a Moist Cake from Scratch

Don’t forget to follow my go-to tips for getting moist cakes that rise well:

• Preheat your oven for 30 minutes prior to baking.
• Use good quality pans like Fat Daddio.
• Spray your pans with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper. 
• Make sure to beat the butter, sugar, oil and eggs really well. The mixture should be smooth in texture and nearly doubled in volume when you’re done mixing. THIS ONE IS IMPORTANT!
• Don’t overmix your cake batter once you add the dry ingredients.
• Use room temperature wet ingredients. Not cold at all.
• Use fresh baking powder.
• Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs on it. REMEMBER: the cake continues to bake for a few minutes while it cools in the pan.

More Lemon Cakes to Love

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Lemon Kit Kat Cake

Lemon cake layers with wafer cookie crunch and white chocolate lemon buttercream.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Kit Kat, Kit Kat Cake, KitKat, Lemon Cake, Lemon Kit Kat Cake, Lemon white chocolate buttercream

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Servings 18

Author Courtney Rich

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

• 3 cups (345 g) cake flour
• 2 teaspoons (8 g) baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon (3 g) salt
• 3/4 cup (169.5 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 3/4 cup (350 g) granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup (2 oz.) instant lemon pudding mix
• 6 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 1 1/4 cup (300 g) buttermilk, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) lemon extract or emulsion
• Yellow food coloring optional

FOR THE WAFER COOKIE CRUNCH FILLING

• 1 1/2 cups (75 g) milk powder, divided
• 8.8 ounces (250 g) lemon wafer cookies, crushed but not finely ground
• zest of one lemon
• 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, melted
• 6 ounces white chocolate chips, melted

FOR THE LEMON WHITE CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM

• 6 ounces white chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup (60 g) heavy whipping cream
• 2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter, slightly cold
• 6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar, measured then sifted
• 2 teaspoons (8.4 g) lemon extract or emulsion
• Pinch of salt
• Yellow food coloring, optional

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray, line the bottoms with parchment paper, and spray again. Set aside.
• In another medium size bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
• In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, and pudding mix together on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
• With the mixer on medium speed, add the egg whites, one at a time, making sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl between additions. Stir in the lemon extract or emulsion.
• Continue to beat on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes, until the mixture gets smooth in texture and slightly bigger in volume.
• With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and the buttermilk, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Mix until combined. Fold in food coloring, if using.
• Divide batter evenly among your pans, about 16 ounces of batter in each pan.
• Bake the cakes, about 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool on wire racks for 10 minutes before inverting them onto cooling racks to cool completely.

FOR THE WAFER COOKIE CRUNCH FILLING

• Preheat your oven to 275 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
• In a medium size mixing bowl, stir together 1 cup of the milk powder, the wafer cookies, and lemon zest.
• Pour in the melted butter and stir the mixture until the wafer cookies are "wet."
• Spread the cookie clusters on the baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Let cool completely.
• In a medium size mixing bowl, combine the baked cookie clusters and the additional 1/2 cup milk powder.
• Pour the white chocolate over the crumbs and toss until the clusters are covered. Spread the clusters are parchment to dry.

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• In a microwave safe bowl, combine the white chocolate and heavy cream. Heat in 30 second intervals, stirring between each, until the white chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Set aside to cool.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• Gradually add the white chocolate ganache and mix until the mixture is smooth. Turn the mixer off and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
• With the mixer on low, gradually add the powdered sugar, followed by the lemon extract and salt. Mix until combined. Add yellow food coloring, if using. Mix until incorporated completely. Turn the mixer to medium-high and beat the frosting for an additional 3 to 5 minutes.

ASSEMBLY

• Spread a small dollop of frosting onto a cake board. Place the first cake layer, top side up, on the board.
• Evenly spread about 1 cup of buttercream over the cake. Cover with the wafer cookie crunch. Pat the clusters into place.
• Place a second cake layer on the filling and repeat step 2.
• Place the third cake layer, top side down, on top of the second layer of filling. Lightly coat the cake with a thin layer of buttercream to lock in the crumbs. Freeze the cake for about 10 to 15 minutes to set the frosting.
• Finish frosting and decorating the cake with the remaining buttercream. Top with more wafer cookie clusters.

Notes

*If you can’t find the lemon flavored wafer cookies, you can use vanilla wafer cookies. Add the zest of a second lemon to the recipe. 

**These cake layers bake about 1.25″ tall. If you want thicker cake layers, you can use two 8-inch pans or 1.5x the recipe. For both, the bake time will increase about 10 minutes.

The post Best Ever Lemon Kit Kat Cake with Lemon White Chocolate Buttercream first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Lemon Oreo Cake

I’m so excited to share my new Lemon Oreo Cake with you. If you’ve tried my Golden Oreo Cake or even my Cookies and Cream Cake, you are going to love this cake! We’re using the same filling from those cakes with the lemon Oreos.

The base of the cake is light and fluffy with a hint of lemon extract and more lemon Oreos. I think you’ll love the texture of the cake with the cookies in it.

We’ll top this bright and happy cake off with lemon buttercream.

Ingredients You Need for this Lemon Oreo Cake

• Cake flour
• Baking powder
• Salt
• Unsalted butter
• Sugar
• Lemon extract or lemon emulsion
• Egg
• Buttermilk
• Lemon Oreos

How to Make Moist Cake Layers from Scratch

When making the cake layers, don’t forget to follow my go-to tips for getting your cakes to rise and bake well:

• Preheat your oven for 30 minutes prior to baking.
• Use good quality pans like Fat Daddio.
• Spray the pans with nonstick spray, line with parchment and spray again.
• Use room temperature wet ingredients.
• When mixing the butter, sugar, and eggs, be sure to mix until completely smooth, light in color and fluffy in texture.
• Don’t overmix your cake batter once you add the dry ingredients.
• Use fresh baking powder.
• Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs on it.

Oreo Whipped Cream Cheese Filling

If you haven’t tried this whipped cream cheese filling, be prepared to fall in love! This tangy, sweet filling pairs so well with the lemon Oreos. It’s also great with peanut butter Oreos, regular Oreos, and golden Oreos! In fact, I’m pretty sure it’s a perfect pairing to any Oreo flavor!

Ingredients You’ll Need for this Recipe

• Cream cheese
• Heavy whipping cream
• Powdered sugar
• Lemon Oreos

How to Make the Whipped Cream Cheese Filling

To make this filling, you basically have three steps:

• Whip the heavy whipping cream to stiff peaks
• Beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth
• Fold the whipped cream and Oreos into the cream cheese mixture

NOTE: you can make the filling ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to assemble your cake. HOWEVER, do not add the Oreos until you’re ready to assemble.

Alternatively, you can also assemble the entire cake ahead of time and freeze it. The cookies will keep most of their crunch this way too.

Lemon Buttercream

The lemon buttercream on this Lemon Oreo Cake is truly the cherry on top! This light and fluffy lemon buttercream isn’t too strong, but instead, adds just another subtle layer of the lemon flavoring to this delicious cake.

Ingredients You’ll Need for this Recipe

• Unsalted butter
• Powdered sugar
• Heavy whipping cream
• Lemon extract
• Salt
• Food coloring, optional
  

How to Make the Best Buttercream Frosting

To get this delicious buttercream, make sure you follow my tips: HOW TO MAKE THE BEST BUTTERCREAM

• Sift your powdered sugar
• Use slightly cold butter
• Use heavy whipping cream
• Beat for 5 minutes
• Stir by hand

You’ll want to check out the post linked above for more details on each step to make sure you get the best buttercream frosting. And remember, these steps can be used for any buttercream recipe on my blog.

Other Oreo-Inspired Cakes You’ll Love

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Lemon Oreo Cake

Light and fluffy lemon Oreo cake layers with a whipped cream cheese and lemon Oreo filling and lemon buttercream

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Lemon, Lemon buttercream, Lemon Cake, Lemon Oreo, Lemon Oreo Cake

Servings 20 people

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

• 3 cups (345 g) cake flour
• 2 teaspoons (8 g) baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon (3 g) salt
• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 3/4 cups (350 g) granulated sugar
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 2 egg whites, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) lemon extract
• 1 1/4 cups (300 g) buttermilk, room temperature
• 12 Lemon Oreos, crushed into chunks

FOR THE FILLING

• 3/4 cup (173 g) whipping cream
• 2 cups (250 g) powdered sugar
• 6 ounces cream cheese
• 8 Lemon Oreos, broken into chunks

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• 2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter, slightly cold
• 6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar, measured and then sifted
• 2 teaspoons (8.4 g) lemon extract
• 1/4 cup (57.75 g) heavy cream
• pinch of salt
• *This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping, you’ll want to make an extra 1/2 batch.

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch with non-stick spray and then line with parchment. Spray again. Set aside.
• In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and the sugar together for 2 to 3 minutes on medium-high speed.
• Scrape down the sides of the bowl and begin to add the eggs on medium speed, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl between addition. Stir in the lemon extract. Continue to mix the batter on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes. The mixture should be light and fluffy in texture.
• With the mixer on low speed, add 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by 1/2 of the buttermilk. Repeat the additions, 1/3 flour mixture, second half of 1/2 buttermilk and the final 1/3 flour mixture. Only mix until the flour mixture is incorporated, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix again for another 20 to 30 seconds on low.

  Fold in the crushed lemon Oreos
• Evenly divide the batter between the three pans (about 18 ounces) and bake for 25 to 28 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs on it. Let cool in the pans for about 15 minutes and then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.

  (Tip: spray your wire cooling racks with nonstick spray).

FOR THE FILLING

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the heavy whipping cream on high for about 3 to 5 minutes, until the cream forms stiff peaks. Transfer the cream to another bowl and set aside.
• In the now empty bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese for a couple minutes until smooth. Gradually add the powdered sugar. Beat for a couple minutes until smooth.
• Fold in the whipped cream to the cream cheese mixture until no streaks of whipping cream remain.

  Fold in the lemon Oreos.
• NOTE: Best to make right before you assemble the cake so the cookies don't get soggy. If you want to make this ahead of time, just leave out the Oreos until you're ready to assemble.

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter for about 2 minutes, until light and fluffy and pale in color.
• With the mixer on low, gradually add the powdered sugar, followed by the heavy cream, lemon extract, and pinch of salt.
• Once all of the ingredients are combined, turn the mixer to medium-high and beat for about 3 to 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat for a couple minutes more.
• Before using the buttercream, make sure to beat it by hand with a wooden spoon or large spatula to help push out the air pockets.

ASSEMBLY

• Place the first cake layer top side up, in the center of the cake board. Pipe a rim of buttercream around the edge of the cake and then fill the center with about 1 cup of the filling.
• Place the second cake layer on top of the buttercream and filling. Repeat piping and filling.
• Place final cake layer, top side down.
• Crumb coat the entire cake with a thin layer of the buttercream and freeze for about 10 to 15 minutes to set this layer of frosting. 
• Once the crumb coat is set, continue to frost the cake with the remaining buttercream.

The post Light and Fluffy Lemon Oreo Cake with Lemon Buttercream first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Gingerbread Sandwich Cookies with Lemon Buttercream

What is Baked and Wired?

We recently took the kids to Washington D.C. for a few days during their fall break. While the history in that town is truly amazing, there’s also a lot of food stops to add to your must-see (eat) list. One of our favorite bakeries was Baked and Wired. Nestled in the heart of Georgetown, Baked and Wired has always been a source of inspiration for artisanal baked goods with flavors that surprise and delight. One of their standout seasonal creations—ginger molasses sammies—evokes all the charm of classic winter flavors. Inspired by this, I decided to create my own version of the: gingerbread sandwich cookies with a bright lemon buttercream filling. The result? A balanced blend of cozy spices and a citrusy zing that refreshes the palate.

Why Gingerbread?

Gingerbread is synonymous with the holiday season. The rich, dark molasses gives these cookies a deep, aromatic sweetness that brings back memories of winter nights, festive gatherings, and kitchens filled with laughter. But what really makes these cookies special is turning them into sandwiches. The concept of layering cookies with a luxurious filling adds texture, flavor, and visual appeal.

Lemon Buttercream: A Surprising Pair

While gingerbread is delightful on its own, pairing it with lemon buttercream is where the magic happens. Lemon provides a bright, tangy contrast that cuts through the cookie’s richness and spices, creating a more complex and layered flavor profile. The smooth, buttery texture of the filling melts into the cookie’s slightly crisp exterior, creating a bite that is perfectly balanced.

This flavor combination is one of my favorites, so it was no surprised I fell in love with the Baked and Wired cookies. I actually first used this combination years ago in my Gingerbread Lemon Cake – inspired by a dessert my mom made every holiday season for us growing up.

Ingredients for Gingerbread Sandwich Cookies with Lemon Buttercream

Tips for the Best Results

• Flatten the cookie dough: This step is crucial for the right shape and even texture of the cookie. Using a 1-ounce cookie scoop you’ll form the cookie dough ball. Place it on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Next, place a small piece of parchment paper on the cookie and then flatten the cookie to 1/4th of an inch using the bottom of a cup to press firmly down.
• Coat in sanding sugar: After the cookie is already flattened, coat it in the sanding sugar. Flattening the cookie before coating it in the sanding sugar ensure the sugar stays on top of the dough and doesn’t get pushed into the dough – giving the cookie extra texture and crunch!
• Storage: Store the assembled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or refrigerate for up to a week.

Once the cookies are baked and cooled completely, you’ll add the buttercream to half of the cookies.

The Perfect Treat for Gatherings

These gingerbread sandwich cookies with lemon buttercream are not only a hit with friends and family but also an ideal addition to holiday gift baskets. The pairing of warm spices and zesty lemon creates a unique treat that stands out from the usual lineup of holiday sweets.

