Lemon cake is such a classic flavour and my Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Curd Filling are a super popular recipe on my blog, so I really wanted to create a larger lemon cake version for you all to enjoy. This Triple Lemon Cake is made up of three layers of lemon sponge flavoured with lemon zest. I've filled and topped them with sweet lemon buttercream and zingy lemon curd - the lemon curd is really what makes this recipe extra special!
How to make Triple Lemon Cake
To make the sponge, mix the butter and sugar together. Add eggs and whisk well. Then mix in the lemon juice and self raising flour. Finally stir in the lemon zest.
Divide the mixture between three 8″ tins and bake for 35-40 minutes until golden.
To make the buttercream, mix together butter, icing sugar, lemon extract and milk until smooth. Then stack up the sponges, piping buttercream and drizzling lemon curd between each layer. Finish the Triple Lemon Cake with more buttercream and lemon curd on top, lemon jelly sweets and yellow sprinkles.
Can this cake be made in different sized tins?
Yes! I made this recipe in 8" tins, if you would like to convert it to different size tins, please check out my Conversion Guide for details on how to adjust the ingredients.
Can this can be made into cupcakes?
Yes! Check my my Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Curd Filling recipe for details.
What lemon curd should you use?
If you are using a shop bought lemon curd, make sure to get a good quality one. They are worth the extra pennies for that delicious lemon zing! If you fancy giving Homemade Lemon Curd a try, check out my recipe. It's easy and quick to make with only a few ingredients, it's also creamy and silky smooth, and the flavour is incredible!
How long does the Triple Lemon Cake last for and can you freeze it?
The cake will keep in an airtight container for 3 days in a cool place. You can freeze the sponges either alone, or decorated (but do not freeze the sprinkles or lemon jellies). Once the sponges are fully cool, wrap them well with cling film or put them in an airtight container with some baking paper between them. You can freeze the buttercream on it's own in a tub, or you can decorate the cake and freeze it fully assembled.
To do this and avoid damage to the decoration, freeze it either in an airtight container. Or let it freeze solid on a cake board or plate, then wrap in cling film. Remove the cling film when you take it out to defrost it, if you don't it could damage the decoration as it defrosts and softens. You can also freeze slices of the cake, again well wrapped in cling film or in airtight containers.
More tips for making the Triple Lemon Cake:
- I really do recommend using lemon extract for the buttercream, lemon juice is not as concentrated in flavour and you won't get the same lemony zing from it. You can find lemon extract in most supermarkets, I've bought it in Tesco before, and you can buy it online via Amazon (see my recommended products section below).
- To decorate the cake, I used lemon jelly sweets and sprinkles. You could decorate with some simple curls of lemon zest or lemon slices instead if you like.
- I used a Wilton 8B nozzle to pipe the buttercream onto the cake.
Recommended equipment & ingredients*
- 8" cake tins
- Mixing bowls
- Cooling rack
- Kitchen scales
- Electric hand mixer
- Round cake tin liners
- Piping bags
- Wilton 8B Piping nozzle
- Zester
- Lemon extract
- Lemon Curd
*I earn a small amount of money if you buy the products after clicking on the links. You will not be charged anything extra for this. Thank you for supporting The Baking Explorer!
More lemon recipes...
Triple Lemon Cake
Ingredients
For the sponge
- 500 g Butter or baking spread
- 500 g Caster sugar
- 9 Eggs large
- 5 Lemons zested
- 4 tbsp Lemon juice
- 500 g Self raising flour
For the buttercream & filling
- 300 g Butter
- 600 g Icing sugar
- 5 tsp Lemon extract
- 2 tbsp Milk
- 200 g Lemon curd good quality shop bought or homemade
For the decoration
- Lemon jelly sweets optional
- Yellow sprinkles optional
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 160C Fan/180C/350F/Gas Mark, and grease and line three 8 inch sandwich tins that are at least 2" deep
- To make the sponge, mix together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Use an electric mixer for the best results
- Add the eggs (I add them all at once, or you can add two or three at a time) and whisk them in
- Add the lemon juice and the self raising flour and whisk it in
- Then fold in the lemon zest
- Divide the mixture between the three cake tins, I like to weigh it out for accuracy so the layers are even
- Bake them for around 35-40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Then remove them from the tins carefully and let them cool completely on a cooling rack. Or you can cool them in the tins
- To make the buttercream, mix together the butter and icing sugar, for best results use an electric mixer
- When it starts to come together add the lemon extract and milk, and whisk until smooth. If it is too stiff, add a little more milk
- Stack the sponges up on your plate or cake stand, piping buttercream between each layer and drizzling the lemon curd over the buttercream
- When you get to the last layer add the sprinkles and lemon jelly sweets if using
- Serve immediately, store leftovers in an airtight container in a cool place and eat within 3 days
Video
Notes
- 350g Butter
- 350g Caster sugar
- 6 Eggs
- 3 Lemons, zested
- 3 tbsp Lemon juice
- 350g Self raising flour
- 250g Butter
- 500g Icing sugar
- 3 ½ tsp Lemon extract
- 150g Lemon curd
Nutrition
If you like this, check out more of my Cake recipes!
