This lemon cream cake is easy to make and perfect for sharing with friends and family.
Compared to our lemon drizzle cake, this bake is a little indulgent at over 500 calories per portion but it is incredibly delicious and easy to make. The fresh cream filling elevates the humble lemon sponge to a decadent treat worthy of dessert or as part of an afternoon tea.
Ingredients
- 250g (8oz) butter, softened
- 250g (8oz) caster sugar
- 250g (8oz) self-raising flour
- 3 medium eggs
- Finely grated zest of 2 lemons
For the syrup:
- 50g caster sugar
- Juice of 2 lemons
For the filling and topping:
- 150ml double cream
- 6 level tbsp lemon curd
WEIGHT CONVERTER
Method
- Set the oven to 160C (140C fan, Gas 3). Grease and line a 20cm round cake tin. To make the cake, tip the butter, sugar, flour and eggs into a bowl and beat until smooth then beat in the lemon zest.
- Spoon the mixture into the tin and level the surface. Bake the cake in the centre of the oven for 1 hour - 1 hour 15 minutes or until the sponge feels firm to the touch and a skewer comes out clean after being inserted into the centre of the cake.
- Meanwhile, make the syrup. Pour 4tbsp of water into a pan and add the sugar. Bring the mixture to the boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves, and boil it rapidly for 1-2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and add the lemon juice.
- As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, pour the syrup over it. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cool, cut in half to make two thinner sponges.
- To prepare the filling and topping, pour the cream into a bowl and whisk until it starts to thicken. Add 4 level tbsp of the lemon curd to the cream and continue whisking until it's thickened. Use some to sandwich the cakes together and spread the rest on top of the cake.
- Put the remaining lemon curd in the piping bag and cut off the end of the bag to give a small hole. Pipe random lines over the top of the lemon cream. Keep the cake chilled until ready to serve.
Top tips for making lemon cream cake
Feeling confused about what the best cream is to make this cake? Perhaps you want tips on how to make the cake dairy free. Continue reading below for all the information you need.
What cream to use on cake?
This recipe calls for double cream but you could use whipping cream if you prefer. Whipping cream has a lower fat content of around 36 per cent compared to double cream. Using whipping cream will reduce the calories in the cake by around 15 calories per portion. Instead of making a sandwich cake, you could make a single sponge and top it with a generous layer of clotted cream if you like. For an easy creamy flavour boost when on picnics, you could pack a can of squirty cream and let everyone decorate their own slice with as much cream as they like.
How to make lemon cream cake dairy free?
You can swap the butter for a spread alternative such as Flora and instead of a cream filling use a coconut based yogurt. There are also lots of dairy-free cream alternatives such as Oatly Whippable Creamy Oat and Food Heaven Heavenly Whipped Plant Based Cream. You will also need to check the lemon curd you are using is dairy free. Several supermarket own-brand lemon curds we checked were all suitable.
How many calories are in lemon cream cake?
This cake will easily serve 10 people which makes the calorie count 507 per slice. If you cut it into more portions, each slice will have less calories.
This recipe makes a large quantity of cake batter and you might prefer using a stand mixer instead of a large bowl and electric hand whisk. If you’re looking for inspiration, Food Editor Jessica Dady wrote a glowing KitchenAid Stand Mixer review.
If you fancy some more citrusy bakes, try our lemon pound cake recipe which uses cream cheese in the batter. You might also like our lemon cake with poppy seeds which looks spectacular once sliced or our lemon curd cake is the ultimate crowd pleaser.