So, this season, take inspiration from beloved bakeries like Baked and Wired and add your own twist. You may just find that these cookies become a new holiday tradition.

Can I use a different buttercream?

Yes! There are so many different buttercream flavors that will pair beautifully with gingerbread. Here are a few ideas:

• Caramel Buttercream
• Vanilla Buttercream
• Biscoff Buttercream
• Cranberry Buttercream

NOTE: There are some important tips in the instructions below, so be sure to read through everything.

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Gingerbread Sandwich Cookies with Lemon Buttercream

Soft and chewy gingerbread cookies filled with lemon buttercream.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cookies

Keyword Gingerbread Sandwich Cookies

Servings 22 Sandwich Cookies

Ingredients

FOR THE COOKIES

• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 1 egg
• 1 cup sanding sugar, coarse sugar

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• 1 cup unsalted butter, slightly cold
• 3 cups powdered sugar, measured and then sifted
• 1 tsp lemon extract
• 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
• pinch of salt

Instructions

For the Cookies

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
• In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
• In large mixing bowl, beat the butter and the sugar until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• Add the molasses and mix until incorporated.
• Add the egg and mix until incorporated.
• With the mixer on low, stir in the dry ingredients.
• Using a 1 ounce cookie scoop, make 1-ounce cookie dough balls. Once you scoop them, also use your hands to round them into a ball.
• Place the cookie dough balls on the parchment lined baking sheet. Using another piece of small parchment paper and a cup with a flat bottom, place the parchment on a cookie dough ball and use the bottom of the cup to flatten the dough to about 1/4-inch thick.
• Once you’ve flattened the dough, place each cookie into the sanding sugar. The dough will not be sticky so you may have to help press the sanding sugar on the cookie. I even add sanding sugar on top of the cookie once I’ve placed it back on the cookie sheet.
• Place the cookies about 2 inches apart from each other (I fit 8 cookies on one baking sheet).
• Bake the cookies for about 7 to 8 minutes. Don’t overtake. As they cool, they will set, but we want to make sure these cookies are soft and chewy on the inside.
• Once the cookies are cooled completely, fill with lemon buttercream.

For the Lemon Buttercream

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• Slowly add the powdered sugar, followed by the lemon extract, heavy whipping cream and salt.
• Continue to beat on medium-high speed until the buttercream is nearly white in color.
• Use a piping bag to pipe buttercream on half of the cookies. Press the other cookies on top, gently pressing down to spread the buttercream to the edge of the cookies.

The post The Perfect Holiday Treat: Gingerbread Sandwich Cookies with Lemon Buttercream first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The Best Chocolate Zucchini Cake Recipe

Looking for a way to use up all your zucchini from your garden? I’ve got you covered! My Chocolate Zucchini Cake is as easy as it is delicious! It’s a recipe from Ryan’s family and a fan favorite around here. 

The zucchini adds moisture to the cake, but you can’t even tell it’s there once the cakes are baked. I also added some lemon zest to the cake to carry that flavor throughout each bite.

I also added a bit of lemon to the cream cheese frosting. Chocolate and lemon may seem a bit unusual to some, but it’s oh-so-good!

Can this cake be made in a sheet pan?

Absolutely! Just like all of my cakes, you can simplify them by baking them in a 9″ x 13″ baking pan. In fact, Ryan’s parents used to serve this cake with chocolate chips sprinkled on top. The frosting is my addition  

To bake in a rectangular baking pan, don’t change a thing except the baking time. You’ll add about 10 minutes to my suggested time below. 

Tips for Making Chocolate Zucchini Cake

1. Choose Fresh Zucchini

• Use Fresh Zucchini: Fresh zucchini will provide the best texture and moisture. Smaller zucchinis are often less watery and have more flavor.

2. Prepare the Zucchini Properly

• Grate Finely: Use a fine grater to grate the zucchini. This helps it blend seamlessly into the cake batter.
• Drain Excess Moisture: After grating, lightly squeeze the zucchini to remove excess moisture. This prevents the cake from becoming too wet.

3. Enhance the Chocolate Flavor

• High-Quality Cocoa Powder: Use high-quality unsweetened cocoa powder for a rich chocolate flavor. I recommend Extra Brute Cacao Barry Cocoa Powder.
• Add Chocolate Chips: Stir in a generous amount of chocolate chips or chunks for extra decadence.

4. Proper Mixing

• Don’t Overmix: Mix the batter just until the ingredients are combined. Overmixing can lead to a dense cake.

5. Baking Time and Temperature

• Correct Temperature: Bake at the temperature recommended in your recipe, usually around 325°F.
• Check for Doneness: Use a toothpick to test the cake. It should come out with a few moist crumbs but not wet batter.

6. Let It Cool

• Cool Completely: Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely. This helps it set and makes it easier to frost or serve.

7. Frosting

• Pair with the Right Frosting: Cream cheese frosting, chocolate ganache, or a simple dusting of powdered sugar can complement the cake well. I’m adding a hint of lemon to my cream cheese frosting and it’s delightful!

8. Storage

• Keep It Fresh: Store the cake in an airtight container. It stays moist for several days and can be frozen if needed.

How to Assemble this Chocolate Zucchini Cake

With only two layers to handle, the assembly of this cake is incredibly easy. The first time I made it, I actually didn’t even frost the outside of the cake and made it a naked cake.

This time around, I created a rustic look with my straight icing spatula. You can easily get this look with just a regular kitchen knife too. Check out my tutorial for this technique HERE.

I love the simplicity of this cake, but the flavor is really the show-stopper!

Enjoy!

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Chocolate Lemon Zucchini Cake

Moist chocolate zucchini cake layers with lemon cream cheese frosting.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword chocolate, Chocolate Cake, Chocolate lemon zucchini cake, cream cheese buttercream, Lemon, Zucchini

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Inactive Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 45 minutes minutes

Servings 1 2-layer, 8-inch cake

Ingredients

For the Cake

• 2 1/4 cup (270 g) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (50 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon (4 g) baking soda
• 1 teaspoon (6 g) salt
• 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup (109 g) vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (120 g) buttermilk, room temperature
• 2 cups (300 g) grated unpeeled zucchini, about 2 1/2 medium
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest

For the Buttercream

• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, slightly chilled
• 4 oz. cream cheese, slightly chilled
• 5 cups (625 g) powdered sugar, measured and then sifted
• 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) lemon extract
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

For the Cake

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray your two 8-inch round cake pans, line with parchment paper and spray the parchment. Set aside.
• Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl. Set aside.
• In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the sugar, butter, and oil until well blended.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for about 30 seconds after each addition. Beat in the vanilla.
• Mix in the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk, starting and ending with the dry ingredients.
• Mix in the grated zucchini and lemon zest.
• Pour the batter evenly into the two cake pans and bake for about 35-40 minutes.
• Cool completely in pan. 

For the Buttercream

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese on medium-high speed until smooth, about 2 to 3 minutes.
• With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the powdered sugar, followed by the lemon extract and salt.
• Turn the mixer to medium speed and beat for about 5 minutes, until light in color.

The post The Best Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Buttercream first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Make bakery-style cookies from the comfort of your own kitchen! My new Copycat Levain Bakery Lemon Cookies are the perfect replica of the famous New York cookies. The lemon flavor is a limited edition in-store, but you can make my recipe year-round!

What is Levain Bakery?

Levain Bakery is a beloved New York City institution that has garnered a cult-like following for its legendary cookies. Founded in 1995 by Connie McDonald and Pam Weekes, the bakery originally aimed to create the perfect fuel for their triathlon training. However, their decadent, six-ounce cookies soon became the star of the show, captivating locals and tourists alike.

Levain Bakery’s appeal lies in the indulgent, gooey centers of their cookies, juxtaposed with a crisp, golden exterior, creating a textural symphony that cookie aficionados crave. Beyond cookies, the bakery also offers a delightful array of breads and pastries, all baked fresh daily with high-quality ingredients. This commitment to craftsmanship and the sensory pleasure derived from every bite has solidified Levain Bakery’s status as a must-visit destination for dessert lovers around the world.

Copycat Levain Bakery Lemon Cookies

On a recent visit to New York and Boston, we stopped in at one of the Levain Bakery locations in Boston to try their new, limited edition Lemon Cookies. Similar to their signature chocolate chip, the lemon cookie is a huge, thick, delicious cookie, filled with flavor and chips.

After recreating the Levain Bakery Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies a few years ago, I knew I needed to and could recreate these.

The goals, for me, when making a copycat Levain cookie are:

• Similar look
• Similar texture
• Similar flavor

I worked off my first Levain recipe to make the Lemon Cookies. I, of course, didn’t use cocoa powder here, but instead subbed that ingredient with more flour. The combination of the all-purpose flour and the cake flour provide the perfect soft and chewy texture we want.

What if I don’t have cake flour? If you don’t have cake flour, you can make your own following the instructions in this blog post: Everything You Need to Know About Cake Flour. If you don’t want to make it, you can use all-purpose flour for all of it, but note two things: one, use 1/4 cup less overall and two, the texture will be slightly different than intended in my recipe.

To ensure the look and texture are correct takes into account more than just the ingredients. You also need to make sure you measure the dough to get 6-ounces per cookie and bake at a higher heat to get the crispy edge.

Tips for Making the Best Cookies

Let’s make sure these Copycat Levain Bakery Lemon Cookies turn out perfect! Here’s a rundown of the tips for making these the best cookies:

• Preheat your oven to 400 F. Because these cookies are so big, and we’re trying to get that crispy edge and soft center, you want your oven at a higher heat like this.
• Use cold butter and eggs. Using cold butter and eggs will help ensure your cookies keep their shape. To mix the butter when it’s cold, I cut it up into cubes first.
• Don’t over-mix the dough. Once you add the dry ingredients, mix on low until no flour streaks remain.
• Follow the recipe. This may seem obvious, but just to cover all our basis, be sure to follow the recipe as it’s written to get the most accurate result.
• Make 6-ounce cookies. This is a signature Levain move – HUGE cookies. Trust the process and just go with it.
• Let the cookies cool to room temperature. I know this one is hard, but to have a true Levain-style cookie, you want the cookie to cool to room temperature so it’s the right texture inside.

More cookie recipes to try

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Copycat Levain Bakery Lemon Cookies

These Copycat Levain Bakery Lemon Cookies are huge, just like the originals! They're slightly crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside, filled with white chocolate chips and lemon flavor.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cookies

Keyword cookies, Lemon, lemon cookies, levain bakery cookies

Servings 8

Ingredients

• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, slightly cold and cut into cubes
• 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (110 g) brown sugar, packed tightly
• 2 tablespoons lemon zest, about two large lemons
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 teaspoons (5.2 g) lemon extract or lemon emulsion
• 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups (143.7 g) cake flour
• 1 teaspoon (4 g) baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon (2 g) baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon (3 g) salt
• 16 ounces white chocolate chips

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
• In a medium size bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
• In another medium size mixing bowl, beat the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and lemon zest until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• Add the egg, egg yolk, and lemon extract. Beat until combined.
• Slowly add the flour mixture and stir on low until incorporated.
• Fold in the white chocolate chips.
• Measure the dough into 6 ounce balls. Place four balls of dough on the baking sheet and bake for about 12 minutes. The outside of the cookie should be golden brown.
• Allow to cool to room temperature before eating. (This allows the middle to set properly).

The post Copycat Levain Bakery Lemon Cookies first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Homemade Lemon Curd

OK, you guys this lemon curd recipe is really close to my heart! This one is inspired by my mom when she brought me homemade lemon curd a while ago when she came to visit me. And she even used lemons from her very own tree in her backyard to make it! Ah, one of the many reasons I love California. And since I’m not there to enjoy this all year round as she can, she knew exactly what to bring me that would make me so happy! And, of course, I want to share the best homemade lemon curd recipe with all of you too to share the love. 

If you’re planning on making this lemon curd and incorporating it into a cake or other kind of dessert, take note that it will need to be refrigerated for at least 4 hours before it’s ready to be used. But it can be stored in your fridge for up to 5 days! So don’t be afraid to make it a few days in advance before you plan on making the rest of the dessert that it will go with. 

I love splitting up the days that I make the different elements of my cakes! Baking layered cakes can take a LOT of time, as I’m sure all of you know, so any time you can make different elements throughout multiple days helps so much with not getting burnt out by the process. That way you can take your time baking and actually enjoy each step and feel good about the cake you’re making, every step of the way. 

What You’ll Need to Make Lemon Curd

Lemon is one of my favorite kinds of citrus flavors for dessert! I’ve made a handful of desserts and cakes using lemon elements like this lemon curd recipe, but I’ll talk more about those later. First, let’s talk about the ingredients and how to make this amazing homemade lemon curd recipe. 

You will only need a handful of simple ingredients to make the lemon curd:

• Granulated sugar
• Lemon zest from one large lemon
• Lemon juice 
• Eggs
• Egg yolks
• Unsalted butter

The lemon juice the recipe calls for usually takes about 3 lemons to get the amount you need. And the unsalted butter should be cold and cut into small pieces when adding it to your lemon mixture. Other than that, the recipe is pretty straightforward! You are almost well on your way to making the best homemade lemon curd.

How to Make Homemade Lemon Curd

First, whisk the sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan. In a separate bowl, whisk together your eggs and egg yolks, and then whisk them into the lemon mixture. 

Cook the mixture over medium-low heat, whisking constantly until it’s thick like pudding. This usually takes 6 to 8 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and then whisk in the butter, a few pieces at a time, until it is all incorporated.

Once everything is all mixed in together nicely, strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl. It helps to push it through with a rubber spatula. Lastly, press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the lemon curd to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate it until it is completely set. I recommend at least 4 hours. But it can be stored for up to 5 days!

