Lemon Celebration Cake!
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A delicious, light & lemony sponge filled with a dash of lemon curd and a luscious lemon buttercream! The perfect lemon celebration cake!
Lemon celebration cake!
After posting the recipe for my Victoria sponge celebration cake, I figured it would be so much fun if I experimented on this and produced different flavours! When I asked on my Facebook and Instagram page recently if anyone had any suggestions, and to my joy many of you suggested a lemon celebration cake!
I feel a lemon flavour for a celebration cake is always a safe flavour as (usually!) everyone likes lemon! I also find its perfect for after dinner as the zesty and fresh lemon cleanses your mouth leaving a refreshing aftertaste.
Lemon
I adore lemon drizzle cake – but I decided to do a variation on this for a bit more show! (Don’t worry though, I still have my lemon drizzle loaf cake recipe also!) I also used my homemade lemon curd recipe for the filling – feel free to use shop bought, but making your own is so surprisingly easy!
This cake ended up being a hybrid of a Victoria sponge into something super lemony and heavenly – and its delicious. I posted my recipe for my lemon & poppyseed cake a while ago and had a big success with that one, so I hope you guys like this too!
Two layer cake
Unlike my Victoria sponge I decided to keep this as a 2 layer cake so that its easier for others to make if they only have two tins, and its easier to bake two anyway! Two layer cake, normal cake, sandwich cake – whatever you want to call it, its still delicious regardless!
I tend to think some people prefer a two layer cake as you can simply slather buttercream in the middle and on top and you are done – its the perfect cup of tea pairing! I love using these tins for my sponge cakes and also this angled spatula for spreading buttercream. On this occasion I piped the buttercream but the choice is yours!
Drizzle
The drizzle aspect of this cake makes the sponge SO moist and scrummy, and the buttercream gives it the light sweetness that is often craved with cake – delicious. You simply mix the lemon juice and caster sugar together to make a yummy drizzle, and drizzle over the sponges whilst they are still hot.
This on top of the zesty buttercream and curd drizzle topping, you get the lemon taste in every bite of cake and it is just DELICIOUS! Of course I had to add some themed yellow sprinkles to the bake but they dont have to be yellow and they completely optional anyway!
Lemon recipes
I love a lemon recipe and have a fair few of them on my blog, and I can tell you guys do too – for example my lemon drizzle cheesecake, lemon drizzle cupcakes, lemon bars, even my lemon and blueberry blondies!
I love baking with lemon – as you can tell! I find that lemon bakes along or with a combination of another flavour is the perfect alternative if someone doesn’t want a chocolate themed bake. Its also a preference of mine in the middle of summer as it hits the sweet craving perfectly! ENJOY!
Recipe updated May 2017
Lemon Celebration Cake!
Ingredients
Cake
- 350 g unsalted butter
- 350 g caster sugar
- 7 medium eggs
- 350 g self raising flour
- zest of 2 lemons
- 75 ml lemon juice
Drizzle
- 75 ml lemon juice
- 75 g caster sugar
Decoration
- 2-3 tbsp lemon curd
- 200 g unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 400 g icing sugar
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- spare lemon curd
Instructions
Cake
- Grease & line two 8"/20cm deep cake tins and preheat your oven to 180ºC/160ºC fan.
- Beat together the unsalted butter & caster sugar until smooth - this will take a couples of minutes!
- Once combined add the self raising flour, eggs, lemon zest and lemon juice and beat until combined - try not to over beat!
- Pour the mixture evenly into the two tins and bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
Drizzle
- Towards the end of baking - in a bowl, mix together your 75ml lemon juice and 75g caster sugar together.
- Once the cake is baked, drizzle this over the cakes, whilst still in the tin. Let the cakes cool fully.
Decoration
- Beat the unsalted butter for a couple of minutes using the whisk attachment with a stand mixer - doing this will make it nice and smooth!
- Once smooth, start gradually adding the icing sugar until it’s all fully mixed in.
- Add the lemon juice, and beat for about 5 minutes on a medium-high speed until super light and whipped.
- Pipe some buttercream in a circle round the edge of the top of your first sponge, and then add the lemon curd into the middle.
- Place the other cake on top, and pipe on the rest of the buttercream however you wish.
- Drizzle on some spare lemon curd, and add some sprinkles and enjoy!
Notes
- I updated this recipe in May 2017 - the original recipe was 250g of each ingredient, and 5 medium eggs, and the cake was baked for about 25 minutes.
- This cake will last in an airtight container for 3-4 days - probably longer as it has so much moisture.
