This Lemon Curd Cake is sure to brighten any party or special event! It’s bursting with lemon flavor from the lemon zest and homemade lemon curd in the cake itself, and the fresh lemon glaze drizzled on top.
Lemon Curd-Filled Bundt Cake
Are you getting hit with a bomb cyclone or with a heat wave? Whatever your weather situation it, SPRING is here and this lemon curd cake with lemon glaze spells sunshine and happiness! It makes people smile when I make it.
Heck, it makes me absolutely GIDDY! Yes, I said giddy. I happened to make an angel food cake recently and was stuck with a dozen leftover egg yolks. So what I normally do is make lemon curd and use it for different things. My people were requesting a glazed lemon cake, so it became a Bundt cake with lemon curd filling kind of a day!
I used to be quite the Bundt baking fanatic. I even started a monthly Bundt baking group called #BundtaMonth. Every month we offered a Bundt baking theme and everyone around the world joined in with their delectable Bundts. 100’s of Bundts were made those years we were all baking together. I will be continuing the #BundtaMonth project in 2019 and each month I plan to share here a different Bundt cake with all of you. This Bundt cake with a lemon curd cake filling is my April addition and I hope you love it as much as we did!
What’s Needed for Lemon Curd Cake?
For the lemon Bundt cake itself and the lemon cake filling, you’ll need:
- All-purpose flour
- Whole wheat pastry flour
- Baking powder and baking soda
- Salt
- Granulated sugar
- Unsalted butter
- Canola oil
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Lemon curd
- Lemon zest
- Milk
And to make the lemon glaze for the Bundt cake, you’ll need:
- Confectioner’s sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Lemon juice
How to Make Lemon Curd Cake
This lemon cake with lemon curd filling has a few different components, but overall it’s a super easy recipe to whip up.
- Make the lemon curd a few hours before making the cake (you want it to be completely cool before using).
- To make the lemon cake, first whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
- Then, beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy.
- Add the rest of the wet ingredients to the butter mixture, followed by the dry.
- Turn half of the cake batter into a greased Bundt pan, then smooth the remaining lemon curd on top. Pour the rest of the batter over the lemon curd filling.
- Bake the lemon curd cake until done, then top with lemon glaze.
How to Make Lemon Glaze for a Bundt Cake
To make the glaze for the curd-filled Bundt cake, I will usually start with 1 1/2 cups of confectioner’s sugar. Next, I add the milk one tablespoon at a time (you can use heavy cream or non-dairy milk as well). Keep adding and stirring together until it is thick enough, but note that it should still be spreadable. If you added too much milk, thicken it out again with a little more powdered sugar.
So nonna (my mom, not my mother-in-law, nonna) was here on the day I made this cake and let me tell you something. To be completely honest, she is never, and I mean NEVER, happy with my glazes. They are never thick enough. I gave her my confectioner's sugar, and of course, I was almost running out of it.
She swore it would be enough to glaze this beauty. And go figure, halfway while she was glazing it on, it ran out. I'm not kidding!! But she wanted me to show you guys this photo below. This...this is how thick it should be. And this is for my reference, mostly, and anyone else that needs a little reminder on how thick the glaze should look. I should have done a video ...so that will be our next project here.
Can I Freeze Lemon Curd Cake?
Yes, you can freeze the entire cake or individual slices. Just note that this lemon curd-filled Bundt cake freezes best without the glaze on top.
Tips for Making Lemon Curd Cake
If you don't have homemade lemon curd on hand and don’t care to make your own, you could totally leave it out or use a high-quality store-bought version. The cake is all about the LEMONS and it is truly wonderful.
Before glazing the cake, I brush it with sugar mixed with lemon juice, which makes this nice crunchy lemon topping.
After glazing the lemon curd cake, I sprinkled a little lemon zest on top (it's so pretty!).
More Lemon Desserts:
Lemon Bundt Cake with Lemon Curd Filling
Ingredients
Lemon Cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour (or you could use all-purpose flour)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons butter , softened (I used Earth Balance Vegan sticks)
- 1/3 cup canola oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup lemon curd , divided (1/4 cup for batter, 1/4 cup for filling)
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest (I used organic)
- 1 cup almond milk (or buttermilk)
Lemon Curd:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
- 2/3 cup fresh lemon juice (I used organic)
- 8 large egg yolks (egg whites reserved for another use)
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
- 10 Tbsp butter (I used vegan sticks)
Lemon Glaze:
- 3 cups confectioner’s sugar
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- juice of two lemons
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray with baking spray a 10- or 12-cup Bundt pan, making sure to get into all the grooves of the pan.
Make the Lemon Curd:
- If you are making your own lemon curd, prep the curd the a few hours (or night)before so will be completely cool. Whisk together in a medium sized sauce pan the sugar, zest, and egg yolks; whisk in lemon juice and salt.
- Place the pan over medium heat and add in the vegan butter sticks (or butter). Stir until the butter has melted. Keep stirring until the curd is thick enough to coat back of a wooden spoon. Take care not to boil and to whisk very quickly; 5-7 minutes.
- Spoon out the curd over a fine-mesh sieve into a glass bowl. Be sure to spoon it out a small portion at a time into the sieve. Place plastic wrap over the surface of the curd and refrigerate for 2-3 hours or overnight.