The Best Homemade Lemon Curd Recipe

What will you be trying the best homemade lemon curd recipe on first? As I mentioned earlier, I love to use my lemon curd as a filling in my cakes, but there are so many ways to use this lemon curd! Check out my faves in the posts linked below. For more tips and recipes on all things cake, follow me on Instagram @cakebycourtney! 

Other posts you’ll love:

• The Best Way to Fill Your Cake with Lemon Curd
• 3 Delicious Ways to Use Lemon Curd
• Top 3 Cakes Using Lemon Curd

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Lemon Curd

The best homemade lemon curd! You can use this as a filling for cake or a fun added element to many other desserts as well.

Prep Time 7 minutes minutes

Cook Time 8 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon (9 g) grated lemon zest one large lemon
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 3 large eggs
• 4 egg yolks
• 4 tablespoons (56.5 g) cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces

Instructions

• Whisk the sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Whisk in the whole eggs and yolks in a small bowl and then whisk them into the lemon mixture.
• Cook the mixture over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until it's thick like pudding, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter, a few pieces at a time until incorporated.
• Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl, pushing it through with a rubber spatula. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until completely set, at least 4 hours and up to 5 days. 

The post Homemade Lemon Curd Recipe first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Moist Lemon Cake Recipe

Hard to believe that with all the lemon flavored cakes on my blog, I actually don’t have a basic lemon cake recipe. That is, until now!

A lemon cake recipe is long overdue on CakebyCourtney.com and I’m so excited to share with you this delicious, new lemon cake recipe with lemon curd and lemon buttercream.

So what’s different about this lemon cake?

You’ll notice, I have several lemon cake recipes on my blog. Some are light and fluffy, some are slightly more dense, some are flavored with Jell-O, while others are flavored naturally. It’s really fun to create different types of cake recipes that have the same flavor profile, because we all like different flavors and textures of cake.

Here’s a little rundown of the cakes:

So we’ve got a few variations, which hopefully means you find the perfect lemon cake for you!

For my new Lemon Cake recipe, my number one goal was to make sure it was MOIST! Sometimes, cakes with only egg whites, can over bake easily and taste dry. The goal for this one was to make it as fool proof as possible.

Ingredients You Need for Lemon Cake

• Cake flour
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Salt
• Unsalted butter
• Granulated sugar
• 3 large lemons
• Eggs
• Buttermilk
• Food coloring, optional

How to Make Moist Lemon Cake from Scratch

To make a moist lemon cake from scratch, be sure to follow these tips:

1. Use room temperature ingredients – any ingredient you store in the refrigerator should be room temperature before you start making your cake. Room temperature ingredients better blend together and are better absorbed by the dry ingredients – which both help to create a high rise and moist cake.
2. Beat the butter, sugar and eggs well – these first few ingredients need to be mixed on a medium high speed for a few minutes before you add anything else. Specifically, start with beating the butter and sugar together on a medium-high speed to lighten the texture and create a little air in the mixture. You’ll then add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. THEN, after the eggs are adding, scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and continue to mix on medium-high speed for a couple minutes. We want the mixture to be smooth, lighter in color, and fluffy in texture.
3. Don’t over-mix the batter when you add dry ingredients – once you start adding dry ingredients, you’ll want to make sure your mixer is on low speed. Over-mixing the cake batter can cause it to be dense and sink because you overwork the gluten (the flour).
4. Be sure not to over-bake the cakes – sometimes are cakes taste dry because we’ve simply over-baked them. As you bake recipes, from me or any author, be sure to watch the baked good during the last few minutes of baking. Take note if your oven bakes faster or slower than given times. You may need to adjust for your oven, since all ovens act so differently.

How to Make Homemade Lemon Curd

Adding lemon curd to any cake is almost unfair to the cake because no matter how delicious the cake is, homemade lemon curd always steals the show!

You will only need a handful of simple ingredients to make the lemon curd:

• Granulated sugar
• Lemon zest from one large lemon
• Lemon juice 
• Eggs
• Egg yolks
• Unsalted butter

First, whisk the sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan. In a separate bowl, whisk together your eggs and egg yolks, and then whisk them into the lemon mixture. Do this before you turn on the stove, or right at the beginning. Adding the eggs too late after the sugar mixture has been heating can create an egg-y flavor in the curd.

Cook the mixture over medium-low heat, whisking constantly until it’s thick like pudding. This usually takes 6 to 8 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and then whisk in the butter, a few pieces at a time, until it is all incorporated.

Once everything is all mixed in together nicely, strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl. It helps to push it through with a rubber spatula. Lastly, press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the lemon curd to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate it until it is completely set. I recommend at least 4 hours. But it can be stored for up to 5 days!

Tips for the Best Buttercream Frosting

Making homemade buttercream is a game changer, compared to anything you’ll buy at the store. I have a couple key tips for making the best buttercream frosting every time:

1. Sift the powdered sugar
2. Beat the butter on its own for a few minutes
3. Use a little heavy whipping cream
4. Beat all of the ingredients together on medium-high for a few minutes.

Read more about how to make the best buttercream HERE.

You may notice my lemon curd in this picture is extra bright. I used organic eggs that had a more orange yolk, which added a real pop of color to the curd!

Frequently Asked Questions

More Lemon Cakes to Try!

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Lemon Cake

Lemon cake layers with lemon curd and lemon buttercream

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Intermediate, Lemon buttercream, Lemon Cake, Lemon curd

Servings 20

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

• 3 cups (345 g) cake flour
• 2 tsp (8 g) baking powder
• 1/2 tsp (2 g) baking soda
• 1/2 tsp (3 g) salt
• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp (9 g) lemon zest, one large lemon
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 2 egg whites, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup (83 g) fresh lemon juice, about three large lemons
• 1 cup (240 g) buttermilk, at room temperature
• 1-3 drops yellow food coloring, optional (I used Americolor Lemon Yellow)

FOR THE CURD

• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp (9 g) grated lemon zest, one large lemon
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice, about 3 large lemons
• 3 large eggs
• 4 egg yolks
• 4 tbsp (56.5 g) unsalted butter, cold

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• 2 cups (446 g) unsalted butter, slightly cold
• 6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar, measured and then sifted
• 2 tsp (8.4 g) lemon extract
• 1/4 cup (57.5 g) heavy whipping cream
• pinch of salt
• *This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake, as decorated above. If you want additional piping, you'll want to make an extra 1/2 batch.

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch round cake pans or four 6-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray, line the bottoms with parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.
• In a medium-size mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
• In a small mixing bowl, combine the buttermilk and lemon juice. Set aside.
• In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar and zest together on medium speed, until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
• Scrape down the sides of the bowl and begin to add the eggs and egg whites, one at a time, scraping down the sides and the bottom of the bowl and mixing well between each addition. Mix on medium-high speed until no grains of sugar remain, about 2 to 3 minutes.
• With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and the buttermilk mixture, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Be sure not to over mix. Over mixing your cake batter will cause it to sink. ***As you add the last of the buttermilk mixture, this is a good time to start coloring your batter if you'd like it a brighter yellow.
• Divide the batter evenly between the three pans, about 18 ounces in each 8-inch pan or about 13 ounces in each 6-inch pan. Bake the cake layers for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out with a few moist crumbs on it. Allow the cake layers to cool in the pans on wire racks for about 10 to 15 minutes. Invert cake layers onto a wire rack to cool completely. TIP: spray your wire rack with nonstick spray to prevent the cake layers from sticking.
• Allow to cool completely before wrapping in plastic wrap and storing in the freezer until ready to decorate.

FOR THE CURD

• This element is best done a day or two ahead of stacking and decorating your cake.
• Whisk the sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Whisk in the whole eggs and yolks in a small bowl and then whisk them into the lemon mixture.
• Cook the mixture over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until it's thick like pudding, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter, a few pieces at a time until incorporated.
• Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl, pushing it through with a rubber spatula. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until completely set, at least 4 hours and up to 5 days. 

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• Turn the mixer to low and gradually add the powdered sugar, followed by the cream, salt and lemon extract. Mix until combined. Add yellow food coloring, if using. Mix until incorporated completely. Turn the mixer to medium-high and beat the frosting for about 5 minutes.
• Before applying the buttercream to your cake, use wooden spoon to beat the frosting by hand for about 2 minutes to push out any air pockets. 

ASSEMBLY

• Spread a small dollop of frosting onto a cake board. Place the first cake layer, top side up, on the board.
• Spread about a half cup of frosting over the cake layer and pipe a rim of frosting around the edge of the cake to create a barrier to the filling.
• Spread about 1/4 cup of the curd in the center of the cake, carefully spreading it to the edge of the piping.
• Place a second cake layer on top of the piped frosting and filling and repeat step 2 and 3. Place the final cake layer, top side up, on the second layer of filling.
• Lightly coat the cake with a thin layer of frosting to lock in the crumbs. Freeze the cake for about 10 to 15 minutes to set the frosting.
• Finish frosting and decorating the cake with the remaining frosting. Serve a spoonful of the remaining lemon curd with each slice of cake.

The post The Best Lemon Cake Recipe first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Lemon Biscoff Cake

Last week in cake class at Orson Gygi we made my Lemon Bar Cake. It has the most delicious lemon cake layers baked on a shortbread crust and is filled with lemon curd. Between classes, Heather (who runs the classes and is basically family!) grabbed a Biscoff cookie from the pantry and encouraged me to dip it in the lemon curd.

What a combination! Like, wow!

I immediately was thinking of how to make a cake with these two flavors and the texture of the Biscoff cookie.

I originally thought of using my Biscoff cake layers, but Heather convinced me to go with my lemon ricotta cake layers from my Olive Oil Ricotta Cake, and I am so happy I listened.

This Lemon Biscoff Cake is beyond delicious and each flavor and texture really stand out and compliment one another.

Lemon Ricotta Cake

These cake layers are my favorite. I have used them in several cakes because the texture and flavor is so versatile. Here are just a few of my faves:

Cakes with Ricotta Cake Layers

You’ll notice the weight of the cake is heavier than most of my other cakes. We can thank the two cups of ricotta for that! The ricotta helps to create a moist and tender texture. While I’d call this a dense cake, it’s not a small, tight crumb (like a pound cake). Rather, it’s a bigger, slightly loose crumb with some denseness to it.

NOTE: you can swap the grapeseed oil for a light olive oil.

How to Make Lemon Curd

Lemon curd was a must for this cake since it was the combination of the Biscoff cookie and the lemon curd that inspired this one. If you’ve never made lemon curd before, you’re in for a treat! Once you make homemade lemon curd, you’ll never go back to store-bought. Homemade is easy to make and tastes 100x better than anything you’ll get at a store.

You will only need a handful of simple ingredients to make the lemon curd:

• Granulated sugar
• Lemon zest, from one large lemon
• Lemon juice 
• Eggs
• Egg yolks
• Unsalted butter

You’ll need 3 large lemons for the amount of lemon juice needed for this recipe. And the unsalted butter should be cold and cut into small pieces when adding it to your lemon mixture. Other than that, the recipe is pretty straightforward!

• First, whisk the sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan. In a separate bowl, whisk together your eggs and egg yolks, and then whisk them into the lemon mixture. 
• Cook the mixture over medium-low heat, whisking constantly until it’s thick like pudding. This usually takes 6 to 8 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and then whisk in the butter, a few pieces at a time, until it is all incorporated.
• Once everything is all mixed in together nicely, strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl. It helps to push it through with a rubber spatula. Lastly, press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the lemon curd to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate it until it is completely set. I recommend at least 4 hours. But it can be stored for up to 5 days!

How to Schedule Baking the Lemon Biscoff Cake

Beyond that, this cake is actually quite simple to make:

• Biscoff cookie crust
• Lemon ricotta cake layers
• Lemon curd
• Lemon buttercream

Tip for Scheduling Baking

Because this cake has quite a few elements, I suggest spreading the baking and prep out over the course of a few days.

Day 1: lemon curd

Day 2: cookie crust and cake layers

Day 3: buttercream and assembly

Remember, the curd can be stored in the fridge and the cake layers can be wrapped and stored in the freezer. Just be sure to take the cake layers out about an hour before you start assembly.

ENJOY!

Print

Lemon Biscoff Cake

Lemon ricotta cake layers baked on a Biscoff cookie crust with lemon curd and lemon buttercream.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword biscoff, Lemon, Lemon Biscoff Cake, Lemon buttercream, Lemon curd, Lemon Ricotta Cake

Servings 18

Ingredients

FOR THE BISCOFF COOKIE CRUST

• 25 Biscoff cookies, finely ground
• 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, melted
• 1/3 cup (66.7 g) granulated sugar

FOR THE LEMON RICOTTA CAKE

• 3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon (12 g) baking powder
• 1 teaspoon (6 g) salt
• 1 cup (218 g) grapeseed oil
• 1 3/4 cups (350 g) granulated sugar
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 2 cups (480 g) ricotta cheese

FOR THE LEMON CURD

• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 1/2 cup (55 g) lemon juice, about 3 lemons
• 3 large eggs
• 4 egg yolks
• 4 tablespoons (56.5 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

FOR THE LEMON BUTTERCREAM

• 2 cups (452g) unsalted butter, slightly cold
• 6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar, measured then sifted
• 2 teaspoons (8.4 g) lemon extract
• 4 tablespoons (60 g) heavy whipping cream
• Pinch of salt
• Yellow food coloring, optional
• *This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping you’ll want to make an extra 1/2 batch.

Instructions

FOR THE BISCOFF COOKIE CRUST

• Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch round cake pans with non-stick spray, line with parchment, and then spray again. Set aside.
• In a medium size mixing bowl, combine the Biscoff cookie crumbs, melted butter, and sugar. Stir until all the crumbs are damped by the melted butter. Alternatively, you can add the melted butter and sugar to your food processor after you've pulverized the cookies.
• Divide evenly between the three pans (about 5 ounces in each pan) and press down firmly with your hand or the back of a measuring cup to form the crust.
• Bake for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool while you make the cake batter.

