This 3-layer lemon cake is bursting with lemon flavor and is perfect for any special occasion!

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You’ll impress everyone with a lemon layer cake with lemon curd and mascarpone frosting. It’s beautiful, has three layers of lemon cake filled with lemon curd and pastry cream, and is frosted with a creamy lemon mascarpone frosting. Lemon syrup brushed on each cake layer creates moist, sweet lemony flavored cake layers, and putting it all together is easier than you think. It’s like a burst of sunshine… beautiful to look at, delicious, and perfect for any occasion!
Why you’ll make this for every summer occasion
- Soft, moist lemon cake
- Creamy lemon pastry cream
- Light, lemony curd
- Sweet lemon frosting
- You’ll impress everyone with a beautiful, delicious, perfectly lemon cake!

Lemony Ingredients
The Dry Ingredients:
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Cornstarch
- Salt
- Lemon zest –always zest before juicing!
The Wet Ingredients for the Cake:
- Unsalted butter –softened
- Vegetable oil –any light flavored oil not to overpower the lemon flavor
- Granulated sugar
- Eggs –at room temperature to not seize the butter
- Baking soda
- Milk
- Fresh lemon juice
- Pure vanilla extract
The Lemon Curd:
- Egg yolks
- Sugar
- Unsalted butter –cut into roughly one tablespoon pieces
- Zest of 4 lemons –just the shiny part of the skin
- Fresh lemon juice –remember to zest before juicing!
For the Mascarpone Frosting:
- Mascarpone cream
- Cream cheese softened
- Confectioner’s sugar
- Pure vanilla extract
- Lemon curd
- Milk –or heavy cream to thin the frosting if it’s too thick
The Syrup:
- Granulated sugar
- Water
- Lemon juice
The Pastry Cream:
- Whole milk –works best because of its thickness
- Corn starch
- Sugar –adding some to the milk keeps it from scorching
- Pinch of salt
- Large egg yolks –at room temperature
- Heavy whipping cream
- Pure vanilla extract –good quality for best flavor
- Unsalted butter

How to make Lemon Layer Cake with Lemon Curd & Mascarpone Frosting
Make the Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F, 180 °C.
- Grease three 8-inch/ 20cm round pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
- Place the dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk them together.
- Beat the butter, oil, and sugar together until light and fluffy.
- Then, add the vanilla and remaining wet ingredients.
- Beat until incorporated, and slowly add the flour in a few batches until just combined.
- Use a spatula to scrape the sides and bottom to ensure everything is incorporated into the batter, but be sure not to overmix.
- Divide the batter equally into the prepared pans and bake on the center rack for 21-25 minutes.
- The cakes are ready when a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean or with moist crumbs attached. Cool completely.
Make the Lemon Curd:
- Fill a medium saucepan halfway with water and bring to a simmer.
- In a heatproof bowl, add all of the lemon curd ingredients and place on top of the simmering water.
- Whisk them together until the curd thickens –about 10-15 minutes.
- Lay plastic wrap on top of the curd to prevent skin forming and cool completely.
Make the Syrup:
- In a small saucepan, combine all of the syrup ingredients and stir together.
- Bring to a boil, and remove the pan from the heat as soon as the sugar dissolves.
- Cool completely.
Make the Pastry cream:
- Bring milk and ¾ cup sugar to a simmer over medium heat in a saucepan.
- In the meantime, combine the rest of the sugar, corn starch, salt, cream, and egg yolks in a large bowl and whisk together for a few minutes until thick and pale yellow.
- Slowly, pour the hot milk into the egg mixture one ladle full at a time while whisking.
- Then, pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook over low heat, constantly whisking, until thickened.
- Remove from heat and whisk in butter and vanilla extract.
- Strain the pastry cream into a bowl and lay plastic wrap on top of the curd to prevent skin forming.
- Cool completely and refrigerate until cold.
Make the Frosting:
- In the bowl of a tabletop mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the mascarpone with the cream cheese until smooth.
- Add the sugar, vanilla, and lemon curd and beat until fluffy. If the frosting is too thick, add a few tablespoons of heavy cream or milk and beat until smooth.
Assemble the Cake:
- First, place a cake cardboard onto a cake decorating turntable.
- Place one of the cake layers (flat-side up) onto the cake cardboard. If the cake is uneven, trim the top using a serrated knife.
- Brush the top of the cake with the lemon syrup concentrating on the sides of the cake.
- Then, fill a pastry bag that has been fitted with the large star tip with the mascarpone frosting and pipe a ring around the border of the cake.
- Spread a layer of lemon curd inside the frosting border and then a layer of pastry cream. (If the cold pastry cream is too thick, beat it with a mixer or a whisk until smooth. You may thin it out with some heavy cream if needed.)
- Top with the next cake layer and repeat the process with the syrup, frosting, curd, and pastry cream.
- Finally, top with the third cake layer and brush it with the lemon syrup.
- Freeze the cake for about 30 minutes so that it sets and is easy to decorate.
- Then, spread the frosting all over the cake.
- Pipe 8 rosettes on top and dollop each rosette with lemon curd.
Baker’s Tip!
In recipes with baking soda, I always like to stir it into the liquid. It dissolves into the liquid, and you never get a bitter taste in your cake or pastries. I mixed it into the lemon juice for this recipe before adding it to the mixing bowl.

