Description
This Italian Lemon Cream Cake is a luscious and elegant dessert featuring moist vanilla cake layers filled with a tangy lemon cream filling, topped with fluffy whipped cream frosting. Perfectly balanced between sweet and tart, it’s a showstopper perfect for special occasions or any time you want to impress with a refreshing and indulgent treat.
Ingredients
For the vanilla cake layers:
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk
For the lemon cream filling:
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
For the topping:
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Optional garnish:
- Lemon zest
- Powdered sugar
- White chocolate curls
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare pans: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans to prevent sticking.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Set this mixture aside for later use.
- Cream butter and sugar: In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar using an electric mixer until the mixture becomes light and fluffy, approximately 3 to 4 minutes. This aerates the batter for a tender cake.
- Add eggs and vanilla: Incorporate eggs one at a time into the butter mixture, ensuring each is fully mixed before adding the next. Stir in the vanilla extract for flavor.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients: Add the dry ingredients to the batter in three portions, alternating with the buttermilk. Begin and end with the dry ingredients, mixing only until just combined to prevent overmixing.
- Bake the cakes: Divide the cake batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool the cakes: Allow the cakes to cool in their pans for 10 minutes. Then, remove them from the pans and transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
- Prepare lemon cream filling: Beat the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, lemon zest, and fresh lemon juice until smooth and creamy. In a separate chilled bowl, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the whipped cream into the lemon cream mixture to maintain lightness.
- Make whipped cream topping: Whip the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract together until soft peaks form. This will be used as the cake’s frosting.
- Assemble the cake: Once cooled, optionally slice each cake layer horizontally to create four layers. Spread the lemon cream filling between each layer evenly. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the whipped cream topping.
- Garnish and chill: Decorate the cake with lemon zest, a light dusting of powdered sugar, or curls of white chocolate as desired. Refrigerate the cake for at least 1 hour before serving to allow flavors to meld and the filling to set.
Notes
- Use room temperature ingredients such as butter, eggs, and cream cheese for smooth and even mixing.
- Do not overmix the batter; overmixing develops gluten and can cause a dense cake texture.
- Sift your dry ingredients including flour, baking powder, and salt to ensure a light and airy crumb.
- Ensure cream cheese is fully softened before mixing to avoid lumps in the filling.
- Fold whipped cream gently into the lemon filling to keep the mixture light and airy.