FOR THE LEMON RICOTTA CAKE

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.
• In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the grapeseed oil and sugar on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Stir in the lemon zest.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue to beat the minxture for an additional 2 to 3 minutes. The mixture should be smooth and look lighter in color.
• With the mixer on low, alternately add the flour mixture and the ricotta, starting and finishing with the flour. Stir until incorporated.
• Evenly distribute the batter among the three cake pans on top of the crusts (about 16 ounces of batter in each pan) and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
• Remove from oven, and let the cakes cool in pans for 15 minutes before inverting the layers onto a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, you can cover with plastic wrap and store in your refrigerator overnight or freezer for longer.

FOR THE LEMON CURD

• Whisk the sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Whisk in the whole eggs and yolks in a small bowl and then whisk them into the lemon mixture.
• Cook the mixture over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until it’s thick like pudding, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter, a few pieces at a time until incorporated.
• Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl, pushing it through with a rubber spatula. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until completely set, at least 4 hours and up to 5 days.

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• Turn the mixer to low and gradually add the powdered sugar, followed by the cream, salt and lemon extract. Mix until combined. Add yellow food coloring, if using. Mix until incorporated completely. Turn the mixer to medium-high and beat the frosting for about 5 minutes.
• Use a spatula to beat the buttercream by hand to push out any air pockets.

ASSEMBLY

• Spread a small dollop of buttercream onto a cake board. Place the first cake layer, top side up, on the board.
• Spread a thin layer of buttercream (only about a half cup) over the cake layer and pipe a rim of buttercream around the edge of the cake to create a barrier to the filling. Spread about 1/4 cup of the curd in the center of the cake, carefully spreading it to the edge of the piping.
• Place a second cake layer on top of the piped buttercream and filling and repeat step 2. Place the final cake layer, top side up, on the second layer of filling.
• Lightly coat the cake with a thin layer of buttercream to lock in the crumbs. Freeze the cake for about 15 minutes to set the buttercream.
• Remove the cake from the freezer and contiue decorating the cake with the remaining buttercream. Serve a spoonful of the remaining lemon curd with each slice of cake, or add it to the top of the cake as pictured.

The post Lemon Biscoff Cake with Lemon Buttercream and Lemon Curd first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Lemon Pretzel Cake

This flavor combination has been on my list for a while now, thanks to a family food wars night with the kids. The challenge was to make a dipping sauce for homemade pretzels. Westin made a lemon sauce and it was a total winner with the pretzels. Ever since, I’ve been dreaming up ways to use the two flavors together in a cake.

Cake Layers

For the cake layers, I went with pretzel! Yup! Pretzel. Just like we use crushed Biscoff cookies in the Biscoff Cake, we’re using crushed pretzels in the cake layers for this one. I think you’ll love the flavor and the fact that it’s not overly sweet. It balances really well with the other flavors and elements.

Lemon Pretzel Filling

And you know me, I love a crunch in my cakes. I originally thought about doing a pretzel crust, but the more I thought about it, a lemon pretzel crunch filling (inspired by Milk Bar) just felt right.

You’ll want more pretzels, milk powder, lemon zest, sugar, and butter for this filling. Warning you now… you will eat half of this as a snack while you’re making this cake. But don’t worry, there will be enough for the cake and for snacking

Lemon Curd

How to Make Lemon Curd

If you haven’t made homemade lemon curd before, you’re in for a treat! Not only is it incredibly delicious, it’s actually quite easy to make. I have detailed instructions in my cookbook, as well as on my blog post for my Lemon Bar Cake.

Tips for the lemon curd:

• Make the lemon curd a few days in advance.
• DO NOT put too much curd in between the layers so it doesn’t lose stability. Instead, use only about ¼ to ⅓ cup curd in the cake and serve extra on the side of each slice.

Lemon Buttercream

How to Make the Best Buttercream Frosting

To get this delicious buttercream, make sure you follow my tips: HOW TO MAKE THE BEST BUTTERCREAM

• Sift your powdered sugar
• Use slightly cold butter
• Use heavy whipping cream
• Beat for 5 minutes
• Stir by hand

You’ll want to check out the post linked above for more details on each step to make sure you get the best buttercream frosting. And remember, these steps can be used for any buttercream recipe on my blog.

How to Cake It: Step-by-Step Picture Assembly Tutorial

I don’t know about you, but I’m a visual learner and love picture tutorials. Take a look below for a step-by-step tutorial for stacking and decorating my Lemon Pretzel Cake.

Can I make this cake as a 9-inch by 13-inch sheet pan cake?

For sure! In fact, you can turn any of my cakes into 9-inch by 13-inch cakes, or even bundt cakes and cupcakes. The only thing that really changes is the bake time:

• 9″ x 13″ – you’ll generally increase the bake time by about 10 to 15 minutes
• Bundt pan – a bundt cake bakes almost twice as long as the layers. Plan for 50 to 60 minutes, in most cases
• Cupcakes – for cupcakes, you’ll want to decrease the bake by 5 to 10 minutes

Remember, each recipe is a little different, so bake times will vary. The best way to know your cake is done is to insert a toothpick in the center of the cake. When you take that toothpick out, it should have a few moist crumbs on it.

Other Cakes You’ll Love

• Lemon Blueberry Cake
• Chocolate Pretzel Cake
• Lemon Oreo Cake
• Coconut Lemon Raspberry Cake
• Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

Print

Lemon Pretzel Cake

Pretzel cake layers, lemon curd, lemon pretzel crunch filling, and lemon buttercream.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Lemon, Lemon buttercream, Lemon curd, Lemon Pretzel Cake, Pretzel

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

• 2 cups (100 g) pretzel sticks, finely ground
• 2 1/4 cups (270 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 teaspoons (7 g) baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon (3 g) baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon (4 g) salt
• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2/3 cup (133 g) granulated sugar
• 1 cup (200 g) brown sugar, packed
• 4 eggs, at room temperature
• 2 cups (480 g) buttermilk, at room temperature

FOR THE LEMON CURD

• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon (9 g) grated lemon zest one large lemon
• 1/2 cup lemon juice about 3 lemons
• 3 large eggs
• 4 egg yolks
• 4 tablespoons (56.5 g) cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces

FOR THE LEMON PRETZEL FILLING

• 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cups (75 g) milk powder, divided
• 1 1/4 cups (150 g) crushed pretzels, mostly pulverized but some chunks are okay
• 4 teaspoons (10.4 g) powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon (6 g) lemon zest
• 6 ounces (112.5 g) white chocolate

FOR THE LEMON BUTTERCREAM

• 2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter, slightly cold
• 6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar measured and then sifted
• 2 teaspoons (8.4 g) lemon extract
• 4 tablespoons (57.75 g) heavy whipping cream
• Pinch of salt
• Yellow food coloring optional
• *This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping you’ll want to make an extra 1/2 batch.

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch pans with non-stick cooking spray, line the bottoms with parchment and spray again. Set aside.
• Place the pretzel sticks in a food processor or blender and pulse until the pretzels are finely ground and resemble flour. When you remeasure, you should have about a cup.
• In a medium-size bowl, combine the pretzel crumbs, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk until the ingredients are well-blended.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• With the mixer on low speed, add 1/3 of the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Slowly add half of the buttermilk and mix until incorporated. Continue alternating the flour and buttermilk until it has all been incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and slowly mix for another 20-30 seconds.
• Divide the batter evenly among your pans and bake for about 25 to 30 minutes. Cool 10 minutes on a wire rack before inverting onto cooling racks to cool completely.

FOR THE LEMON CURD

• Whisk the sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Whisk in the whole eggs and yolks in a small bowl and then whisk them into the lemon mixture.
• Cook the mixture over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until it’s thick like pudding, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter, a few pieces at a time until incorporated.
• Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl, pushing it through with a rubber spatula. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until completely set, at least 4 hours and up to 5 days.

FOR THE LEMON PRETZEL FILLING

• Heat the oven to 275 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
• In a medium sized bowl, combine 1 cup milk powder, pretzel crumbs, lemon zest, and sugar. Toss with your hands to mix. Add the melted butter and toss, using a spatula or spoon, until the mixture starts to come together and form small clusters.
• Spread the clusters on a parchment lined sheet pan and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. The crumbs should be sandy at that point. Cool the crumbs completely.
• Crumble any clusters that are larger than 1/2 inch in diameter, and put the crumbs back in the medium bowl. Add the 1/2 cup milk powder and toss together until it is evenly distributed throughout the mixture.
• Pour the white chocolate over the crumbs and toss until your clusters are covered. The crumbs will keep in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer for up to 1 month.

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• Turn the mixer to low and gradually add the powdered sugar, followed by the cream, salt and lemon extract. Mix until combined. Add yellow food coloring, if using. Mix until incorporated completely. Turn the mixer to medium-high and beat the frosting for about 5 minutes.
• Use wooden spoon to beat the frosting by hand for about 2 minutes to push out any air pockets.

ASSEMBLY

• Spread a small dollop of frosting onto a cake board. Place the first cake layer, top side up, on the board.
• Spread a thin layer of frosting over the cake layer and pipe a rim of frosting around the edge of the cake to create a barrier to the filling.
• Spread about 1/4 cup of the curd in the center of the cake, carefully spreading it to the edge of the piping.
• Sprinkle about a half cup to three-quarters cup of the lemon pretzel filling over the lemon curd. Gently pat into place.
• Place a second cake layer on top of the piped frosting and filling and repeat these steps.
• Place the final cake layer, top side up, on the second layer of filling.
• Lightly coat the cake with a thin layer of frosting to lock in the crumbs. Freeze the cake for about 10 to 15 minutes to set the frosting.
• Finish frosting and decorating the cake with the remaining frosting. Top with more lemon curd and lemon pretzel crunch filling.

The post The Best Lemon Pretzel Cake with Lemon Curd first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Lemon Pistachio Cake

I’m so excited for you to try this cake! I haven’t stopped thinking about it since my first bite of scraps. And we can all thank my mom for the idea for this cake. She called me a couple weeks ago raving about lemon gelato paired with pistachio gelato and said, “you just have to put these flavors into a cake!”

Of course, as the obedient child that I am, I did just that!

What’s In Lemon Pistachio Cake?

To be honest, this cake isn’t the fastest to whip up. There are four different elements in this cake, but each one makes the cake that much more special and memorable.

• Lemon pistachio cake layers – the cake layers are tender and flavorful, thanks to finely ground pistachios, lemon zest, and lemon juice. These layers also have a full cup of buttermilk in them to help create and retain moisture.
• Lemon curd – this thin layer of lemon curd adds just the right pop of tartness to the cake.
• Pistachio cream filling – the pistachio cream filling is made by making a pistachio paste, adding the paste to a white chocolate ganache to create a mousse, and then adding the mousse to freshly whipped cream.
• Lemon pistachio cream cheese buttercream – to top this cake off, I’ve paired my cream cheese buttercream with a hint of lemon and very, very finely ground pistachios for a frosting that not only enhances the flavors, but also provides great balance to the cake.

Can I simplify this cake?

Yes! You can absolutely simplify this four-layer lemon pistachio cake. The cake layers and buttercream are filled with pistachio and lemon, so if you don’t have a lot of time or you simply don’t want the extra work – you can easily skip the fillings and still create a delicious cake!

Can I make this cake as a 9-inch by 13-inch sheet pan cake?

For sure! In fact, you can turn any of my cakes into 9-inch by 13-inch cakes, or even bundt cakes and cupcakes. The only thing that really changes is the bake time:

• 9″ x 13″ – you’ll generally increase the bake time by about 10 to 15 minutes
• Bundt pan – a bundt cake bakes almost twice as long as the layers. Plan for 50 to 60 minutes, in most cases
• Cupcakes – for cupcakes, you’ll want to decrease the bake by 5 to 10 minutes

Remember, each recipe is a little different, so bake times will vary. The best way to know your cake is done is to insert a toothpick in the center of the cake. When you take that toothpick out, it should have a few moist crumbs on it.

How to Make Lemon Curd

If you haven’t made homemade lemon curd before, you’re in for a treat! Not only is it incredibly delicious, it’s actually quite easy to make. I have detailed instructions in my cookbook, as well as on my blog post for my Lemon Bar Cake.

Tips for the lemon curd:

• Make the lemon curd a few days in advance.
• DO NOT put too much curd in between the layers so it doesn’t lose stability. Instead, use only about ¼ to ⅓ cup curd in the cake and serve extra on the side of each slice.

Other Cake Recipes You’ll Love

• Lemon Blueberry Cake
• Strawberry Lemonade Cake
• Lemon Oreo Cake
• Coconut Lemon Raspberry Cake
• Pistachio Chocolate Chip Cake with a Hint of Lime

Print

Lemon Pistachio Cake

Lemon pistachio cake layers with lemon curd filling, pistachio cream filling, and lemon pistachio cream cheese buttercream.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Advanced, Lemon, Lemon curd, Lemon Pistachio, Lemon Pistachio Cake, Pistachio, Pistachio Cake

Ingredients

FOR THE PISTACHIO LEMON CAKE

• 3 cups (345 g) cake flour
• 3/4 cup (115 g) finely ground pistachios
• 1 tablespoon (10 g) baking powder
• 1 tablespoon (9 g) lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon (6 g) salt
• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 3/4 cup (350 g) granulated sugar
• 5 egg whites, at room temperature
• 1 cup (240 g) buttermilk, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

FOR THE LEMON CURD

• 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon (4.5 g) grated lemon zest
• 1/4 cup lemon juice, 1 to 2 large lemons
• 1 large eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons (28.25 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

For the Pistachio Cream Filling

• 1 cup (150 g) shelled unsalted pistachios
• 3/4 cup (180 g) whole milk
• 2 tablespoons (28.25 g) unsalted butter
• 4 ounces white chocolate chips
• 1 tablespoon (12.50 g) granulated sugar
• 1 cup (240 g) heavy whipping cream

FOR THE PISTACHIO LEMON CREAM CHEESE BUTTERCREAM

• 1 1/2 cups (339 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 6 ounces cream cheese
• 6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar, measured then sifted
• 1/4 cup (40 g) finely ground pistachios, this takes about 1/2 cup ground up pistachios that have been sifted through a mesh sieve.
• 2 tablespoons (16.2 g) heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 tablespoon (4.5 g) lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Pinch of salt
• *This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping you’ll want to make an extra 1/2 batch. However, because it is a cream cheese buttercream, I don’t recommend using it for piping.

