How to make a delicious lemon meringue cake recipe with a light and pillowy cake, two sweet and tart fillings, homemade lemon curd, and mascarpone whipped frosting, and a pretty meringue decoration.

If you like tangy, indulgent desserts then you absolutely must try this delicious lemon meringue cake with its fluffy genoise, lemon filling and meringue frosting.

The perfect combination of lemon and meringue is a must in pastry and dessert, as in the very popular and delicious lemon meringue pie that already seduces all lemon lovers.

But this tart and sweet combination is also perfect as a lemon meringue layer cake, perfect for special occasions like a birthday or other celebrations.

Made with an ultra soft and fluffy sponge cake filled with a layer of homemade lemon curd with an extra layer of mascarpone whipped cream frosting perfect for softening the lemon flavor.

This lemon cake is also completely covered with a beautiful frosting made of Italian meringue, with a silky smooth texture, perfect to soften all the flavors and give a very indulgent finish.

Prepare this lemon dessert that will be perfect for a birthday cake or any occasion and will please everyone for a change from the usual chocolate party cakes.

>> See all the layer cake recipes from the blog

Composition

Here is the delicious composition of this lemon meringue cake and the other possible frosting options, scroll down the page to see the recipe card with the quantities.

Lemon cake

For the basic sponge cake, I used my favorite plain molly cake recipe, lightly flavored with freshly squeezed lemon juice and lemon zest. Its texture is amazing, soft, and light because it's made without butter, but instead of heavy cream which gives it that super fluffy crumb even after a cold spell.

Filling

There is a layer of lemon curd that we usually use to fill lemon pie or lemon meringue tart, it is a lemon filling very easy to make at home made with egg yolks or whole eggs, lemon juice, lemon zest, granulated sugar and unsalted butter.

I also added an extra layer of my favorite frosting to go with the lemon curd filling, mascarpone whipped cream which is a light frosting and perfect for softening the tartness of the cake.

Frosting

For the meringue frosting, I like to use the Italian meringue recipe which is very easy to make with only 3 ingredients, egg whites, water, and sugar. It has a perfect fluffy meringue texture to make that burnt effect on desserts.

You can easily replace this frosting with a Swiss meringue buttercream or a classic vanilla buttercream for a smooth effect and add some Italian meringue for decoration.

>> See all the frosting and filling recipes from the blog

⚠️ You will find the quantities and complete instructions in the recipe card at the end of the page.

How to make lemon meringue layer cake

1 - Lemon cake batter

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, place the eggs with the sugar, vanilla extract, lemon juice and fresh lemon zest and beat on high speed for about 5 to 7 minutes until the mixture doubles in volume.
Meanwhile, beat the heavy cream in a medium bowl until it becomes a thick whipped cream, then set aside.
Lower the speed of the mixer and add the dry ingredients, flour, salt and baking powder, then mix at medium speed just until incorporated.
With a spatula, gently fold in the whipped cream until the mixture is well blended.
Divide the cake batter in 3 and pour it in each cake pan previously lined with a sheet of parchment paper only in the bottom of the pan.
Bake the cake in a preheated oven at 320°F / 160°C for about 40 - 45 minutes until it is slightly domed and golden brown on top.
Allow the cakes to cool in their pans before gently unmolding them and placing them upside down on a cake rack until they cool completely.

Tips: At the end of the baking time, insert a toothpick in the center of the cake to check the baking, if it comes out clean it's done. You can also delicately remove the crust of the cake with a small knife to have nice layers of white sponge cake without demarcation.

2 - Lemon curd filling

In a medium bowl, mix the eggs, fresh lemon juice, sugar and fresh lemon zest.
Then heat in a double boiler over a saucepan with a little water and cook until the mixture thickens, stirring constantly with a whisk.
Remove from the heat and add the butter pieces and stir to incorporate them.
Then let the lemon curd cool completely in the refrigerator until ready to assemble.

3- Mascarpone frosting

Place all ingredients, cold mascarpone cheese, cold heavy cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract in a medium bowl.
Mix with an electric mixer at medium speed for about 3 minutes until smooth and firm.
Keep in the refrigerator until ready to assemble.

Tip: Make the mascarpone whipped cream at the last moment of setting up and be careful not to whip it too much as it may be grainy.

4 - Meringue Frosting

In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, place the room-temperature egg whites and beat on medium-slow speed.
Meanwhile, prepare the sugar syrup in a saucepan by mixing the water and sugar powder and heat over medium heat.
Monitor the temperature, which should be at least 244°F/ 118°C.
Lower the speed of the mixer and pour the sugar syrup over the egg whites, which should be just foamy at this point.
Resume fast speed and mix until the meringue is shiny, and completely cooled with stiff peaks form.

