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Spring Lemon Layer Cake

If you need a reason to work on your piping skills, this cake is it! My Spring Lemon Layer Cake is a showstopper that looks difficult to make, but it’s actually pretty easy thanks to the vast array of piping tips available today.

Spring Lemon Layer Cake

What Is Reverse Creaming?

Reverse creaming is when you combine the dry ingredients with softened butter, and then the liquid ingredients are mixed in after. In the reverse creaming method the butter coats the flour particles which minimizes gluten development, creating a fine and tender crumb. Plus, since the butter isn’t beaten with sugar, less air is incorporated, which creates a sturdier cake with less rise.

Spring Lemon Layer Cake

Spring Lemon Layer Cake Ingredients

  • Whole milk: The fat in whole milk helps to tenderize the cakes crumb. It also interacts with the flour to create just enough gluten to form the cakes structure.
  • Egg whites: helps create structure.
  • Vanilla extract: helps balance the flavors.
  • Lemon emulsion: I prefer to use emulsions. The flavor doesn’t bake out like extracts can.
  • Cake flour: has a lower protein content than all-purpose flour which helps create a delicate crumb.
  • Granulated sugar: Sugar not only sweetens the cake but it also helps tenderize, leavens and browns.
  • Baking powder: is a leavener that contains baking soda and cornstarch. Baking soda reacts twice. The first is when it comes into contact with liquid and then when it is heated. Baking soda can’t be used as a substitute for baking powder.
  • Salt: helps bring out the sweetness in the cake.
  • Fresh lemon juice: helps with flavor.
  • Unsalted butter: tenderizes, moistens, leavens, browns, and flavors.
Spring Lemon Layer Cake

How To Make Lemon Curd

Spring Lemon Layer Cake

In a medium sized saucepan, whisk together the eggs, sugar, salt, lemon juice and lemon zest.

Spring Lemon Layer Cake

Over low heat, whisk constantly for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the mixture starts to thicken. The curd should coat the back of a wooden spoon without being translucent.

Spring Lemon Layer Cake

Remove the curd from the heat and stir in the butter. Strain the curd through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl to remove the solids that may have formed while cooking. Place a piece of plastic wrap on the surface of the curd and chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or overnight.

Spring Lemon Layer Cake

Swiss Meringue Buttercream Tips

  • Your mixer bowl should be completely dry and clean before use. There should be no grease residue on the bowl and your egg whites should be free of egg yolks.
  • Whisk together the sugar and egg whites well, or the eggs may start to cook on their own.
  • Make sure the double boiler stays at a simmer.
  • Your butter should be room temperature before using.
  • Add your butter by tablespoon to the meringue.
  • The buttercream should be as smooth as possible. To help remove air bubbles, run the mixer on low speed for one minute.
Spring Lemon Layer Cake

Applying A Crumb Coat

A crumb coat is a thin layer of frosting that holds in the loose crumbs and seals the cake. Place a medium dollop of buttercream on top of the cake. Using a small offset spatula, start spreading the buttercream out. Continue to spread buttercream on the sides of the cake. The buttercream does not have to be perfectly smooth. Refrigerate the cake uncovered for at least 15 minutes to set before adding the final coat of buttercream.

Spring Lemon Layer Cake

Buttercream Colors

Gel food colors are typically more concentrated than liquid food coloring. They give more vibrant results while using less color.

Start with a small amount of gel food coloring and add to it slowly until you have achieved your desired color.

Spring Lemon Layer Cake

Here are the colors I used:

Spring Lemon Layer Cake

Piping Tips

  • Wilton #124, #125 Petal Tips: ruffles or squiggles. (Pipe these on your cake first.)
  • Wilton #1M x3 Star Tips: rosettes. (Pipe the rosettes on your cake second.)
  • Wilton #12 Round Tip: Piped dots. (Filler tip.)
  • Wilton #21 x2 Small Star Tips: small stars and rosettes. (Filler tip.)
  • Wilton #22 Small Star Tip: small stars and rosettes. (Filler tip.)
  • Wilton #32 Small French Tip: small stars and rosettes. (Filler tip).

Spring Lemon Layer Cake Decorating Tips

  • Start with a chilled crumb coated cake.
  • Use your petal tips first so you have room to pipe the ruffle pattern.
  • Second, go in with your large star tip to pipe rosettes.
  • Use your space well. Pipe all the rosettes where you have space to do them.
  • Go in with your smaller tips and fill in any gaps where you can see the crumb coat.
  • Try to keep all your piping the same height so you can maintain the shape of the cake.
Spring Lemon Layer Cake

Spring Lemon Layer Baking Schedule

  • Day 1: Bake the cake layers and prepare the lemon curd.
  • Day 2: Prepare the buttercream, assemble, decorate and serve the cake.
Spring Lemon Layer Cake

Cake Storage

  • Cake layers can be stored wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in an airtight cake container in the refrigerator for 3 days.
  • Assembled cake can be stored in an airtight cake container up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Spring Lemon Layer Cake

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Spring Lemon Layer Cake

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Spring Lemon Layer Cake

Spring Lemon Layer Cake

Yield: 12
Prep Time: 2 hours
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Additional Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 3 hours 30 minutes

Lemon layer cake filled with lemon curd, piped with lemon Swiss meringue buttercream.

