This delicious lemon curd cake is soft, sweet, and filled with creamy mascarpone and lemon curd. It’s a perfect treat for spring or summer and so easy to make at home. Each bite is light, fluffy, and full of fresh lemon flavor. Use good-quality lemon curd, homemade or store-bought, and you’ll get a beautiful cake that’s great for sharing.

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Ingredients Needed:

For the cake:

350 g Butter or baking spread
350 g Caster sugar
150 g Lemon curd
4 Eggs
2 Lemons
350 g Self-raising flour

For the filling and decoration:

250 g Mascarpone cheese
150 ml Double cream
3 tbsp Icing sugar
1 tsp Vanilla extract
125 g Lemon curd

How To Make Lemon Curd Cake Recipe?

Preheat your oven: set it to 160C Fan and grease and line two 8-inch cake tins.
Mix the butter and sugar: in a large bowl, beat the butter or baking spread with the caster sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Add the eggs and lemon curd: whisk in the eggs one by one, then add the lemon curd and mix everything until smooth.
Fold in the flour: gently stir in the self-raising flour until just combined, then fold in the lemon zest.
Bake the cakes: divide the mixture evenly between the tins and bake for 35–40 minutes or until golden and a skewer comes out clean.
Cool the cakes: leave the sponges to cool in the tins for 15 minutes, then run a knife around the edges and turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the filling: in a bowl, whisk the mascarpone, double cream, icing sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer until thick and creamy.
Assemble the cake: place one sponge on a plate, spread half the mascarpone cream over it, then spoon on half the lemon curd.
Add the top layer: place the second sponge on top, spread the rest of the mascarpone cream, then drizzle the remaining lemon curd over the top and let it drip down the sides.
Serve and enjoy: slice and serve right away or chill before serving.

Recipe Tips:

Use room temperature ingredients: cold butter or eggs can make the batter lumpy and stop it from mixing evenly. Soft butter and room-temperature eggs help the cake turn out smooth and fluffy.
Don’t skip the lemon zest: it adds real lemon flavor that you won’t get from curd alone. Use a fine grater and only take the yellow part—avoid the bitter white part.
Weigh your ingredients: using a kitchen scale is more accurate than cups. This helps the cake rise evenly and bake the right way.
Don’t overmix the batter: once you add the flour, mix gently just until combined. Too much mixing can make the cake dense or heavy.
Cool cakes fully before frosting: if the sponges are still warm, the mascarpone cream will melt and slide off. Let them cool completely for best results.

How To Store Leftovers?

Refrigerate: Let the lemon curd cake cool to room temperature. then put it in a sealed container and keep it in the fridge. Eat it within 2 days.
Freeze: Freeze the cake layers (without cream or curd). Wrap them well and freeze them for up to 2 months.

Nutrition Facts:

Calories: 490 kcal
Total Fat: 32 g
Saturated Fat: 19 g
Cholesterol: 135 mg
Sodium: 150 mg
Potassium: 115 mg
Total Carbohydrate: 48 g
Dietary Fiber: 1 g
Sugars: 30 g
Protein: 5 g

Try More Nigella Lawson Recipes:

Nigella Key Lime Cheesecake Recipe
Nigella Lemon Curd Cupcakes Recipe

Nigella Lemon Curd Cake Recipe

Course: DessertCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Calories

490

kcal

Ingredients

For the cake:
350 g Butter or baking spread
350 g Caster sugar
150 g Lemon curd
4 Eggs
2 Lemons
350 g Self-raising flour
For the filling and decoration:
250 g Mascarpone cheese
150 ml Double cream
3 tbsp Icing sugar
1 tsp Vanilla extract
125 g Lemon curd

Directions

Preheat your oven: set it to 160C Fan and grease and line two 8-inch cake tins.
Mix the butter and sugar: in a large bowl, beat the butter or baking spread with the caster sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Add the eggs and lemon curd: whisk in the eggs one by one, then add the lemon curd and mix everything until smooth.
Fold in the flour: gently stir in the self-raising flour until just combined, then fold in the lemon zest.
Bake the cakes: divide the mixture evenly between the tins and bake for 35–40 minutes or until golden and a skewer comes out clean.
Cool the cakes: leave the sponges to cool in the tins for 15 minutes, then run a knife around the edges and turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the filling: in a bowl, whisk the mascarpone, double cream, icing sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer until thick and creamy.
Assemble the cake: place one sponge on a plate, spread half the mascarpone cream over it, then spoon on half the lemon curd.
Add the top layer: place the second sponge on top, spread the rest of the mascarpone cream, then drizzle the remaining lemon curd over the top and let it drip down the sides.
Serve and enjoy: slice and serve right away or chill before serving.

Notes

Use room temperature ingredients: cold butter or eggs can make the batter lumpy and stop it from mixing evenly. Soft butter and room-temperature eggs help the cake turn out smooth and fluffy.
Don’t skip the lemon zest: it adds real lemon flavor that you won’t get from curd alone. Use a fine grater and only take the yellow part—avoid the bitter white part.
Weigh your ingredients: using a kitchen scale is more accurate than cups. This helps the cake rise evenly and bake the right way.
Don’t overmix the batter: once you add the flour, mix gently just until combined. Too much mixing can make the cake dense or heavy.
Cool cakes fully before frosting: if the sponges are still warm, the mascarpone cream will melt and slide off. Let them cool completely for best results.