With only very basic ingredients (sugar, eggs, lemon, buttermilk, and flour) for the cake, and minimalist layers of creamy Meyer lemon frosting and whip, this three layer lemon cake is made completely from scratch with real lemons. It’s deliciously moist and light and is remarkable paired with rich Meyer Lemon Curd and raspberry preserves with a light and fluffy whipped frosting!
Vanilla Meyer Lemon Curd Raspberry Cream Layer Cake
Vanilla Meyer Lemon Curd Raspberry Cream Layer Cake
3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 cup butter, softened to room temperature
1 3/4 cups white sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
1 Tbs. lemon zest (about 2 lemons)
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and three small cake pans with parchment paper.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about three minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract on high speed until combined, about two minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients just until combined. With the mixer still running on low, add the buttermilk, lemon zest, and lemon juice and mix just until combined.
Pour batter evenly into cake pans. Bake for around 21-26 minutes or until the cakes are baked through, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow cakes to cool completely in the pans set on a wire rack. The cakes must be completely cool before frosting and assembling. (I like to freeze my layers first, before frosting).
Assemble and decorate.
Cream Cheese Meyer Lemon Curd Layer:
8 ounces full-fat brick style cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 cup Meyer Lemon Curd
1/2 cup Raspberry Preserves
Whip/cream/process together the cream cheese and Meyer Lemon Curd until smooth and creamy.
Spread a thin layer of Cream Cheese Meyer Lemon Curd over each stacked layer, followed by raspberry preserves. You know what to do.
Vanilla Whip:
3 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Whip all ingredients until stiff.
Slather over the sides and top of the cake layers.
Scrape the sides until smooth, leaving lots of layers of thick, puffy, whip over the top of the cake.
Dollop extra raspberry preserves and lemon curd on top of the cake, if desired.
