Lemon Bundt Cake with Lemon Curd Filling

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.

If you love a good citrus bake, pair this with my lemon ricotta cake or the easy lemon olive oil cake for the ultimate lemon lineup.

This article contains affiliate links which support us at no extra cost to you.

This lemon curd cake is the one I make when I want people to walk into the kitchen smiling. A tender bundt with a ribbon of homemade lemon curd swirled through the middle, finished with a thick lemon glaze that runs into every groove of the pan. It tastes like the first warm afternoon of spring.

It started as a use it up recipe. I had a dozen leftover egg yolks from making an angel food cake, and my mom (the nonna in our house, not my mother in law Teresa) said the words that almost always come next in our kitchen: "make lemon curd." That batch of curd turned into this bundt, and it has been on repeat in our house ever since.

Why you will love this recipe

• Real lemon flavor in three layers: lemon zest in the batter, lemon curd swirled inside, lemon glaze on top
• Soft, tender crumb that stays moist for days
• Uses up leftover egg yolks in the homemade curd
• Make ahead friendly (the curd keeps 2 weeks, the cake freezes well)
• Dresses up for Easter brunch, Mother's Day, or a Sunday coffee table with nothing fancier than a dusting of powdered sugar

Ingredients

For the lemon bundt cake

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• ¾ cup whole wheat pastry flour (or more all purpose)
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• 6 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
• ⅓ cup canola oil
• 2 large eggs
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup lemon curd, divided (¼ cup for batter, ¼ cup for filling)
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest (organic if possible)
• 1 cup almond milk or buttermilk

For the homemade lemon curd

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
• ⅔ cup fresh lemon juice
• 8 large egg yolks
• ¼ teaspoon coarse salt
• 10 tablespoon butter

For the lemon glaze

• 3 cups confectioner's sugar
• 2 tablespoon granulated sugar (for the crunchy brush on layer)
• Juice of 2 lemons

Tip: if you want to skip making curd, a good jarred lemon curd works. Look for one that lists lemons, sugar, eggs, and butter as the main ingredients. My go to is the lemon curd from my homemade recipe because the flavor is unbeatable.

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. 

1. Make the lemon curd a few hours before making the cake (you want it to be completely cool before using). 

1. To make the lemon cake, first whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. 
2. Then, beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy. 
3. Add the rest of the wet ingredients to the butter mixture, followed by the dry. 
4. 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. 
5. 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 ½ 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.

Tips for Making Lemon Curd Cake

• If you don't have homemade lemon curd 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!). 
• Zest before you juice. You can't zest a squeezed lemon. Use organic lemons if you can find them. The zest is where most of the flavor lives and organic skins are not waxed. Keep the curd away from the edges of the pan. If it touches the sides, it caramelizes and the cake sticks.
• Room temperature eggs and butter mix into a smoother, higher rising batter. Let the cake cool fully before glazing. A warm cake melts the glaze into a puddle.

FAQ'S

MAKE AHEAD AND STORAGE

• Lemon curd: Make up to 2 weeks ahead. Store in a jar in the fridge.
• Baked cake (unglazed): Wrap tight and keep at room temperature for up to 3 days, or freeze up to 3 months.
• Glazed cake: Keeps at room temperature under a cake dome for 2 days, or in the fridge for 4 days. Bring to room temp before serving.
• Slices: Freeze individually wrapped. Perfect for an afternoon espresso.

More Lemon Desserts: 

• Lemon Ricotta Cake
• Lemon Curd Tart
• Lemon Cornmeal Cookies
• Lemon Meringue Pie
• Lemon Yogurt Cake
• Easy Lemon Olive Oil Cake
• Homemade Lemon Curd
• Crema al Limone
• Glazed Lemon Cookies
• Limoncello Spritz

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate this Recipe

5 from 23 votes

Lemon Curd Cake (Bundt Cake with Lemon Curd Filling)

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.

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time55 minutes mins

Chill Time (for lemon curd)2 hours hrs

Total Time3 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Bundt Cake, lemon, lemon curd

Servings: 10

Calories: 492kcal

Author: Lora

Ingredients

Lemon Cake:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup whole-wheat pastry flour (or you could use all-purpose flour)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• 6 Tablespoons butter , softened (I used Earth Balance Vegan sticks)
• ⅓ cup canola oil
• 2 large eggs
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup lemon curd , divided (¼ cup for batter, ¼ 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
• ⅔ cup fresh lemon juice (I used organic)
• 8 large egg yolks (egg whites reserved for another use)
• ¼ teaspoon coarse salt
• 10 tablespoon butter (I used vegan sticks)

Lemon Glaze:

• 3 cups confectioner's sugar
• 2 tablespoon 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 ½ 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 ¼ 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 ¼ 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 amount: This recipe uses ½ cup total lemon curd (¼ cup in the batter + ¼ cup layered in the middle).
• If using store-bought: A 10 oz jar is about 1¼ cups, so you'll have ~¾ cup leftover.
• If making homemade curd: The recipe yields about 1¾ to 2 cups. You still only need ½ cup for the cake, leaving you with 1¼ to 1½ cups extra.
• Don't overfill with curd: Stick to the ½ cup total or the cake can become too wet in the center.
• Extra curd ideas: Serve it on the side, spoon over slices, or use it for toast, yogurt, or another dessert. We love the lemon curd so much. It disappears quickly!

 

 

*Lemon curd adapted from Martha Stewart.

Nutrition

Calories: 492kcal | Carbohydrates: 123g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 18mg | Sodium: 350mg | Potassium: 64mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 59g | Vitamin A: 211IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 87mg | Iron: 2mg

Tried this recipe?Mention @savoringitaly or tag #savoringitaly!

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?

Tag @savoringitaly on Instagram and hashtag it #savoringitaly