Ingredients

SPECIAL TOOLS

  • 3 8-inch round cake pans
  • Nonstick baking spray
  • Stand mixer
  • Cake turntable
  • 8-inch round cake board
  • Piping bags
  • Couplers
  • Piping tips #32, #124, #125, #22, #23, #12, 1M (x3),
  • Five to six coordinating gel colors

LEMON CAKE

  • 1 cup (8 ounces) whole milk, at room temperature
  • 6 large egg whites, at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon emulsion
  • 2 1/4 cups (9 ounces) cake flour
  • 1 3/4 cup (12 1/4 ounces) granulated sugar
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
  • 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon sized pieces, at room temperature

LEMON CURD

  • 3 whole eggs
  • 3/4 cup (5.25 ounces) granulated sugar
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon sized pieces

LEMON SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM

  • 1 cup egg whites
  • 2 cups (14 ounces) granulated sugar
  • 3 cups (6 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon sized pieces, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon lemon emulsion

Instructions

LEMON CAKE

  1. Adjust an oven rack to the center position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 3 8-inch round cake pans with nonstick baking spray and set aside.
  2. In a bowl or a 4 cup liquid measuring cup, whisk together milk, egg whites and lemon emulsion. In the bowl of a stand mixer, with the paddle attachment attached, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and zest on low speed until combined. Add butter one tablespoon at a time until the mixture forms pea-sized pieces, about 1 minute. Reserve ½ cup of the milk mixture and pour the remaining to the flour mixture and mix on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Reduce the mixer speed to medium-low and add the reserved ½ cup milk mixture to the batter and mix until combined, about 30 seconds. Do not over mix. The batter may look curdled. Give the batter a final stir by hand with a rubber spatula.
  3. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans and smooth tops with a rubber spatula. Gently tap cake pans on the counter to settle the batter and bake until a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, about 20 to 25 minutes, switching and rotating pans halfway through baking.
  4. Let cakes cook in their pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Invert cakes on to wire racks to cool completely, about 2 hours.

LEMON CURD

  1. In a medium sized saucepan, whisk together the eggs, sugar, salt, lemon juice and zest.
  2. Over low heat, whisk constantly for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the mixture starts to thicken. The curd should coat the back of a wooden spoon without being translucent.
  3. Remove the curd from the heat and stir in the butter. Strain the curd through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl to remove any solids that may have formed while cooking. Place a piece of plastic wrap on the surface of the curd and chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or overnight.

LEMON SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, pour in the egg whites and sugar and whisk by hand until combined. Fill a medium saucepan with about 2 inches of water and bring to a simmer. Place mixer bowl on top, being sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water and attach a candy thermometer.
  2. Whisking occasionally, heat the egg mixture until the temperature reaches 160 degrees. Once the mixture reaches 160 degrees, transfer to a stand mixer and beat the mixture on high speed for 10 minutes or until medium-stiff peaks form. At this point the outside of the mixer bowl should be room temperature. Switch out the whisk attachment with the paddle attachment and with the mixer on low speed, add the butter one tablespoon at a time, and then add the vanilla extract and lemon emulsion. Once combined, turn up the mixer speed to medium-high and beat until the buttercream is smooth about 5 minutes.

ASSEMBLE

  1. Place a cake board on a cake turntable and center one cake later on top of the cake board. Fit a piping bag with a round coupler and fill with about 1 1/2 cups buttercream.
  2. Pipe a buttercream dam around the edge of the cake. Spread out half of the lemon curd in an even layer and place the second layer of cake on top, gently pressing down to adhere to the first layer.
  3. Pipe a buttercream dam around the edge of the second cake layer and spread out the remaining lemon curd on top in an even layer. Place the third cake layer on top (bottom side up) and gently press to adhere to the second cake layer.

CRUMB COAT

  1. Press the remaining buttercream that is left in the piping bag on the top of the cake and with a small offset spatula, spread the buttercream over the top and sides of the cake, creating a thin coat of buttercream. The crumb coat will seal the cake and catch any loose crumbs. Chill the cake in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before starting the piping decorations.

BUTTERCREAM COLORS

  1. While the cake chills, separate buttercream between 5 bowls. Add about 1 cup of buttercream in each bowl and choose 5 coordinating colors to use on your cake. Slowly build each color until the color you like has been achieved. I chose to stick with a pastel color palette for spring, but you can choose your favorites.

DECORATING

  1. Fit your piping bags with a piping tip, and fill with colored buttercream. You will start with the larger piping tips first.
  2. With piping tip(s) #124 and #125 pipe squiggles in a random pattern on top and on the sides of your cake.
  3. Next, use your 1M tips and pipe rosettes in a random pattern on the top and sides of the cake.
  4. Once you’ve piped your larger rosettes and squiggles on the cake, use your smaller tips to fill in the blank spaces with colored buttercream in a random pattern.
  5. Carefully transfer the cake to a cake pedestal and serve.

Notes

Cake Storage:

  • Cake layers can be stored wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in an airtight cake container in the refrigerator for 3 days.
  • Assembled cake can be stored in an airtight cake container up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 415Total Fat: 25gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 117mgSodium: 541mgCarbohydrates: 38gFiber: 1gSugar: 15gProtein: 10g

*Nutrition information is an estimate and will vary.*

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