I'm linking this recipe up with Cook Blog Share hosted by Easy Peasy Foodie, and Fiesta Fridays hosted by Kat's 9 Lives and Life Diet Health.
Kat @ Kat's 9 Lives
This cake looks absolutely delicious! I love the bright colors; you decorated it perfectly!
thebakingexplorer
Thank you so much!
April
Hi Kat,
Thanks for helping us with this recipe , I’m going to try it tomorrow but would like to make it four 8inch layers, could you help with how to adjust this at all? If not I was going to double and then just have 2 layers left over.
Also does lemon buttercream colour easily? I’m hoping to colour purple. Many thanks for your help.
thebakingexplorer
Hi April, to make an extra layer, divide the ingredient amounts by three (so you'll get the amount for one layer), then times them by four - this will be the amount for four layers. Yes the buttercream will colour well, however I do recommend using a professional food colouring such as Pro Gel, Sugarflair or Colour Mill for the best results. The food colouring you get from supermarkets is not very good. Let me know how the cake goes!
Life Diet Health
Oh my Kat, that is one perfect looking cake! Like, totally perfect! 😀 That must have taken ages to decorate so beautifully! Well done! Thanks for sharing at Fiesta Friday (you might want to update your links to this weeks co-hosts)! 😀
thebakingexplorer
Thank you! Yes I always publish my posts pn Friday mornings before the new hosts are announced, then I update the links later in the day 😀
Ai | Ai made it for you
Kat, this cake looks delicious! Hope you're doing well with the baby❤️
thebakingexplorer
Thank you! Yes we're doing well thank you 🙂
Cat | Curly's Cooking
What a pretty looking cake. I love lemon cake and that you've crammed as much lemon in as possible 🙂
thebakingexplorer
Thanks Cat! I made it as lemony as I could 😀
Monika Dabrowski
I think anything sugary tastes even better with lemon. Your cake sounds looks just gorgeous!
thebakingexplorer
Thanks Monika, I agree!
Idowu
Please how do I make my own self raising flour as we don't have that in my country?
Thank you
thebakingexplorer
Hi, the general advice is to add two teaspoons (proper measuring spoons, not the kind you stir coffee with) of baking powder to every 200g all purpose flour. I hope that helps!
Jacqui Bellefontaine
Three layers of lemony yumminess now your talking. This cake looks perfect.
thebakingexplorer
Thanks Jacqui!
Eb Gargano | Easy Peasy Foodie
Wow - what a cake. That looks amazing 😀 Thanks for linking up to #CookBlogShare. Eb x
thebakingexplorer
Thank you Eb!
Randalle
What a beautiful cake - I love lemon-y desserts, and I can imagine the lemon curd would really counterbalance the sweetness of the cake / frosting nicely.
thebakingexplorer
Thank you! It really does balance out the sweetness so well!
Precious Osazee
9 eggs ain’t enough for a tall 8 inch cake. 12 would have been better. Or maybe I should have used 9 large eggs?
thebakingexplorer
Hi Precious, yes it is 9 large eggs, I've updated the recipe now to reflect that 🙂
Karen
Hi
It looks fab
The recipe states 4tablespoons of lemon juice and then in the directions you state lemon juice from one lemon. Can you advise please,
Many thanks
Karen
thebakingexplorer
Hi, sorry for not being clear, it's because the juice from one lemon equated to 4 tbsp worth of juice so you know exactly how much I used. I hope that makes sense!
Kayleigh
Hello, would it work if covered this cake in fondant? I’m thinking of turning it into my daughter’s giraffe birthday cake.
thebakingexplorer
Hi Kayleigh, yes absolutely you could cover this in fondant. Although you would have to cover the top and sides with a thin layer of buttercream to help the fondant stick rather than decorating it like I did (you probably already know that, but I wanted to mention it just in case as I don't know your baking experience) I hope your daughter has a lovely birthday!
Kayleigh
Thank you so much for coming back to me! I’ll let you know how it turns out ?
grace
did you use unsalted butter? or something like stalk x
thebakingexplorer
Hi Grace, yes you can use either unsalted butter or a baking spread like Stork.
Sam
So although my cake certainly didn’t compare visually to yours, it tasted delicious and was so fluffy! I don’t usually have much luck with sponge cakes but I was so pleased with this one. Thank you Kat for sharing all of your recipes! Now to decide what to bake next x
thebakingexplorer
I'm so happy you enjoyed this cake! Thank you Sam!
Lucy
Hi
The cake looks amazing.
I'm actually going to use the recipie for my father in laws birthday cake except I'll be covering it in meringue as lemon meringue is his favourite.
Can I just ask are you baking tins 8 inch by 2 inch?
That's the tins I'm going to be using and I just wanted to check the ingredient quantities would be the right amount.
Thankyou xx
thebakingexplorer
Hi Lucy, I think I already answered you on Facebook, but yes the are 8" wide and 2" tall - happy baking! 🙂
Emma Swift
Hi Kat,
Is it possible to put all of the mix in to 1 x 10” cake tin as this is all I have😩, and obviously cook it for longer?