- Or you can freeze it for up to 3 months
- The layers are thick so if you wanted a more raised cake simply slice the two sponges in to two and have a 4 layer cake!
- If you dont have any lemon juice for the decoration, use 2 tsp lemon extract instead.
- I use these 8" cake tins
- I use this medium 2D closed star piping tip
- I use these piping bags
ENJOY!
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J x
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Could I split the mixture into three 6 inch cake tins instead? (And bake for slightly less) Or would I need to alter the quantities?
Looks delicious! I’ve made your lemon curd a few times- never lasts long so would love to have a go at this cake too!
Would this cake hold up to fondant decorations on top? It won’t be covered in fondant but rather a Swiss meringue buttercream with fondant dec’s on top.
I don’t see why not – generally for me though I always use a madeira style when covering as it does make it firmer and easier. Probably best to chill the sponges first so they are firmer!
Hi Jane, I’m looking to bake a 3 tier lemon semi naked sponge for my nieces birthday. Is this recipe suitable for stacking?
This looks beautiful; the layers are perfect and I love the zesty lemon curd filling. I could really go for a slice right now.
Thank you so much, Lou! It would go perfectly with your Gin Lemon Curd!
Hi,
I’m looking to make a wedding cake for a friend, but need would need it to be a 10inch, 3 layer cake, is this recipe able to be adapted to this?
Also it will be the bottom tier with a vegan cake on top, is the cake sturdy enough to do this? (I am using dowels)
Thanks
It would work as a 10″! I usually use 1.6x a recipe for a 10″ – If the cake is dowelled correctly it should be fine anyway – but if you’re unsure you could make a madeira type lemon sponge for the bottom instead so there’s no slipping!
Made this for my Mums birthday earlier this week – so lemony. Made it as two tiers; lovely deep cake. I bought a very good quality lemon curd as an alternative to homemade. Love your recipes, thank you.
Looking to make a lemon cake for my son’s birthday, and this looks perfect. I would want to put buttercream all over the cake not just the top, is this recipe ok for that?
Yes it would! x
Hi there I was just wondering if this recipe could be changed into a vanilla cake? Just swapping the lemon juice/zest and adding vanilla extract, do you think this would work? I am making 2 cakes in the shape of numbers and this recipe worked perfectly for one but I want one of them to be vanilla 🤗 absolutely love your recipes!
Yeah it would work!! And thank you! x
Perfect thank you! How much vanilla extract would you recommend using please?
Perfect thank you! How much vanilla essence would you recommend using please?
Maybe 1tsp for the sponge, and 1tsp for the frosting?!
Great video! One question….when you beat in your icing sugar into the butter…how the hell do you not end up in a cloud of icing sugar which then covers your whole kitchen?!?!?! 🤔That’s what happens in my world! 🙄😆
I use Tate & Lyle icing sugar where the sugar cloud doesn’t exist! It uses an anti caking agent in it (very small amount) but enough to not cause a cloud!! X
👍🏻
Hey the recipe looks fab! Just wondering if this cake would be suitable for decorating with fondant or should I go for a madeira instead
Hiya! Personally I always go for a madeira type sponge. You could still use this, but add in 75g of plain flour to make it more madeira like and therefore firmer. x
Thank you for recipe everyone loved it, I finished it of with some homemade candied primroses
Hey the recipe looks amazing! just wondering if this would be suitable for decorating with fondant or would a denser cake like Madeira be better
Hi Jane. Looking at this recipe for a tier on my brothers wedding cake. How many layers of cake would you recommend. 2 or 3? And Can poppy seeds be added, and can it be made ahead and frozen until I’m ready to use. Thankyou… Your page was the first one I came to for a recipe will be looking at your other recipies too for the other tiers. Carrot, choc fudge and vanilla xxx
For a wedding cake I usually do three layers of sponge to make the depth enough to wow, and yes poppyseeds can be added. Make sure to wrap the cake fully and well in cling film and then foil before freezing and it’ll be dandy! x
Hi Jane, I assume the recipe works just as well with orange instead of lemon zest? I would like to use the sponges as part of a giant Jaffa cake I want to make! Thank you!
Yesss it does! I’ve made it before with an orange theme and it was yummy 😍
Make made this cake as the two tiers for my first wedding cake. Its an awesome tasting cake and a fail safe. Many thsnks for your recipe and inspiration
Made this for my husband for his birthday and it went down a treat with him and the family. The sponge was so light and fresh. Will be making this again for sure!