5 - Assembling the cake

Place the first cake layer on a cake board on a turntable.
Cover with a layer of mascarpone frosting, then use a piping bag to make a sausage and fill the center with lemon curd filling.
Cover with a new layer of mascarpone frosting and place the second layer of cake and repeat this step until the last layer of cake.
If possible, cover the whole cake with a very thin layer of mascarpone whipped cream and smooth it with an angled spatula.
Finish the cake with the Italian meringue and then blow the meringue with a blowtorch to burn it.
Place the lemon meringue cake on a plate and keep in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

cake with mascarpone frosting filled with lemon curd

cake filled with whipped frosting and lemon curd

Conservation

Lemon meringue cake rest can only be stored in the refrigerator in a storage box or under plastic wrap for about 3 to 4 days.

You can make cake layers 1-2 days in advance and store them either in the fridge or at room temperature wrapped in plastic wrap..

Lemon curd can also be made 2-3 days in advance and stored in the fridge in a jar with a lid or under plastic wrap.

Make the frostings at the last minute just before assembling and decorating the lemon layer cake.

More layer cake recipes

More lemon recipes

slice of lemon meringue cake on a plate with a fork

Did you like this recipe? Don't forget to rate it and leave me a review in the comments! And to not miss any recipes follow @sweetlycakes on Instagram and tag me to share it if you make this recipe 😊!

Lemon Meringue Cake

Author: Fadela
Total Time: 45 minute
Yield: 10 slices

Print Recipe

Save Recipe

Description

Delicious lemon meringue cake with a soft sponge cake, a mascarpone whipped cream filling and a lemon curd filling and Italian meringue frosting (for a 6 inch / 15 cm diameter cake - about 10 - 12 slices)

Ingredients

Lemon Cake

3 eggs - large at room temperature, about 190g
190 g (1 cup) Sugar - granulated
2 tsp. Vanilla extract
½ lemon juice + 1 zest - optional
190 ml (¾ cup) Heavy cream - full fat and cold
190 g (1 ½ cups) Flour - cake flour
7 g (1 tsp) baking powder
1 pinch of salt

Lemon curd

100 g (½ cup) Sugar - granulated
1-2 lemon juice - about 55 ml
1 lemon zest
2 eggs approx. 100 g
60 g (¼ cup) butter - unsalted

Mascarpone frosting

150 g (5 oz) Mascarpone cheese - cold
250 ml (1 cup) Heavy cream - full fat and very cold
2-3 tbsp. Powdered sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla extract

Meringue Frosting

2 egg whites at room temperature
46 g (¼ cup) Water
150 g (¾ cup) Sugar - granulated

Instructions

Cake batter

Place the eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, lemon juice, and zest in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on high speed with the whisk attachment for 5 to 7 minutes until the mixture doubles in volume.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix and sift together the dry ingredients, cake flour, salt, and baking powder and set aside.
In another large bowl, whip the heavy cream with an electric mixer on medium speed until stiff.
Lower the speed of the mixer and if possible change the whisk for the paddle attachment and add the dry ingredients.
Then add the whipped cream and gently fold it in with the paddle attachment or a spatula until you have a well-mixed cake batter.
Pour the cake batter into 3 cake pans 6 inches / 15 cm in diameter, lined with parchment paper only in the bottom of the pan (if you have only one pan, bake in 3 batches).
And cook in a preheated oven at 320°F/ 160°C for about 40 minutes. (check the baking by plunging a toothpick into the center of the cake, it should come out clean which indicates that it is well baked in the center)
Let the cakes cool a little before gently running a knife around the edges and unmolding them.
Then place them upside down on a wire rack to cool completely.
Cover with plastic wrap and place the cakes in the fridge until ready to assemble.

Lemon curd filling

Heat the eggs, sugar, lemon juice, and zest in a double boiler, stirring constantly with a whisk until the mixture thickens (about 15-20 minutes).
Remove from heat and stir in the butter pieces with a whisk until you have a smooth cream.
Strain the mixture through a fine sieve, then cover and place in the fridge until cool.

Mascarpone frosting

When assembling the cake, make the mascarpone whipped cream by mixing together all the ingredients in a medium bowl, the cold mascarpone cheese, the cold heavy cream, the powdered sugar, and the vanilla extract.
Beat with an electric whisk for about 3 minutes at medium speed until you have a firm whipped cream.

Meringue frosting

Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and mix at slow-medium speed.
Meanwhile, prepare the sugar syrup by mixing the sugar and water in a saucepan and heat the pan over medium heat while controlling the temperature, which should be at least 244°F/ 118°C.
Turn down the speed of the mixer and gently pour the syrup over the frothy whites, then continue at high speed for about 10 minutes until you have a firm, shiny meringue.

Assembly

Place the first layer of cake on a cake board placed on a turntable.
First, apply a layer of mascarpone frosting, form a hollow to fill in the center with lemon curd, and cover again with mascarpone frosting.
Cover with the second layer of cake and repeat the last step and finish with the third layer.
Cover the whole cake with a thin layer of mascarpone frosting with an angled spatula.
Decorate the whole cake with Italian meringue and then blowtorch the frosting.
Serve immediately or keep the lemon meringue cake chilled until ready to serve.