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray two 8-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray, line the bottoms with parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.
• In a medium size bowl, whisk together the cake flour, pistachios, baking powder, lemon zest, and salt. Set aside.
• In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until the texture is lighter in color and smooth in texture.
• With the mixer on medium speed, gradually add the egg whites. Make sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl between additions. When all of the egg whites are added, turn your mixer to medium-high speed and beat the batter for an additional 2 to 3 minutes. At this point, the texture should be smooth and the mixture should have nearly doubled in volume.
• As the batter mixes, combine the buttermilk and lemon juice.
• With the mixer on low speed on low speed, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk mixture to the butter mixture, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure all the batter has been incorporated. Stir for an additional 30 seconds.
• Divide batter evenly in the two pans, about 25 to 26 ounces of batter in each 8-inch pan.
• Bake the cakes until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs inserted into the center, about 35 minutes. Let cool on wire racks for 10 minutes before inverting them onto cooling racks to cool completely.
• Once the layers are cooled completely, carefully divide the cake layers in half horizontally, creating two thin layers from each cake.

FOR THE LEMON CURD

• Whisk the sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Whisk in the whole eggs and yolks in a small bowl and then whisk them into the lemon mixture.
• Cook the mixture over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until it’s thick like pudding, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter, a few pieces at a time until incorporated.
• Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl, pushing it through with a rubber spatula. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until completely set, at least 4 hours and up to 5 days.

For the Pistachio Cream Filling

• In a medium size saucepan, heat about 2 cups of water to a soft boil and add the shelled pistachios. Boil the pistachios for about 3 minutes, drain the pistachios and spread on a clean kitchen towel.
• Fold the towel over and rub the pistachios in the towel to loosen the skins. Discard as much of the skins as you can. I know it’s tedious, so it doesn’t have to be perfect.
• Combine the pistachios, 1/4 cup of the milk and the sugar in a food processor. Pulse until the ingredients create a smooth paste.
• In a medium saucepan, combine the remaining milk, butter and white chocolate chips. Heat on low, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate is melted.
• In a high powdered blender, combine the pistachio paste and white chocolate mixer. Blend until smooth and creamy. If you need to adjust the consistency, you can add a couple splashes of milk.
• Let the pistachio mousse reach room temperature before folding in the heavy whipping cream.
• For the heavy whipping cream: In a stainless steel bowl, beat the heavy whipping cream with the whisk attachment until stiff peaks form.
• Fold the whipped cream into the pistachio mousse.

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese for about one minute.
• With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the sifted powdered sugar, followed by the pistachios, lemon zest, lemon juice, heavy whipping cream and pinch of salt.
• Turn the mixer on medium-high speed and beat for about 3 to 5 minutes, until light and fluffy.
• Remove the bowl from the mixer and mix the frosting by hand with a wooden spoon to push out any air bubbles.

For the Assembly

• Reminder, each of the two 8-inch cake layers should be divided in half, horizontally, giving you FOUR thin cake layers.
• Place the first cake layer, top side up, in the center of a cake board or cake stand.
• Spread about 1 cup of the pistachio cream filling over the cake layer, making sure to get eye level with the cake to ensure the filling is spread evenly.
• Place the second cake layer on top of the cream filling. Spread about 1/2 cup of the buttercream over the cake. Pipe a rim of buttercream around the edge of the cake.
• Fill the center with about 1/4-1/3 cup lemon curd, reserving leftover curd to use on top of the cake or to serve with each slice of cake.
• Place the third cake layer on top of the lemon curd and spread another cup of pistachio cream filling over the cake.
• Top with the final cake layer, top side down.
• Apply a thin layer of buttercream around the entire cake to create a crumb coat. Freeze the cake for about 10 to 15 minutes to set the crumb coat and lock the crumbs in place.
• Continue frosting the cake with the remaining buttercream and top with pistachios, lemons, and/or extra lemon curd.

The post Lemon Pistachio Cake with Pistachio Cream Filling first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

There are so many ways to spice up your lemon-themed desserts and cakes. Some of my go-to’s are lemon curd and custard. Both add a nice creamy texture to your cake, but there are some notable differences that you will want to know about! This post will cover everything you need to know when it comes to the difference between lemon curd and lemon custard.

Lemon is one of my absolute favorite citrus fruits to bake with. I think part of the reason I love it so much is because it reminds me of my mom. She would always make her world-famous lemon bars and they were a hit every single time. I’ve made several lemon cakes with her lemon bar recipe in mind. My Lemon Bar Cake is even inspired by her lemon bars. 

So, I’ve learned quite a few ways to implement lemon into your cakes and all of them are so amazing. If you want to try adding a lemon curd or custard to your cake, it’s important to note the difference just so you know what to expect for your bake!  

The Difference Between Lemon Curd and Lemon Custard

Lemon Curd

Lemon curd is made from lemon juice, sugar, eggs, egg yolks, and unsalted butter. The texture is supposed to be super smooth, but it takes a special step to get it to its smoothest state. After you make the curd, push it through a fine-mesh sieve with a rubber spatula. This will ensure all the bumps and air bubbles are out of your curd before you add it to your cake layers. 

Your curd will need to be in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours before you use it. This will help it stabilize the texture and thicken it up a bit before you add it to your cake. It can also be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days, so feel free to make this a day or two in advance and it will have plenty of time to thicken up in the fridge. 

Those are the main things to note for lemon curd, but I have a few more tips you can check out HERE. And you can find my full recipe for lemon curd HERE.

Lemon Custard

Lemon custard is a lot faster to make than lemon curd, and it’s a lot thicker in texture as well. You make custard by mixing together sweetened condensed milk and water and then adding in a pudding mix. This mixture will go in the fridge for about 5 to 10 minutes to set. While it’s in the fridge, you will beat your heaving whipping cream until stiff peaks form. You will fold this into the pudding mixture and then you’ll have your custard! 

So, the custard is more like a pudding/whipped cream type of texture while the curd is a little bit thinner. You also spread your custard in between your cake layers to add that nice creamy texture to your cakes. 

A couple of my favorite recipes that use my custard recipe are my Layered Pink Pavlova and my Brownie Berry Torte. Both of these are super quick and easy to make! So, if you’re testing out your custard recipe, these cakes are great options to test it out on. 

The Difference Between Lemon Curd and Lemon Custard

Alright, I hope this post on the difference between lemon curd and lemon custard helped answer some of your questions! I also hope you get the chance to make both and see which one you like to use best. Either way, both are great options for celebrating that lemon flavor in cakes and desserts. You can even have some fun by using these to pair with other flavors that go with lemon. Here are some of my favorites:

• Lemon Pistachio Cake
• Lemon Blueberry Cake
• Lemon Pretzel Cake

Follow me on Instagram @cakebycourtney for more tips and recipes on all things cake!

The post The Difference Between Lemon Curd and Lemon Custard first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Banana Lemon Cream Cake with Caramel Sauce, Toasted Coconut and Pecan Buttercream

I can’t even begin to explain how excited I am for you to try this Banana Lemon Cream Cake. Who knew that banana paired with a hint of lemon would create something so remarkable? Well, I’ll tell you – the restaurant Handle Salt Lake did!

About a month ago, Ryan and I joined some friends for dinner at HSL. Our friends raved about a dessert that they said was a “must try.”

This dessert was a small banana cake, soaked in caramel sauce, topped with banana cream, toasted coconut, and walnuts. Off to the side of the cake was a scoop of lemon gelato.

Lemon gelato?

With banana cake?

I was so intrigued! So you know I took my fork and grabbed a little bit of everything for my first bite. Wow! What a flavor combo! I couldn’t stop taking bite after bite. I was in love and knew I needed to create a cake based off this dessert.

Inspired by HSL, this Banana Lemon Cream Cake has banana cake layers, slathered in caramel sauce, topped with a whipped banana lemon cream, toasted coconut, and pecan buttercream (I don’t love walnuts).

How to Make Banana Cake

What is it about banana cake that ALWAYS sounds good! Is it just me? I could eat it any day, any time of day! In fact, I had a slice with breakfast this morning!

This banana cake is moist, tender, and full of flavor. I wouldn’t call it light and fluffy, however. With three mashed bananas going into this cake, it’s definitely “heavier” than some of my other cakes. But don’t let heavy scare you or confuse you. This cake isn’t what I’d consider dense. Dense, to me, is a cake that’s similar to a pound cake with a really “tight” crumb. This cake has a looser crumb, but feels or tastes heavier as the texture isn’t light and fluffy like a vanilla cake or yellow cake.

Ingredients You’ll Need for Banana Cake

• All-purpose flour
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Salt
• Unsalted butter
• Vegetable oil
• Granulated sugar
• Light brown sugar
• Eggs
• Buttermilk
• Vanilla extract
• Over-ripe bananas, about 3 medium

Tips for Making Moist Cake From Scratch

• Start with room temperature ingredients – the eggs, butter, and buttermilk should all be room temperature before you start making the cake batter. These ingredients better blend together and are better absorbed by the dry ingredients, which helps your cake to rise well and stay moist.
• When mixing the butter, sugar, and eggs, beat the mixture on medium-high to high speed until light and fluffy, almost the consistency of a fluffy buttercream frosting.  This should take about 3 to 5 minutes.
• Once you start adding the dry ingredients with the buttermilk, turn the mixer to low and mix until just combined.  Over-mixing will cause the cake to be dense and sink.
• Watch the cooking time. Remember, all our ovens are different. My time is a guide, so check your cake toward the end of the bake time I’ve given. The cake is done when you insert a toothpick in the center and it comes out with just a few moist crumbs on it.

Whipped Banana Lemon Filling

So this is where this cake gets interesting. And by interesting, I mean, exciting!!!

The lemon!

It’s not much so don’t panic. Just a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice is all you need. It packs a powerful punch but doesn’t steal the show. The way the lemon gives a “fresh” feel to this cake is simply magical.

How to Make Homemade Salted Caramel

Making homemade caramel sauce is super easy. Make sure you follow the steps from THIS blog post.

NOTE: we’re using a little more cream in the recipe below so our caramel is a little thinner and spreads/soaks better into the cake. You’ll see in my pictures my caramel is a little thicker. We don’t want that. After I took pictures and we taste tested, I knew I wanted it to be a little thinner in order to soak into the cake layers better.

How to Make Pecan Butter

Homemade nut butter is as simple as it gets to make. Just add your pecans to a food processor with a little olive oil and blend until smooth. That’s it!

How to Make the Best Buttercream Frosting

To get a light and fluffy homemade buttercream frosting, I have a detailed post: HOW TO MAKE THE BEST BUTTERCREAM to give you in-depth instructions for making your buttercream unreal! Here’s a quick overview.

• Sift your powdered sugar
• Use slightly cold butter and mix on its own for 2 to 3 minutes
• Use heavy whipping cream
• Beat for 5 minutes
• Stir by hand
• You’ll want to check out the post linked above for more details on each step to make sure you get the best buttercream frosting. And remember, these steps can be used for any buttercream recipe on my blog.

Convert This Cake

How to Make a Layered Cake a Sheet Cake or Cupcakes

I get asked almost every day if one of my layered cakes can be turned into a sheet cake or cupcakes. The answer? Yes!

For baking temperature and time, the temperature will always remain the same. The time for a 9″x13″ sheet cake will be about 10 minutes longer than listed and the time for cupcakes will be about 5 to 10 minutes shorter.

Sheet Cake

If I were making this cake into a sheet cake, I’d stack it just like I would the layered cake:

• Cake
• Caramel sauce
• Banana Lemon Cream
• Toasted Coconut
• Buttercream (which, I’d pipe on top of the coconut)

Cupcakes

If I were making this cake into cupcakes, I’d fill and decorate like this:

• Scoop a small hole out of the center of the cupcake
• Fill with cream filling
• Pipe with buttercream
• Sprinkle on coconut
• Drizzle on caramel (you could also drizzle the caramel over the cupcake after you add the filling)

Other Cakes You’ll Love

• Banana Caramel Biscoff Cake
• Banana Peanut Butter Caramel Cake
• Hummingbird Cake
• Triple Chocolate Banana Cake
• Tres Leches Cake

Print

Banana Lemon Cream Cake with Caramel Sauce, Toasted Coconut and Pecan Buttercream

Tender and pillowy banana cake layers, soaked with caramel sauce, and topped with banana lemon whipped cream filling, toasted coconut and pecan buttercream

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Banana, Banana Cake, Banana Cream Filling, Banana Lemon Cream Filling, caramel, Caramel sauce, Lemon, pecan, pecan buttercream

Ingredients

For the Cake

• 3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon (3 g) baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon (3 g) baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon (4.2) g salt
• 3/4 cup (169.5 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 tablespoons (20 g) vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup (73.3 g) light brown sugar
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cup (360 g) buttermilk, room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons (6.3 g) pure vanilla extract
• 3 medium-sized over-ripe bananas mashed

For the Whipped Filling

• 1 1/2 cup (360 g) heavy whipping cream
• 3 tbsp banana flavored INSTANT pudding mix
• 1/3 cup (41.6 g) powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice about the juice of half a large lemon

For the Salted Salted Caramel

• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• 8 tablespoons (120 g) water
• 2 teaspoons (14 g) light corn syrup or honey
• 1 cup (240 g) heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon (6 g) salt

FOR THE PECAN BUTTER

• 3 cups (300 g) chopped pecans
• 1 tablespoon (13.6 g) olive oil
• *Makes about 1 1/2 cups butter

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• 2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter slightly cold
• 6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar measured and then sifted
• Pecan butter, recipe above
• 3 tablespoon (43.3 g) heavy whipping cream
• Pinch of salt
• *This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping you’ll want to make an extra 1/2 batch.

