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A Sunshine Cake for Sunshine Days: Lemon Cake with Lemon Curd Frosting

This month our guest post from Brandy is about cake….and y’all know I love cake. I have personally had a piece of this delicious dessert and it will make your taste buds sing for joy. Make it soon. You won’t be sorry. 

The colors of Spring, for me, are lavender and yellow.  The lavender of grape hyacinths, lilacs and sweet dresses for little girls.  The yellow of daffodils, eggs and strong sunshiny days.  This cake is the perfect way to celebrate the arriving warmth of Spring or keep spirits up during the rainy days.  I was introduced to it five years ago as a birthday gift from my friend Anna of The Walden Effect.

The cake is mild and lemony, not too sweet.  The lemon curd topping is golden and tangy.  For this cake, I used my friend Aimee’s eggs from her chickens, with yolks so orange and cheery.  I used orange zest, since I didn’t have any lemons on hand.  Nobody complained.  Here’s how it goes:

Lemon Cake with Lemon Curd Frosting

  • 1 3/4 cups flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided (some for the batter and some for the egg whites)
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • 1 stick butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs (separated)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 3 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2/3 cup yogurt
  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and lemon zest.
  3. In another bowl, mix the butter, sugar, egg yolks, vanilla, and lemon juice.
  4. In a third bowl, whip egg whites with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt until they are stiff but not dry.
  5. Add flour to butter mixture in two parts, alternating with yogurt.  Fold in egg whites.
  6. Bake in two greased and floured round cake pans for about 25 minutes.  While baking,  make the lemon curd.

Curd:

  • 3 eggs
  • 1/3 cup lemon juice
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • 1/2 stick butter
  1. Whisk the eggs, juice and sugar together in a small pot.
  2. Stir constantly over medium heat until the mixture thickens nicely.  Be mindful to stir the whole time so your eggs don’t scramble or make the curd lumpy.
  3. Remove from heat.  Stir in butter and lemon zest.
  4. Once cake and curd are both cool, assemble the cake using the curd as a filling and icing.  Store in the refrigerator.

Original recipe here.

Brandy and her family take the impossible way on their little urban homestead in the foothills of Appalachia.  They enjoy hiking, knitting (or watching mama knit), minimalist parenting, babywearing, cosleeping and sticking it to The Man.  You can visit Brandy at Young in the Mountains.

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the content above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase an item, I may receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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  1. Miz Helen says

    This is a wonderful cake, Stacy. I sure wish I had a slice to go with my morning coffee, it looks awesome. Hope you have a fabulous Celebration Week End and thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
    Come Back Soon!
    Miz Helen

    Reply

  3. Esther says

    Hi there,I jus found your website and I love it. I can’t wait to make this cake, but I think you left out a part when making the Curd. The part about adding the butter and lemon zest to the mixture after you take it off the heat. Unless I missed it somewhere 🙂

    Reply

  5. Barb @ A Life in Balance says

    Ooh, I love lemon curd. I’m actually making an angel food cake just so I can make lemon curd with the yolks. The yolks are from an Amish farmer and have that same deep yellow that you mentioned. I can’t wait!

    Reply

  7. Cynthia says

    Sounds super yummy! I love lemon desserts, heck I love desserts. Stacy, what kind of flour did you use? Did you use fresh ground, if so was it soft white? Keep up the great work, love your posts!!

    Reply