Description
This moist and creamy lemon chantilly cake is flavored entirely with fresh lemon juice and zest! It’s paired with a light and velvety chantilly cream that balances out the tangy lemon flavor.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Lemon Cake
- 330 g all-purpose flour, sifted (2 3/4 cups)
- 133 g vegetable oil (2/3 cup)
- 76 g unsalted butter, room temp (1/3 cup or 5 tbsp + 1 tsp)
- 300 g granulated sugar (1 1/2 cups)
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 large eggs, room temp
- 284 g sour cream, room temp (1 1/4 cups)
- 75 g whole milk, room temp (1/3 cup)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
- lemon slices for decoration (optional)
Chantilly Cream
- 16 oz cream cheese, room temp (2 blocks)
- 16 oz mascarpone cheese, room temp
- 8 oz unsalted butter (2 sticks)
- 2 3/4 cups confectioner’s sugar (22 oz)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream (8 fl oz)
- 2 tsp vanilla pudding mix
Simple Syrup
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100 g)
- 1/2 cup water (4 fl oz.)
- 1 tsp lemon juice (optional)
Instructions
- Prep Pans. Grease 3 x 8-inch round baking pans and line with parchment paper. Dust evenly with a thin coat of flour. Set aside. Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Mix Ingredients. In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment (or hand mixer), beat the oil, butter, and sugar together on high until pale white and light, 4-5 mins. Add eggs and vanilla and beat on high for 2 minutes until pale in color. With the mixer on low, add sifted flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in 2 or 3 batches until the mixture barely comes together. Don’t overmix. Pour in sour cream, milk, zest, and lemon juice, then use a whisk to mix by hand until the batter is evenly mixed. Be careful not to overmix. Pour batter evenly among the 3 prepped baking pans (I use a digital scale for this).
- Bake. Bake the cakes for 23-26 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of the center clean. When fully baked, carefully flip the cakes upside down on a cooling rack and pull off the parchment paper to allow steam to escape. Cool completely before icing (or tightly wrap the cakes once cool and refrigerate overnight for assembling the next day).
- Make Simple Syrup. Dissolve sugar in warm water. Add lemon juice and set aside.
- Make Chantilly Cream. In a large mixing bowl with whisk attachment (or hand mixer), whip the heavy cream on high until it creates soft peaks. Add pudding mix and vanilla extract and whip just until it creates stiff peaks. Scoop whipped cream into a separate bowl to set aside. In the same mixing bowl with paddle attachment, beat together the cream cheese, mascarpone, and butter on high speed until light in color and smooth, ~3 minutes. Add vanilla extract, lemon juice, and zest. Then add confectioner’s sugar in 2-3 batches with the mixer on low speed at first. Once all the sugar is in, increase the speed to medium-high and beat until fully combined, 1-2 minutes. Using a silicone spatula or large spoon, scoop whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture, and fold together until fully incorporated. Folding ensures we don’t knock out all the air in the whipped cream. If making ahead, refrigerate cream overnight, and when you’re ready for it, let it rest at room temp for 30 minutes to loosen up.
- Assemble. Slice off the tops of each cake layer with a serrated knife so they are flat. On your cake stand, place your first layer in the center upside-down. Use a brush to apply the simple syrup on the surface of the cake. No need to douse it, just brush the entire surface area – you might not use all of the syrup. Scoop about a cup of the chantilly cream onto the cake layer and cover evenly. Repeat for the next 2 layers. Cover the sides with a thin layer of icing to catch all of the crumbs (called the crumb coat). Refrigerate or freeze the cake plus the rest of the cream for 30 minutes to set. After cooled, use the rest of the cream to give the cake a final coat, and pipe any decorations you want! I like to pipe some cream on top with a Wilton 1M star tip, lemon slices, and greenery (from my backyard).
- Slice + Serve. Cool the cake for another 30 minutes before slicing to help it hold its shape. Refrigerate the cake for up to 3 days to enjoy or freeze leftover slices to enjoy another time!
Notes
- Make-Ahead Instructions. You can absolutely make the cake and chantilly cream the day before! Wrap each cake layer tightly and refrigerate overnight along with the chantilly cream. Before frosting, let the chantilly cream sit out at room temp for 30 mins to loosen up so that it’s easier to frost. Frosted slices or unfrosted layers can be frozen up to 3 months – defrost overnight in the fridge or at room temp to enjoy again.
- 2 x 8″ round pans to make 4-layer Cake. This recipe can also be baked in 2 round pans instead of 3. Just use the toothpick test to see when the cakes are finished baking. Slice each cake in half to assemble 4 layers. I don’t recommend making a 2-layer cake from this because there will be less simple syrup and icing that keeps the layers moist.
- 9 x 13″ Sheet Cake – Lemon Chantilly Cream Sheet Cake. This batter can be baked in a 9 x 13″ pan for a super simple sheet cake! Use the toothpick test to gauge how long to bake it for since it will take longer than 25 minutes. You’ll want to halve the chantilly cream recipe since there won’t be layers to frost.
- 3 dozen Cupcakes – Lemon Chantilly Cream Cupcakes. If you prefer the size and ease of cupcakes, this recipe can be baked into 3 dozen cupcakes. Fill the cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake at 350°F for 19-22 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. You can also halve this recipe if you want fewer cupcakes.
Keywords: chantilly cake, easter recipes, lemon cake