Garnish and Filling

• About 1 cup toasted coconut, I buy mine pretoasted from Orson Gygi

Instructions

For the Cake

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch pans with nonstick cooking spray, line the bottoms with parchment paper, and spray again. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
• In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, oil, and sugars on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Lower the speed to medium and add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until each is fully incorporated before adding the next (about 30 seconds). Add the vanilla.
• With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients alternating with the buttermilk mixture into the creamed mixture, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just incorporated and remove bowl from stand mixer. Using a large stainless steel whisk, stir/whisk the mashed banana into the mixture–you can use use some strength and blend well, ensuring all of the ingredients are well mixed. (If you don’t have a large stainless whisk, you can fold the banana mixture in using a rubber spatula until incorporated.)
• Divide the batter evenly between the pans, using a kitchen scale for the best accuracy. (For this recipe, you’ll have about 20 ounces of batter in each of the three 8-inch pans).
• Carefully smooth the batter with small offset palette knife, and bake until a toothpick or skewer comes out clean, about 30 to 35 minutes.
• Let pans cool on wire rack for 10 minutes, then invert cakes onto racks, gently, peeling away parchment rounds. Let cool completely.
• When the cakes are completely cooled, level the cake layers if necessary. Using a fork, poke holes all over the cake layers. Drizzle about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of caramel over all three cake layers and allow the caramel to soak in.

FOR THE FILLING

• In a medium bowl, combine the heavy whipping cream, pudding, powdered sugar and lemon juice. Using whisk attachment, beat until soft to medium stiff peaks form. Cover and refrigerate until read to use.
• Best made a day or more before using.

For the Salted Caramel

• Heat the cream in the microwave for about a minute. Set aside.
• Combine the sugar, water, and corn syrup in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved and then stop stirring.
• You want the mixture to cook on its own. Stirring creates crystallization. If you notice sugar crystallizing on the sides of the pan, soak a pastry brush in warm water and run the brush along the sides of the pan where the sugar is building up.
• Once the mixture turns amber in color, remove the pan from the heat and slowly add the cream, while stirring the caramel.
• Add the vanilla and salt, and stir to combine.
• Cool to room temperature before using. The caramel shouldn't be too thick. We want this on the slightly runny side.
• Caramel can be refrigerated for up to two weeks in an airtight container.

FOR THE PECAN BUTTER

• Combine the pecans and oil in a food processor and blend until you’ve created a nut butter.

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes.
• With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the powdered sugar, followed by the pecan butter and cream.
• Turn the mixer to medium-high speed and beat the buttercream for about 3 to 5 minutes.
• Before spreading on your cake, spend a couple minutes mixing the buttercream by hand with a wooden spoon to push out the air pockets.

Assembly

• Spread a small dollop of buttercream on a cake board or cake plate. Place the first cake layer, top side up.
• Pipe a rim of buttercream around the edge of the cake. Fill the center with half of the banana lemon cream filling. Sprinkle a handful of toasted coconut over the cream filling.
• Repeat these steps with the second layer.
• Place the final cake layer, top side down, on the second layer of filling.
• Cover the cake with a thin layer of buttercream. Freeze the cake for 15 minutes to set the crumb coat.
• Once the crumb coat is set, continue to frost the cake with the remaining buttercream.

The post Banana Lemon Cream Cake with Caramel, Coconut and Pecan Buttercream first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Is anyone else itching to make a lemon cake? I absolutely love citrus cakes–especially lemon. There are so many different combinations you can make with lemon that all taste so amazing. I’ve nailed down the perfect lemon curd recipe that I use for my cakes and I’ve figured out the best way to fill your cake with lemon curd. So I put together a few tips for you to help you out when you make and assemble your own!

I think I love lemon so much because the flavor reminds me of my mom. One of her absolute favorite treats is lemon bars. So of course I have a Lemon Bar Cake in honor of her, but I’ve had a lot more fun testing out other lemon combinations for my cake recipes as well. I’ll spotlight a couple of my cakes in the tips I list below that use my special lemon curd recipe too. I hope you enjoy this because these are some of my favorites!

The Best Way to Fill Your Cake with Lemon Curd

Lemon Curd Tip #1: Make the lemon curd a few days in advance.

Lemon curd can last up to 5 days in the refrigerator. Once made, I recommend it being refrigerated for at least 4 hours to help it set before you add it to your cake. With that being said, it’s better to make it at least a day in advance so it’s ready to go for your cake assembly. 

When storing it in the fridge, it’s best to place the plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. This will keep the curd nice and fresh and the consistency you want for when you spread it onto your cake layers.

Lemon Curd Tip #2: Only put a small amount in between each cake layer.

When adding the lemon curd to your cake layers, it’s super important not to put too much curd. If you put too much it will start to lose stability. Stick to a ¼-⅓ cup for each layer. Don’t worry about the flavor not coming through. You can always serve extra lemon curd on the side with each slice of cake. You can see more about how to do this in my Lemon Pretzel Cake recipe. 

Lemon Curd Tip #3: Once your mixture is made, push it through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl.

The very last step when making your lemon curd is to push it through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl where it will then be stored in the refrigerator. You can use a rubber spatula to help push the mixture through the fine-mesh sieve. Doing this last step just makes sure the lemon curd will be as smooth as possible. Making sure all the lumps are out just before you pop it in the fridge is exactly what it needs in order for it to be the perfect consistency for your cakes!

Lemon Curd Tip #4: Pipe a rim of frosting around the edge of each cake layer.

When actually assembling your cake, it’s best to pipe a rim of buttercream frosting around the edge of each cake layer. This will act as a barrier as you add your filling and spread around your lemon curd. The nice thick rim of frosting will help all your filling stay in place, especially since you will have to spread the lemon curd around after drizzling some onto each cake layer with a spoon. 

What You Need to Make Your Lemon Curd

• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon (9 g) grated lemon zest one large lemon
• 1/2 cup lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
• 3 large eggs
• 4 egg yolks
• 4 tablespoons (56.5 g) cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces

Click here for the full lemon curd recipe.

The Best Way to Fill Your Cake with Lemon Curd 

This truly is the best way to fill your cake with lemon curd. I hope you enjoy trying it on your cakes and I can’t wait to see how it turns out! You can follow me on Instagram @cakebycourtney and feel free to post a picture and tag me, so I can see how it went for you! 

More lemon cakes you’ll love:

• Lemon Blueberry Cake
• Lemon Pistachio Cake
• Lemon Oreo Cake
• Coconut Lemon Raspberry Cake
• Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

The post The Best Way to Fill Your Cake with Lemon Curd  first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Don’t you love how you can use lemons all year long? Lemon-flavored desserts are some of the best things about this life, and that’s especially true for cake! I have some of my favorite treats on this list that all have one thing in common–lemon curd. These are 3 delicious ways to use lemon curd and I can’t wait to see which one you try first!

Lemon curd is so simple to make, so I love finding ways I can add it to my desserts or cakes any chance I get. In fact, once you get the basic recipe down any type of fruit curd is easy to make! I just love the flavors and textures a fruit curd adds to a cake.

The first lemon curd dessert on this list has a little bit of a theme for the holidays since it is paired with my Lemon Gingerbread Cake. Feel free to play around with it to make it so you can enjoy this dessert all year round, but especially during the winter season! This is such a fun one I think you and many of your friends and family will enjoy!

3 Delicious Ways to Use Lemon Curd

Lemon Curd Dessert #1: Lemon Gingerbread Trifles

These Lemon Gingerbread Trifles are so delicious and quick to make! The layers include my lemon gingerbread cake, lemon mascarpone frosting, and lemon curd. And they are topped off with a cute gingerbread man but that is optional! I love this lemon curd dessert because it shows you how to take a cake and cake elements and turn it into something else that is still just as satisfying!

Keep this dessert in mind for the holidays because this is a great one to make for a party! Once the ingredients are prepped it is super easy to layer these up and get them ready to go for your dessert bar. You can even make them ahead of time and freeze them. Just set them out for 4-5 hours before your party and they will be ready to serve.

Lemon Curd Dessert #2: Lemon Pretzel Cake

I got the idea for my Lemon Pretzel Cake from my son Westin’s lemon dipping sauce he made for one of our family food war nights! It was a total winner, so I couldn’t wait to turn this amazing flavor combination into a cake. This cake is filled with pretzel cake layers, lemon pretzel crunch filling, lemon curd, and lemon buttercream. 

You can make this as a layered cake or even as a 9×13! Check out my original post HERE to learn more about how to convert it into the type of cake you want. It also has a step-by-step tutorial on how to assemble this cake, so this is a good one to try if you’re new to baking!

Lemon Curd Dessert #3: Lemon Pistachio Cake

You know I love a cake with some good textures, and my Lemon Pistachio Cake does not disappoint! The moist pistachio lemon cake layers pair so well with the crunch of the pistachio cream filling. And the lemon curd adds just the right pop of tartness you need in the cake. I have some extra tips on the original post HERE about how to make the perfect lemon curd. I hope you love this cake as much as I do!

3 Delicious Ways to Use Lemon Curd

Alright, those are my 3 delicious ways to use lemon curd! Which one will you be trying first? If you’re new to making lemon curd, check out this post HERE where I talk about how to make the best lemon curd from start to finish. You can also check out this post HERE for tips on the best way to fill your cake with lemon curd.

Don’t have everything on hand to make your dessert? Check out THIS POST for easy baking substitutions! If you liked this post, come follow me on Instagram @cakebycourtney where I share the best tips and tricks on all things cake!  

The post 3 Delicious Ways to Use Lemon Curd first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

There are not a lot of things better than fruit curd in this life. One thing I love about it is once you get the basic recipe down, it’s pretty simple to switch out which fruit flavors you want to use with it. In this post, I’m talking about my lemon curd, which is one of my favorites! You can taste the lemon just enough to where it’s not overbearing. One of the best ways to enjoy this lemon curd is in cake, so I put together my top 3 cakes using lemon curd I think you’ll enjoy!

 Homemade lemon curd is so much better than what you can buy in the store! So if you’re asking yourself if it’s really worth it to make your own, the answer is yes! My mom brought me some homemade lemon curd a few years back using lemons from her lemon tree and I’ve been hooked ever since! 

If you’re new to using lemon curd, or any curd, as a filling for your cakes, you can check out my post here. I share my best tips when filling your cake with lemon curd that will make your experience much easier! Alright, now let’s talk about my top 3 cakes using lemon curd.

Top 3 Cakes Using Lemon Curd

Cake #1 Using Lemon Curd: Strawberry Lemonade Cake

My Strawberry Lemonade Cake will make you dance all summer long! I added some lemon curd (with a little bit of lemon zest to accentuate the flavor) to my strawberry cake layers. The frosting is a strawberry cream cheese frosting that pairs really well with the cake! I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised with this cake and all it has to offer you.

Cake #2 Using Lemon Curd: Lemon Blueberry Cake

Lemon and blueberry are such a classic duo. You can find them in many different types of desserts, but of course, my favorite is in a cake. My  Lemon Blueberry Cake is made with lemon cake layers, fresh blueberries, lemon curd, and lemon buttercream frosting. Check out my full post for tips on baking with fresh blueberries and how to get a bright yellow buttercream without sacrificing that silky smooth frosting texture we all know and love!

Cake #3 Using Lemon Curd: Coconut Lemon Raspberry Cake

This dreamy Cocount Lemon Raspberry Cake is filled with creamy coconut cake layers, lemon curd, raspberry cream filling, and coconut buttercream. I’ve used these coconut layers on several other cakes because they are so good and need to be used on a regular basis! And this coconut cake paired with the lemon and raspberry is truly magical. 

Top 3 Cakes Using Lemon Curd

Are you ready to whip up your very own lemon curd now? I hope these top 3 cakes using lemon curd convinced you it’s worth it! I’d love to know which cake you end up making. Come let me know over on Instagram! You can find me @cakebycourtney. Follow me there to get the best tips and tricks on all things cake!

Similar Recipes You’ll Love

• The Best Homemade Lemon Curd Recipe
• 3 Delicious Ways to Use Lemon Curd
• Mom’s Legendary Lemon Bars
• The Difference Between Lemon Curd and Lemon Custard

The post Top 3 Cakes Using Lemon Curd first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake

This Lemon Poppy Seed Cake is one of my favorite cakes on the blog. I’ve made it as a layered cake and used it as the base of my Orange Poppy Seed Cake and my Grapefruit Poppy Seed Cake. Now, it’s a bundt!

I shared a video on my IGTV with the tutorial and recipe but didn’t get a chance to write the blog post with all the details until now.

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

The recipe for this bundt cake is simply my Lemon Poppy Seed Cake, but with a glaze instead of buttercream. I know many of you have already fallen in love with this cake recipe from the layered version, so I know you’ll absolutely die over this bundt cake version, as well.