Make the Cake:
- In large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, cream butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar until pale and fluffy using the paddle attachment (you could also beat it with a hand mixer), 4-5 minutes.
- Add in the oil. Beat in the eggs one by one, waiting until each has been incorporated to add the next. Be sure to scrape the mixing bowl after each addition of the eggs. Add the vanilla and mix to combine.
- Add in the lemon zest and 1/4 cup lemon curd and mix well.
- Add half of the flour mixture to the mixer beat on low speed until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to incorporate.
- Add in the almond milk (or buttermilk)and beat until incorporated followed by the remaining flour mixture; scrape the sides of the bowl to incorporate.
- Spoon half of the cake batter into the Bundt pan; spread evenly with a spatula. Spoon the 1/4 cup remaining lemon curd around the batter (make sure not to touch the edge pan). Spread on the rest of the batter evenly with a spatula. Tap the pan heavily on the counter a few times to help even out the batter and remove air pockets.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean and the top springs back when lightly pressed.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 to 20 minutes, then flip the pan onto a cooling rack set inside a baking sheet. Tap the pan heavily onto the rack.
Make the Glaze:
- Before I glazed the cake, I mixed two tablespoons sugar and some lemon juice in a small bowl. I brushed that on the cake and let it sink in.
- In another small bowl combine the confectioners’ sugar with lemon juice. Add more juice (or water) if too thick or more confectioner’s sugar to make it to your liking.
Nutrition Disclaimer
Please keep in mind that the nutritional information presented below is an approximation and may vary depending on the exact ingredients used.
Notes
- Lemon curd adapted from Martha Stewart.
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?
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Jocelyn (Grandbaby Cakes) says
What an absolutely gorgeous gorgeous cake!!!
Lora says
Thank you, Jocelyn!
Sara Welch says
What a great cake for Easter brunch or a spring picnic! I will have to make this over spring break next week!
Bee says
I am totally drooling with this cake. It looks so lovely!!
Lora says
Thank you, Bee!!
Chrissie Baker says
Anything with lemon curd inside has my vote! Gorgeous cake!
Lora says
Thanks so much, Chrissie! I feel the same about lemon curd 🙂
Catalina says
This bundt cake looks heavenly! May I have this for breakfast tomorrow?
Beth Pierce says
I love this so much! Looks so sweet and moist; perfect dessert on a warm spring evening!
Lora says
Thank you so much, Beth!! It is perfect for these warmer spring evenings!
Jade Manning says
This is the perfect dessert my family will beg for more!
Sandra | A Dash of Sanity says
I love lemon desserts! And this one looks really amazing!
Lora says
Thank you, Sandra!
Veronica Kristapovich says
When does one add the oil?
Lora says
In step 2 of Cake directions: after you cream the butter, add the sugar.Next, add the oil. Happy Baking!
Adrienne says
This cake was relatively easy and has a great "wow" factor. Turned out nice and moist with a good lemon flavor. Keep in mind that the lemon curd recipe makes quite a bit more than you actually need for the cake. I drizzled some of the extra on top instead of making a separate glaze. Yum!
Lora says
Great tip to use up the extra curd!!! I didn't have any extra, otherwise, would do what you did!! Happy Baking XX
ashok says
Thanks For sharing this great recipe. My family Loved it. I am definitely sharing this recipe and this website with my friend. Hope they also love it. Thank you again for sharing such a great recipe.
Sandy says
If I use store bought lemon curd how much do I use for the filling?
Lora says
Hi Sandy-You would use 1 jars (10 oz) lemon curd. Happy Baking!
Irene says
Sorry but why do you say to get 20 oz of lemon curd when the recipe only asks for 4 ozs(1/2 cup)
Lora says
Yes, that's right...1 jar should be enough (1/2 cup...1/4 cup for the cake and 1/4 for the filling). In case you want extra lemon curd in the filling, buy two jars.
Sheleigh Hight says
Could you brush the cake with a mixture of sugar and Limoncello instead of lemon juice?
Lora says
Hi Sheleigh...sure, why not! That sounds delightful! Let me know how it turned out! Happy Baking! XX
Beth says
I'm totally confused by the lemon curd. It says a 1/4 cup but does it mean 1/4 of the total curd? Why are we making so much if we're not going to use it all?
Lora says
Hi Beth-1/4 cup of lemon curd goes into the cake batter and mixed in. Then if you read step 7: Spoon half of the cake batter into the Bundt pan; spread evenly with a spatula. Spoon the 1/4 cup remaining lemon curd around the batter (make sure not to touch the edge pan). Spread on the rest of the batter evenly with a spatula.
So some curd goes into batter, some in middle of cake. If you have any of the lemon curd leftover, enjoy it with a spoon...it's soooo good! Enjoy!
Beth says
Yes, it's delicious, but the lemon curd makes 2 cups. You note to put the "remaining" 1/4 cup but there's 1 1/2 C leftover, (that's a lot to eat with a spoon). Are you sure you don't mean 1/4 of the curd? 1/4 C doesn't make it around the pan. I put 1/2 C in the batter, 1/4 C in the frosting, ate a few spoonfuls, and the rest in the middle of the cake. To me the recipe should read put 1/4 of the curd (not 1/4 C) in the batter and the rest in the middle. OR make a 1/2 batch of the curd so their isn't so much.