READY IN 1 hr

Lemon Layer Cake

Read Reviews (17)

"An old fashioned lemon cake recipe. It is usually made up of 3 to 6 white cake layers with a cooked lemon filling between the layers and iced in Seven Minute Frosting." — Tonya

Directions

Prepare and bake cake mix according to package directions for three 8 inch round pans. Cool cakes completely, then split each in half to make 6 layers.
For the Lemon Custard: In a large saucepan or double boiler combine sugar and cornstarch. Mix well, then stir in egg yolks, lemon zest and lemon juice. slowly whisk in the boiling water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened. Remove from heat and stir in butter. Set aside to cool.
Place the bottom layer of cake on a serving plate. Spread with approximately 1/5 of the lemon custard. Repeat layers. Frost top and sides with Seven Minute Frosting (see footnote for link to recipe).

Kitchen-Friendly View

PREP 30 mins
COOK 30 mins
READY IN 1 hr

Footnotes

Frost this cake with Seven Minute Frosting.

Reviews More Reviews

Most Helpful Positive Review

Nov 01, 2003

This is a really good cake. I made it for my parents in law, with Meyer lemons from their tree, and they loved it so much that they saved the leftover lemon filling to use in some future dessert. It is worth the time and effort. It received rave reviews!

—KISSMISS

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Most Helpful Critical Review

Mar 16, 2009

This tasted great but the cake did not stay together. It was quite the mess(sliding all over the place). I have never made custard before and the directions did not give much indication as to how thick it should be so maybe I didn't get it thick enough but I will try again.

—Kimberly

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22 Ratings

Jul 23, 2004

This recipe was a huge hit! The cake is moist and recieved rave reviews from everyone. It is time consuming, but well worth it. I used only two pans and cut each one in half to make four layers. The frosting for me was more like 15 minute frosting as it took that long to get to peaks. But once again, it was very worth it. Thanks so much for this wonderful recipe!

—EEFOLSOM

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Mar 16, 2009

LOVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE it is the greatest cake in the worlddddddddddddd!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

—sammy

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Jun 19, 2007

Refreshingly delicious !!! I absolutely love the lemon custard - nice and tart without being overbearing. The 7 minute frosting was equally delicious - soooo marshmallow-y !! The light, sweet texture of the frosting completed the lemon flavor so nicely. I garnished with fresh raspberries & mint leaves. A definite do-again. If you would like to see a photo of my cake - look at the photo titled Lemon-y Layers :)

—hmstarr

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Dec 30, 2009

Try making this cake with a yellow cake mix and use a canned lemon pie filling for the center. Top with seven minute frosting and sprinkle the top and sides with coconut. That is my favorite cake for Easter. This recipe is the next best thing.

—JMT

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Jan 16, 2009

I made this cake today. It came out wonderful. I love the lemon filling. I just had to rate this recipe five stars. It's great.

—mickie

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Jun 21, 2010

The filling is delicious! Very tart and sweet too. I personally like my stuff on the sour side so if you do not like tartness, then use smaller lemons or a little less of the juice. Makes alot of filling! The only trouble I'm having is getting my cake layers to come out of the pan in one piece. I'm still new at this so I hope practice will make it better. I was only doing a trial run to see how this cake would be for my grandma's 90th birthday so I kindof rushed along and the cake was still warm when I was working so that could've been the problem. I did not use the 7min icing recipe..I found another buttercream recipe from this site that is very good...so I decided to use that instead.

—X-Tina =)

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Nutrition

Calories
319 kcal
16%

Carbohydrates
60.3 g
19%

Cholesterol
59 mg
20%

Fat
8.7 g
13%

Fiber
1.8 g
7%

Protein
3 g
6%

Sodium
306 mg
12%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Lemon Layer Cake

Serving Size: 1/12 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 12
Amount Per Serving
** Calories: 319
** Calories from Fat: 78

% Daily Value *
** Total Fat 8.7g 13 %
** Saturated Fat 2.9g 15 %
** Cholesterol 59mg 20 %
** Sodium 306mg 12 %
** Potassium 96mg 3 %
** Total Carbohydrates 60.3g 19 %
** Dietary Fiber 1.8g 7 %
** Protein 3g 6 %
** Sugars 44.1g
** Vitamin A 3 %
** Vitamin C 37 %
** Calcium 13 %
** Iron 9 %
** Thiamin 12 %
** Niacin 8 %
** Vitamin B6 4 %
** Magnesium 3 %
** Folate 26 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.