And if you haven’t tried this cake or even a layered cake yet, I think you’ll find that this bundt cake is not only delicious but super easy too!

The recipe for this Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake is the exact same as the layered cake, but the time and temperature we are baking the bundt cake are different. When we combine the wet and dry ingredients it will be a lot! Because we have too much batter in one pan, we have to bake at a lower temperature for a longer time so we get a more even bake on this cake. This is a rich and dense cake that tastes divine!

How to Make Sure Your Cake Doesn’t Stick to Your Bundt Pan

The key to making sure your Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt cake doesn’t stick to the pan is twofold:

• Make sure to spray your pan with nonstick spray and dust it with flour.
• Allow your cake to cool completely for at least 30 to 60 minutes before you invert it onto a wire rack.

Lemon Butter Glaze

The glaze is super simple, but don’t let that fool you! This glaze is what makes the cake, in my opinion. You’ll simply combine melted butter, lemon juice, and powdered sugar. That’s it!

You’ll see in the picture above that I’ve placed my Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake on a cooling rack on top of a jelly roll pan. I did this so that I could coat my bundt cake with the lemon butter glaze several times. After the first glaze, scoop the leftover glaze back into your bowl and pour it over the cake again. I did this about four times. I then placed my cake on a cake stand with a rim and poured the glaze over the cake one more time. This will then allow the cake to soak up the glaze from the bottom, as well. This is the bundt pan I use. A fun thing I learned- a bundt pan is a type of tube pan! A tube pan is perfect for pound-style or butter cakes.

Alright, you’re all set to whip up this delicious and easy bundt cake.

Enjoy!

More Recipes You’ll Love

• Light and Fluffy Lemon Poppy Seed Cake – Updated
• Summertime Orange Almond Poppy Seed Cake with Almond Buttercream
• 5 Easy Lemon Cake Recipes From Scratch
• Grapefruit Poppy Seed Cake
• Florida Orange Flower Cake

Print

Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake

Tender and moist lemon poppy seed cake with a lemon butter glaze.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Bundt Cake, Lemon Poppy Seed, Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake, Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 3/4 cups (350 g) granulated sugar
• 6 egg whites at room temperature
• 1 cup (240 g) sour cream at room temperature
• 1 cup (230 g) lemon juice
• zest of one large lemon
• 3 cups (345 g) cake flour
• 1 tbsp (10 g) baking powder
• 1 tsp (5 g) salt
• 3 tbsp (27 g) poppy seeds soak in water for an hour before making the cake

FOR THE GLAZE

• 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter melted
• 1/2 cup (120 g) lemon juice
• 2 cups (250 g) powdered sugar measured and then sifted

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Spray your bundt pan (I use this one) with nonstick spray, coat with flour and set aside.
• In a medium size mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, lemon zest and poppy seeds. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and the sugar together on medium speed for about 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add the egg whites, in three additions, making sure to mix well between each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl.
• Add the sour cream and mix.
• With the mixer on low speed alternately add the flour mixture and the lemon juice to the butter mixture, starting and finishing with the flour mixture. Mix until combined.
• Pour the batter into your prepared bundt pan. Bake for about 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs on it.
• Let the cake cool in the bundt pan for at least 30 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack. Trying to remove the cake from the pan too quickly is usually what causes the cake to stick and fall apart. I left my cake in the pan for an hour before flipping it.

FOR THE GLAZE

• Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk until smooth.

ASSEMBLY

• Place the bundt cake on a cooling rack that is set on top of a cooking tray. Pour the glaze over the cake. Once you've used all the glaze, scoop the leftover glaze on the cookie sheet, back into a cup to pour over the cake again. You'll repeat this 3 to 4 times.
• After you've coated the cake 3 to 4 times, place your bundt cake on a cake stand with a rim. Pour the glaze over the cake one more time. Now the cake will soak in the glaze a bit before serving.

The post Moist and Delicious Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

So many lemons, not enough time! Just kidding, there is ALWAYS enough time for cake. Today I am spotlighting several of my favorite lemon cakes to help celebrate this season! These are pretty easy to put together and they taste absolutely amazing. I hope you have fun baking these cakes this spring and summer! Here are my 5 easy lemon cake recipes from scratch.

I hope this post gets you excited about sunshine and warmer weather like it has for me! I love to see the warmer spring days start to show up more regularly and I can’t think of a better way to use this excitement than to bake a springtime cake. Plus, I can’t get over how many combinations you can create with lemon! There are so many, and all of them just taste incredible. I hope you enjoy these 5 lemon cake recipes from scratch!

5 Easy Lemon Cake Recipes From Scratch

Easy Lemon Cake Recipe #1: Lemon Blueberry Cake

Lemon and blueberry is such a classic duo in so many different forms, and cake is no exception! This Lemon Blueberry Cake is so delicious and definitely will help bring some happiness into your life. It radiates sunshine! And just wait until you taste it. The main thing to remember when baking this cake is to allow plenty of time (usually a couple of hours) for the wet ingredients to get to room temperature. This will help you get a proper rise on your cake. I hope you love this one as much as I do!

Easy Lemon Cake Recipe #2: Lemon Oreo Cake

Do you always buy the lemon Oreos in the springtime too? This cake is a celebration of the lemon oreo flavor, and I may be so bold to say it tastes so much better in cake form! But what doesn’t, right? This Lemon Oreo Cake has light and fluffy cake layers with a hint of lemon extract and more lemon Oreos. I think you’ll love the texture of the cake with the cookies in it! Then, it’s finished off with lemon buttercream, tinted with lemon food gel to make it shine even brighter.

Easy Lemon Cake Recipe #3: Lemon Bar Cake

Just wait till you hear all the elements in this Lemon Bar Cake. You will fall in love with every bite! This cake is made up of lemon cake layers baked on a shortbread crust, filled with lemon curd, and topped with lemon buttercream. Is your mouth watering too? This really is a cake version of a lemon bar. So if you are obsessed with lemon bars, this cake is the first one you should try!

Easy Lemon Cake Recipe #4: Chocolate Lemon Zucchini Cake

This Chocolate Lemon Zucchini Cake features moist chocolate zucchini cake layers with a lemon cream cheese frosting. This recipe has actually always been a favorite of mine. I love putting chocolate and lemon together because it’s not a combination used very often, but it’s oh-so-good! The zucchini adds moisture to the cake, but you can’t tell it’s there once the cake is baked, so that’s a bonus! You will definitely taste a lemon flavor with every bite of this one.

Easy Lemon Cake Recipe #5: Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake

This Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake is a twist off of my Lemon Poppy Seed Cake. This one just has a glaze instead of buttercream. This is such a rich and dense cake that tastes divine. Because there’s so much batter in one pan, make sure to bake it at a lower temperature for a longer time so you can get a more even bake. You can find all the notes for this recipe here!

5 Easy Lemon Cake Recipes From Scratch

Which of these 5 easy lemon cake recipes from scratch are you most excited to try? I know, it’s a tough choice, but you’ll probably end up trying all of them anyway, right? They are so good and now is the perfect time to try them! I’d love to see your creations. You can tag me on Instagram @cakebycourtney whenever you post a picture of your cake so I can see it! You can also follow me there for more tips and tricks on all things cake. 

More Recipes Like This…

• The Perfect Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Buttercream
• Grapefruit Poppy Seed Cake
• Top 3 Cakes Using Lemon Curd
• The Perfect Summer Cake: Lemon Blueberry Cake
• Light and Fluffy Lemon Poppy Seed Cake – Updated

The post 5 Easy Lemon Cake Recipes From Scratch first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

This Lemon Poppy Seed Cake has been a favorite for years, but as I worked on my cookbook, I tweaked a few things to make it even better! You’ll see a similar recipe of this cake in my book with the Grapefruit Poppy Seed Cake. 

Why did I make changes? 

You’ll see in the pictures that this cake is meant to be light and fluffy in texture. However, as I talked to many of you, I learned that you struggled to get the same texture I was getting. So, to make it a bit easier, I changed up the creaming method and a few ingredients. 

How to Make Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

To make this cake light in color but incredibly moist, you’ll be using egg whites, lemon juice and some sour cream. Using all egg whites ensures we get a lovely white color, but we need to make sure we have enough fat in the cake to create and retain moisture. That’s where the sour cream comes in. One of the updates I made was reducing the sour cream, as to make sure the texture doesn’t get too dense for you. 

Ingredients You Need for Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

• Cake flour
• Baking powder
• Salt
• Poppy seeds
• Lemon zest 
• Lemon juice
• Unsalted butter
• Granulated sugar
• Egg whites
• Vanilla extract
• Sour cream

One of the most important elements to the cake making process, to ensure you get light and fluffy cake layers, is to make sure you beat the butter, sugar and eggs long enough. We want the batter at this point to look light and fluffy and to be SUPER smooth. 

To obtain a smooth texture, it’s a MUST to use ROOM TEMPERATURE ingredients. Otherwise, these ingredients won’t mix evenly, nor will they be properly absorbed by the dry ingredients – which means: your cake won’t rise well. 

What Flavors Can I Pair with Lemon Poppy Seed?

I also love that the possible flavor combinations in this cake are so versatile. Instead of raspberries, you could use blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, etc. You could also use a compote filling or even preserves.

For this cake, I simply cut raspberries in half and placed them into the buttercream.

Lemon Cream Cheese Buttercream

For this delicious Lemon Cream Cheese Buttercream, make sure to have the following ingredients on hand:

• Unsalted butter
• Powdered sugar
• Cream cheese
• Lemon extract
• Vanilla extract

With the cream cheese, this buttercream is slightly softer, so I don’t recommend piping with it.

More Lemon Cakes You’ll Love

• Lemon Bar Cake
• Lemon Blueberry Cake
• Lemon Oreo Cake
• Strawberry Lemonade Cake
• Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake

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Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

Lemon poppy seed cake layers with lemon cream cheese frosting and fresh raspberries.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword chocolate cream cheese frosting, cream cheese buttercream, Lemon, Lemon Cake, Lemon Poppy Seed, Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

Prep Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 2 hours hours 50 minutes minutes

Author Courtney Rich

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

• 3 cups (345 g) cake flour
• 2 tsp (8 g) baking powder
• 1 tsp (6 g) salt
• Zest of one lemon
• 3 tbsp (27 g) poppy seeds, 27 g, soaked in water for about an hour before hand*
• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 3/4 cups (350 g) granulated sugar
• 6 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 1 cup (230 g) lemon juice
• 1/2 cup (120 g) sour cream, at room temperature

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• 6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar, measured and then sifted
• 6 ounces cream cheese slightly cold
• 1 1/2 cups (339 g) unsalted butter slightly cold
• 1 tsp (4.2 g) pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp (4.2 g) lemon extract
• *This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping you’ll want to make an extra 1/2 batch.
• Filling and garnish: fresh raspberries, split in half about one small carton,

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch or four 6-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray, line the bottom with parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.
• In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, lemon zest, salt, and poppy seeds. Set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and the sugar for two minutes on medium-high speed. You should notice the color get lighter and the texture should be smooth.
• Scrape down the sides of the bowl and begin to add the egg whites on medium speed, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl between addition. Continue to beat the mixture on medium-high speed for an addition 2 to 3 minutes. At this point, you're again looking for the batter to be lighter in color and larger in volume.
• With the mixer on low speed, add 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by 1/2 cup of the lemon juice. Repeat the additions, 1/3 flour mixture, 1/2 cup juice and the final 1/3 flour mixture. Only mix until the flour mixture is incorporated, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix again for another 20 to 30 seconds on low.
• Gently fold in the sour cream.
• Evenly divide the batter between each pan (about 16 ounces of cake batter into each of the three 8-inch cake pans or 12 ounces in each of the 6-inch pans) and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs on it. Let cool in the pans for about 15 minutes and then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely. (Tip: spray your wire cooling racks with nonstick spray).

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• In a large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter on medium speed until light and fluffy.
• Gradually add in the sifted powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl.
• Continue to beat until very fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
• Add the vanilla and lemon extract extract and beat well.
• Before using on your cake, mix the frosting by hand with a wooden spoon to push out the air pockets.

ASSEMBLY

• Place one cake layer, bottom side down, on a cake plate or cardboard cake board. Spread about 1 cup of frosting across the top of the cake layer. Make sure to get eye level with the cake to ensure the frosting is even. Cover with fresh raspberries.
• Place the next cake layer on top of the raspberries. Gently spread about 1 cup of the lemon cream cheese frosting over it.
• Repeat steps one and two for the second cake layer. 
• Place the final cake layer, top side down, on top. Give the cake a quick crumb coat and chill for 10 to 15 minutes in the freezer before frosting the entire cake.

Notes

*Poppy seeds absorb moisture. Make sure to soak the seeds to help keep the cake from becoming dry.

The post Light and Fluffy Lemon Poppy Seed Cake – Updated first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The idea for this cake came from my mom. She recently told me that one of her favorite holiday desserts is gingerbread cake with warm lemon sauce. I was actually surprised to find out it’s a very traditional dessert for Christmastime. I had no idea! When I think of gingerbread flavors during this time of year, I usually think of gingerbread cookies. I’ve also never thought of using lemon with gingerbread.

Lemon Gingerbread Cake

This flavor combination intrigued me, so I thought about how I’d recreate it in the form of a layered cake instead of the traditional 9×13 pan. Of course, I didn’t want to use a warm sauce on this cake, as it would create too many structural problems. Instead, I made a batch of homemade lemon curd, which would hold up better within the cake layers.

I then thought about the frosting, which in its traditional form, would just be whipped cream dolloped on a square of gingerbread cake and lemon sauce. The idea of a whipped frosting sounded perfect for this rich, flavorful cake, but I didn’t want it to be overly sweet. I thought about using cream cheese, but then remembered mascarpone cheese. I love mascarpone cheese. It has a slight tartness and sourness to it, that I think pairs beautifully with this cake and filling.