Make ahead options
Several parts of this cake can be made ahead of time, cutting down on the assembly time. It’s a great way to get things ready and save time on the day of your gathering. First, the lemon curd can be made and stays fresh in the freezer for three to four months. You may want to make an extra batch for this reason. The pastry cream and syrup can’t be frozen, but the pastry cream can be made 2-3 days ahead of time, and the syrup will keep fresh in the refrigerator for a week.
Can you freeze the decorated cake?
Yes! It’s the ultimate make-ahead option, and who wouldn’t want to have a lemon layer cake on hand in their freezer? All you have to do is frost and decorate the cake and then put it in the freezer. Once it hardens, wrap it in a few layers of plastic wrap, so it doesn’t absorb any freezer odors. The cake can be stored in the freezer for 2-3 weeks. Thaw the cake overnight in the refrigerator and set it on the counter about an hour before serving to bring it to room temperature.

Serve
You can serve this delicious and impressive cake at any gathering or for any occasion. It’s perfect for a bright summer dessert and is perfectly lemony. I always serve it with a nice cup of hot Greek Coffee, but the kids love it with a glass of milk. If you love lemon flavor, you’re going to love this cake. Kali Orexi!
More Layer Cake recipes:
- Mango Cream Cake
- Black & white Cake
- Moist Chocolate Layer Cake
- Hazelnut Layer Cake
- Chocolate Raspberry Cake
- Carrot Cake
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Lemon Layer Cake with Lemon Curd & Mascarpone Frosting
This 3-layer lemon cake is bursting with lemon flavor. It has 3 layers of lemon cake, filled with lemon curd and pastry cream and frosted with a creamy mascarpone frosting. Perfect for any special occasion!
Ingredients
The Dry Ingredients:
- 3 cups (360g) all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest (2 large lemons)
The Wet Ingredients for the Cake:
- 4 oz (113g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 and 1/2 cups (300g) granulated sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/3 cup (80ml) fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
The Lemon Curd:
- 6 egg yolks
- 1 and 1/2 cups sugar
- 4 oz unsalted butter
- zest of 4 lemons (4 tablespoons)
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
For the Mascarpone Frosting:
- 1 pound (455g) mascarpone cream
- 8 oz (226g) cream cheese, softened
- 1-1.5 cups confectioner's sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons lemon curd
- milk or heavy cream to thin the frosting if it's too thick
The Syrup:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- The Pastry Cream
Instructions
Make the Cake:
Preheat the oven to 350 °F, 180 °C. Grease 3 (8-inch/ 20cm) round pans and line them with parchment paper.
Place the dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk them together.
Beat the butter, oli, and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla, and the remaining wet infredients. Beat until incorporated and then add the flour in a few batches until just combined.
Use a spatula to mix the batter until combined.
Divide the batter equally into the prepared pans and bake on the center rack for 21-25 minutes. The cakes are ready when a toothpick that is inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean or with moist crumbs attached. Cool completely
Note: The cakes can be removed from the pans and wrapped rightly in plastic wrap and frozen for up to a month.
Make the Lemon Curd:
Fill a medium saucepan halfway with water and bring to a simmer.
In a heatproof bowl add all of the lemon curd ingredients and place on top of the simmering water. Whisk them together until the curd thickens. 10-15 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and cool completely. The lemon curd can be stored in the freezer for 3 months.
Make the Syrup: In a small saucepan combine all of the syrup ingredients and mix together. Bring to a boil and as as soon as the sugar disslves remove the pan from the heat and cool completely. The syrup will keep fresh in the refrigerator for a week.
Make the Pastry cream and chill.
Make the Frosting:
In the bowl of a tabletop mixer that has been fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the mascarpone and the cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar, vanilla, and lemon curd and beat until fluffy. If the fristing is too thick, add a few tablespoons of heavy cream or milk and beat until smooth.
Assemble the Cake:
Place a cake cardboard onto a cake decorating turntable.
Place one of the cake layers (flat-side up) onto the cake cardboard. If the cake is uneven, trim the top using a serrated knife. Brush the top of the cake with the lemon syrup.
Fill a pastry bag that has been fitted with the large star tip with the mascarpone frosting and pipe a ring around the border of the cake. Spread a layer of lemon curd onto the cake and then a layer of pastry cream. If the pastry cream is too thick, beat it with a mixer or a whisk until smooth. You may thin it out with some heavy cream if needed.
Top with the next cake layer and repeat the same process. Top with the third cake layer and brush it with the lemon syrup. Freeze the cake for 15-20 minutes so that it sets and is easy to decorate.
Spread the frosting all over the cake. Pipe 8 rosettes on top and dollop with lemon curd.
Serve with Greek Coffee. Kali Orexi
Notes
Freezer Instructions: The cake can be frosted and decorated and then stored in the freezer for up to 2-3 weeks. Once it hardens, wrap in a few layers of plastic wrap so taht it does not absorb any freezer odors. Thaw the cake overnight in the refrigerator and serve.
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great love it
Hi, can I use two 9” pans instead of the three 8”? If yes, how long should I bake the cakes?
Thanks!
Yes, once a toothpick that has been inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, the cake is ready. Start checking at 45 minutes 🙂