I have used the handy conversion chart for then ingredients (Thank you it was most helpful)
It is for the bottom layer of my daughters 21st birthday cake and this is her favourite.
Starting to feel the pressure😳
thebakingexplorer
Hi Emma, providing you have converted the ingredients to fit a 10" tin then I don't see why this wouldn't be ok. Definitely convert as per the chart beforehand. Let me know if you have any more questions. I'm sure your daughter is going to love her cake!
Christina
The cake looks brilliant, I'm definitely going to bake it for my Mum's birthday!
I was just wondering, Can I use granulated sugar instead of Caster sugar?
thebakingexplorer
Thank you! You can use granulated yes, I hope your mum enjoys the cake!
Briony
Made this for my dad's 60th in July last year! He was thrilled and it tasted delicious!!
Sally
Another amazing recipe!! Recently did this for a friends birthday cake and it turned out beautifully!
Nadine
Hello! I am planning to bake this beautiful cake on Sunday for my mums birthday.
I am using your conversion details to bake a 3 tier 6" cake.
My question is, once made the mixture for the 3 sponges, do you bake all 3 in the oven at same time? 2 on one shelf, one on the other? Or can I mix the ingredients bake one Sponge at a time? If so will the mixture okay sittingvin the tin what the other ones bake? Many thanks 😊
thebakingexplorer
Hi Nadine, if three cake tins can fit in your oven then yes definitely bake them all together. All ovens are different regarding how they circulate heat so it depends what your oven is like as to which shelves you bake them on. I tend to do two in the middle and one above in my oven. If they don't all fit, then make the batter in batches. I do not advise leaving uncooked batter on the side as the cake will not bake as nicely as the others and it will affect the final result. I hope that helps!
Nadine
Perfect! Thank you. I did each one separately and they turned out perfect.
I love it as did my kids and especially my Mum! Was a huge hit x
thebakingexplorer
That's fantastic to hear Nadine, I'm so pleased you all liked it!
Jess
Hi , I’m planning to make a lemon and white chocolate drip cake for Easter and want to use this recipe for the lemon cake . I was wondering if this cake would be sturdy enough to be crumb coated and then final coated ? Xx💕
thebakingexplorer
Hi Jess, yes it'll be absolutely fine for that!
Bex
Hi Jess, amazing cake recipe!! I would like to make this but only a 2 layered cake, using 8 " sandwich tins but not sure how to calculate the ingredient measures correctly?
Thanks for your help 🙂
thebakingexplorer
Hi Bex, to make two layers just use two thirds of the ingredients, so divide by three then multiple by two, I hope that helps! 🙂 Also I'm Kat 🙂
Bex
That's perfect thank you Kat (so sorry I saw the comment above and typed it without checking 🤦🏼♀️)
Cannot wait to try making this!
Holly Tomlinson
Brilliant recipe, really enjoyed creating this for a Birthday Cake!
Can't wait to try out some more 🙂
Kayleigh Hughes
Made this at the request of my brother for his birthday. Brilliant recipe. So easy to follow, absolutely fool proof! The cake tastes absolutely delicious. The sponge is so soft. Trying to decide which of your wonderful recipes I'm going to try next!
Sophie
Hello!
I’d just like to double check as I’ve overthought it and confused myself haha - for the sponge are you using actual lemon juice and not extract? So I could use the juice from the lemons I’ll use the zest from?
Thanks in advance 🙂
thebakingexplorer
Hi Sophie, yes that's right 🙂 it's more for extra moisture in the sponge as the zest provides most of the flavour in the sponge, plus it's a great way to use the lemons you've zested 😀
Sherrie Lujan
I love the flavor of this cake but my sponge part of the cake did not happen. Mine was very dense. Please help!!
thebakingexplorer
Hi Sherrie, there are a few reasons this could've happened: your self raising flour (or baking powder if you used plain flour) was out of date or not fresh, the butter and sugar were not mixed together enough until fluffy (or were over mixed), ingredient amounts were changed, not pre-heating the oven, or using a different sized cake tin. Without more information I can't say exactly which one was the issue for you, but hopefully this will help you for next time 🙂
Sherrie Lujan
Thank you for your quick reply. The self-rising is a brand new sack, the oven was definitely reheated, and the tins are 8 inch tins. How can I tell if the butter and sugar are over beaten or under beaten?
thebakingexplorer
Hi Sherrie, the ideal time to beat them for is 1-2 minutes. I hope that helps!
Sherrie Lujan
Thank you. I think that was my problem. One more question. Do you sift the self-rising flour at all? Would that make a difference?
thebakingexplorer
Hi Sherri, I'm glad we got to the bottom of it 🙂 I never sift self raising flour but it can assist with reducing denseness so you can absolutely try it! Let me know how it goes!
Pkal
Beautifully simple yet a showstopper of a cake. Baked it for my friends and they loved it!
Hollie
I made this cake for my daughters first birthday and it was absolutely delicious! I made some extra buttercream and used it on the outside too, great sized cake and great recipe - thanks for sharing 🙂
thebakingexplorer
I'm so happy you liked it Hollie! Thank you so much for the lovely feedback 😀