How to Decorate a Cake

There’s a couple reasons I decided to make this cake with six thin layers instead of the typical three layers. The first and most important reason is that I wanted there to be plenty of lemon curd in this cake, but knew that adding too much curd in between the layers would compromise the structure. If I just used three cake layers, I’d have to add about a half cup of curd in between the layers and it would end up making the cake feel wobbly when you frost.

The second reason for using six thin cake layers is purely aesthetic. I just love how it looks when you slice into the cake!

I mean, come on! How gorgeous is that!

Another quick note about decorating this cake – make sure to chill the cake in the freezer after you’ve stacked the layers and before you frost the outside of the cake. This helps the crumbs to stay in place, so that when you go to frost the cake in a semi-naked style, you don’t get crumbs in your way. (The recipe has just enough frosting to add rims of frosting between the cake layers and to get a semi-naked coat of frosting on it. If you want your cake to be completely covered with frosting, and no layers showing, I’d suggest doubling the recipe).

Final Review

To be honest, I was skeptical about this flavor combination, but decided to try it since it’s one of my mom’s favorite desserts and I trust her opinion about food just as much as my own. Per usual, I made sample bites with cake scraps and leftover filling and frosting. With one bite, I was sold and couldn’t stop snacking! I love this cake, and will likely be making it every Christmas from here on out. It’s so festive and just so delicious.

Hope you love it as much as I do!

Other Holiday Cakes You’ll Love

• Gingerbread Latte Cake
• White Chocolate Peppermint Pretzel Cake
• Chocolate Orange Cake
• Cranberry Citrus Cake

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Lemon Gingerbread Cake

Gingerbread cake layers with lemon curd and whipped lemon mascarpone frosting.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Gingerbread Cake, Lemon curd, Lemon Gingerbread Cake, Mascarpone Frosting

Servings 1 6-layer, 8-inch round cake

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

• 3 1/4 cups (390 g) all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons (5.3 g) ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons (5.3 g) cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons (9 g) salt
• 1 teaspoon (4 g) baking powder
• 1 teaspoon (4 g) baking soda
• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup (200 g) brown sugar
• 1 cup (250 g) molasses
• 2 large eggs room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups (300 g) buttermilk, room temperature

FOR THE LEMON CURD

• 1 cup (200 g) sugar
• 1 tablespoon (6.25 g) grated lemon zest, plus 1/2 cup (121 g) lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
• Pinch of salt
• 3 whole eggs
• 3 egg yolks
• 4 tablespoons (56.5 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

FOR THE MASCARPONE FROSTING

• 1 cup (231 g) heavy whipping cream
• 8 oz. mascarpone
• 2 cups (250 g) powdered sugar, measured then sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon (2.1 g) lemon extract

Instructions

For the Cake

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch round pans with nonstick spray, line with parchment paper and spray again.
• Whisk together the dry ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside.
• Place butter in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes, until light and fluffy,.
• Add in the brown sugar and beat on medium-high speed for another 2 minutes.
• On medium-low, gradually add in the eggs and molasses until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat again for another 2 to 3 minutes, until the mixture is smooth and nearly double in volume.
• Alternating between dry and wet, add in the flour mixture and the buttermilk in three additions on low speed.
• Once mixed, place the batter into the prepared pans, about 15-16 ounces of batter in each pan.
• Bake 25 to 30 minutes. 
• Cool cakes in pans for about 10 minutes and then invert onto wire cooling racks to cool completely.

For the Lemon Curd

• Whisk the sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and salt in a medium saucepan. Whisk in the whole eggs and yolks in a small bowl and then whisk them into the lemon mixture.
• Cook the mixture over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it’s thick like pudding, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter a few pieces at a time until incorporated.
• Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl, pushing it through with a rubber spatula. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until completely set, at least 4 hours and up to 5 days. 

For the Mascarpone Frosting

• In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip the heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Transfer to another bowl and set aside.
• In the same bowl for the electric mixer, combine the mascarpone, powdered sugar and lemon extract. Mix on medium speed until incorporated.
• Gradually fold in the whipped cream to the mascarpone mixture. 
• Use right away.

Assembly

• Once the cake layers are completely cool, use a cake leveler to divide each of the three cake layers to create six thin cake layers. (You can use a cake lifter to help lift and move each layer to the cake).
• On a cake board, spread a small dollop of frosting to hold the cake in place. Place your first of the six cake layers on the board. 
• Pipe a rim of frosting around the edge of the cake and spread about 1/4 cup of the lemon curd inside the rim of frosting.
• Repeat step 3 for the next four cake layers. For the final cake layer, place it top side down, so the smoothest side of the cake (the bottom) is facing up.
• Chill the cake for 15 minutes before applying any crumb coat. (This will help set the filling so the cake doesn’t move around when you’re decorating. It also helps to keep the crumbs locked to the cake if you’re doing a semi-naked cake and won’t be doing a final coat of frosting).
• Once the cake is chilled, frost the cake with the whipped frosting to create a semi-naked cake layer. This recipe doesn’t make enough frosting to completely cover the cake. Double the frosting recipe if you want to get more coverage with your frosting.

The post The Perfect Christmas Dessert: Lemon Gingerbread Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Check out these 10 of my favorite fruit filled cake recipes! 

Strawberries and Cream Cake – strawberry cake layers with fresh strawberries in a whipped cream filling and strawberry buttercream.

Coconut Lemon Raspberry Cake – creamy coconut cake layers with lemon curd, raspberry cream filling and coconut buttercream.

Blueberry Delight Cake – Nilla wafer crust, lemon ricotta cake layers, ricotta filling, blueberry compote, and blueberry buttercream.

Fluffernutter Cake – tender and fluffy white cake layers with banana cream filling, toasted marshmallow filling, and peanut butter buttercream.

Peaches and Cream Cake – layers of tender peach cake, peaches and cream filling, peach compote and a whipped vanilla buttercream. 

Champagne Cake – champagne inspired cake with tender, “champagne” cake layers, a raspberry peach puree filling and a champagne buttercream.

Inspired by my childhood favorite ice cream bar, this Strawberry Crunch Cake is made up of my go-to strawberry and vanilla cake layers, strawberry crunch filling, whipped vanilla buttercream, and is covered in a shortbread cookie strawberry crunch.

Raspberry Chocolate Truffle Cake – raspberry cake layers, chocolate ganache, chocolate buttercream, chocolate cake layers and a raspberry cream filling.

Lemon Bar Cake – lemon cake layers baked on a shortbread crust, filled with lemon curd and topped with a lemon buttercream.

Inspired by one of my favorite summer desserts, my new Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Cake is the perfect cake to take you into summer.

Piña Colada Cake – coconut cream cake, pineapple curd and coconut buttercream.

Which Cake is Calling to You?

Do you see your favorite fruit filling? Did I miss one of your favorites? I’d love to create more citrus inspired fruit filled cakes this summer. Do you have a certain one you love? Let me know in the comments!

And be sure to follow along with us on Instagram!

More Tips & Recipes to Enjoy

• How to Make an Easy Fruit Compote
• Tip Tuesday: Best KitchenAid Black Friday Deals
• How to Properly Stack a Cake with a Soft Filling
• Light and Fluffy Coconut Lemon Raspberry Cake
• Top 3 Cakes Using Lemon Curd

The post Fruit Filled Cakes You’ll Love first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Making Lemonade Out of Lemons

Strawberry Lemonade Cake

More Summer-Inspired Cakes You’ll Love

• Strawberry Pretzel Delight Cake
• Coconut Lemon Raspberry Cake
• Orange Almond Poppy Seed Cake
• Pina Colada Cake
• Lemon Blueberry Cake

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Strawberry Lemonade Cake

Strawberry lemon cake layers, filled with lemon curd and topped with strawberry cream cheese buttercream.

 

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Intermediate, strawberry cake, Strawberry lemonade cake

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

• 3 cups (339g) cake flour
• 4 1/2 teaspoons (18g) baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon (3g) salt
• 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 1/3  cups (266g) granulated sugar
• 1 3 oz. package of strawberry flavored Jell-O
• 3 teaspoons lemon zest
• 5 large or extra large egg whites at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon (13g) pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup (240g) buttermilk at room temperature

FOR THE CURD

• 1 cup (200g) sugar
• 1/2 cup (115g) lemon juice about 3 large lemons
• 1 tbsp grated lemon zest
• Pinch of salt
• 3 large eggs
• 3 egg yolks
• 4 tbsp (56.5g) cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• 2 cups (452g) unsalted butter slightly cold
• 6 oz. (170g) cream cheese slightly cold
• 6 cups (750g) powdered sugar measured and then sifted
• 1 teaspoon strawberry emulsion
• 3 tablespoons (42g) heavy whipping cream
• Pinch of salt
• *If you want to pipe swirls around the cake like I did, add an extra half batch of buttercream.

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch cake pans with nonstick spray, line the bottoms with parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk the cake flour, baking powder and salt.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, sugar, Jell-O and zest. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• Add the egg whites, in a few additions, beating well and scraping down the sides of the bowl between each addition. Add the vanilla and stir to combine.
• With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and the buttermilk, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Mix on low, just until flour is combined.
• 5. Divide the batter evenly between the pans and bake for 25-30 minutes.
• 6. Let cool in the pans for about 10 minutes and then invert onto wire cooling wraps to cool completely. Cakes can be individually wrapped in plastic wrapped and frozen for a week. If you’d like to freeze them longer than one week, wrap each cake layer in tin foil as well.

FOR THE CURD

• 1. Whisk the sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and salt in a medium saucepan. Whisk in the whole eggs and yolks in a small bowl and then whisk them into the lemon mixture.
• 2. Cook the mixture over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it’s thick like pudding, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter a few pieces at a time until incorporated.
• 3. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl, pushing it through with a rubber spatula. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until completely set, at least 4 hours and up to 5 days.

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• 1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese on medium speed for about 2 minutes.
• 2. Turn the mixer to low speed and gradually add the powdered sugar, followed by the strawberry emulsion, cream and salt.
• 3. Turn the mixer to medium-high speed and beat the frosting for about 5 minutes.
• 4. Before frosting your cake, mix the frosting by hand with a wooden spoon to push out any air pockets. If the frosting feels too soft to frost or pipe, cover it and refrigerate it for about 30 minutes.

ASSEMBLY

• 1. Spread a dollop of frosting on a cake board or cake plate to hold the first cake layer in place.
• 2. Place the first cake layer, top side up, on the cake board and pipe a rim of strawberry frosting around the edges to act as a barrier to the lemon curd. Spread half of the lemon curd (about 3/4 cup) on the cake layer.
• 3. Top with the next cake layer and repeat step 2.
• 4. Place the third cake layer, top side down, on the second layer of filling. Apply a thin layer of frosting around the entire cake to lock in the crumbs. Freeze the cake for about 10-15 minutes to set the crumb coat.
• 5. If your frosting feels soft at this point, refrigerate it while the crumb coat sets.
• 6. Continue frosting your cake, making sure to stir the frosting with a wooden spoon to push out any air pockets.
• 7. If you’re not serving within the day, you can freeze the cake in a cake box or container for up to a week – just make sure to remove the cake from the freezer about 6 hours before you plan to serve it.

The post Strawberry Lemonade Cake with Sweet and Tart Lemon Curd Filling first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Laurel Gallucci

Imagine being told you’ll never be able to eat cake again! Maybe that doesn’t sound like the biggest deal, unless you’re me, but hearing something like this was also devastating to Laurel Gallucci when she was diagnosed with an aggressive autoimmune disease less than 10 years ago.

However, the lifelong baker and dessert lover refused to accept that fate and set out on a mission to create desserts free of the ingredients that were destroying her body. For months, Laurel spent day after day in her kitchen creating delicious treats made from whole ingredients. The day she shared her grain-free, refined-sugar-free, dairy-free, soy-free, gum-free, filler-free, fudge frosted chocolate caramel cake with her friend Claire Thomas, Sweet Laurel Bakery was born.

After years of fighting this aggressive autoimmune disorder with whole foods and Laurel is now in remission. She’s been doing it all while educating others about the impact foods have on our bodies. This week, I had the chance to not only interview Laurel for my podcast, but also join her in a mini cake class on Instagram Live to make her Fluffy Lemon Coconut Cake.

Fluffy Lemon Coconut Cake

This cake is incredibly easy to make and equally delicious and satisfying to eat. You’ll find the recipe in Laurel’s book, Sweet Laurel: Recipes for Whole Food, Grain-Free Desserts.

The lemon coconut cake layers are made up of almond flour, baking soda, salt, maple syrup, lemon juice, lemon zest, coconut oil, and eggs. That’s it!

For the lemon curd, grab some lemons, more eggs, maple syrup, and coconut oil.

Finally, the coconut cream spread is simply coconut cream, maple syrup, and vanilla.

All simple, easy-to-find ingredients!

Be sure to check out our Instagram Live (linked below) and this week’s podcast episode (also linked below). I know you’re going to fall in love with Laurel and her cakes!

Instagram Live with Laurel Gallucci of Sweet Laurel Baking

https://www.instagram.com/p/CPoT3tKFAuM/

Courtney, Beyond the Cake Podcast Episode: Living a Whole Live with Laurel Gallucci

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/living-a-whole-life-with-laurel-gallucci/id1500054794?i=1000523910925

Similar Recipes You’ll Love

• Feel Good Podcasts for Cake Lovers
• Egg-Free and Dairy-Free Vanilla Cake
• Light and Fluffy Coconut Lemon Raspberry Cake
• Coconut Cream Cake
• Classic Yellow Cake with Chocolate Buttercream

The post Sweet Laurel Bakery Fluffy Lemon Coconut Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.