Italian Triple Lemon Cream Cake

When only the most intense lemon flavor will do, put Italian lemon cream cake on the menu. This gorgeous and impressive three-layer lemon cake recipe taps almost every lemon ingredient we can think of to pack citrus flavor into every bite of this delicate cake. There’s limoncello, lemon curd and of course fresh lemon zest and juice. Sugar and cream bolster the sharp lemon flavor with sweetness and richness. Though our recipe isn’t an exact copycat of the discontinued menu item by this same name at The Olive Garden, it does share some similarities with the Cheesecake Factory’s Italian Cream Torte, specifically a mascarpone cheese cream filling. Olive oil in the cake batter adds another nod to the lemon groves and sea breezes of Italy.

Italian Lemon Cream Cake Ingredients

• Sugar: Sugar is essential to balance the sour flavor of lemon in the cake batter, filling and glaze, keeping the resulting cake rooted firmly in dessert territory.
• Olive oil: While most cake recipes turn to shortening or butter as the main sources of richness in the batter, olive oil gives cakes great texture and moisture, while contributing a subtle grassiness to the flavor that suits the citrus in this recipe. For an even simpler route to these flavors, check out our lemon olive oil cake recipe.
• Butter: Softened butter, creamed with the olive oil and sugar, helps emulsify the two together and traps air in the cake batter.
• Eggs: Eggs provide the lemon cake batter with richness, structure and elasticity. It’s always best to use room-temperature eggs when baking cake.
• Lemon zest and juice: Lemon zest flavors folded into the cake batter, filling and glaze infuses each one with fresh lemon aroma. Lemon juice in the glaze adds a sharp kick of lemon tartness to the sweet sugar glaze. Before you cut the lemons to juice them remove the zest first. Here’s the easiest way to zest a lemon.
• Vanilla and lemon extracts: Two baking extracts infuse the cake batter with vanilla and even more lemon flavor. If you don’t have lemon extract you can omit it our replace it with additional vanilla extract.
• Cake flour: Using cake flour in the batter for Italian lemon cream cake will yield a fine crumb and a tender texture, but all-purpose flour will work too.
• Baking powder and baking soda: Two leavening agents work together to give these scones a fluffy lift while still preserving the tart flavor of the lemon in the finished product.
• Sour cream: Sour cream adds a delightful tang to the batter, but also extra fat and acid, which helps create an undeniably moist and rich cake.
• Heavy whipping cream, mascarpone cheese and marshmallow creme: Three creamy ingredients, beaten together, form a fluffy cream filling for the triple-layer cake. The mascarpone’s slight sourness is offset by the intense sweetness of the marshmallow while the whipped cream acts as a blank canvas for both. If you can’t find mascarpone you can substitute cream cheese instead.
• Lemon curd and limoncello: Two more lemon ingredients infuse the cream filling with lemon flavor. If you want to make a version without alcohol just omit the limoncello and replace it with lemon juice, if you find the texture of the filling needs to be thinned slightly.
• Lemon zest strips and mint leaves: Use a channel knife to cut wide strips of lemon zest to garnish the cake the way a bartender might for a martini. Though optional decor elements, these citrus twists and fresh leaves make a nice finishing touch.

Directions 

Step 1: Make lemon cake batter

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In a large bowl, beat the sugar, oil and butter on medium speed for four minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the lemon zest and extracts. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to the creamed mixture alternately with sour cream, beating well after each addition.

Step 2: Bake the cake layers

Sarah Tramonte for Taste of Home

Transfer to three greased and floured 8-in. round baking pans. Bake at 350°F for 14 to 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

Step 3: Make lemon cream filling

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In a large bowl, beat cream and cheese until soft peaks form. Stir in the marshmallow creme, lemon curd, limoncello and lemon zest until combined.

Step 4: Make lemon glaze

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In a small saucepan, combine sugar and lemon juice. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir until sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat.

Step 5: Assemble the lemon cream cake

Sarah Tramonte for Taste of Home

Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Brush with 2 tablespoons glaze and spread with half of the filling. Repeat the layers. Top with the remaining cake layer; brush with the remaining glaze. Garnish with lemon zest and mint leaves. Store in the refrigerator.

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Italian Lemon Cream Cake Variations

• Try lime instead: Replace the lemon zest, juice, and curd with lime zest, juice and curd.
• Add strawberries: Lemon and strawberries are a pairing for the ages. Consider serving slices of Italian lemon cream cake drizzled with fresh strawberry sauce.

How to Store Italian Lemon Cream Cake

Store leftover Italian lemon cream cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days.

Can you freeze Italian lemon cream cake?

Yes, you can freeze Italian lemon cream cake. Cut and wrap individual slices of cake tightly in plastic wrap and store them in an airtight container or a freezer bag. To freeze a whole cake, bake and assemble it as instructed. Place the finished cake in the freezer, uncovered, for an hour to set. Once the exterior is frozen and firm, wrap the cake in two layers of plastic wrap followed by a layer of aluminum foil. Defrost the cake by letting it warm up on the counter or in the fridge overnight. Don’t microwave it or the filling will melt.

Italian Lemon Cream Cake Tips

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Can you taste the olive oil in Italian lemon cream cake?

Olive oil serves only as a mild base flavor in the cake recipe. Sugar, vanilla and lemon mellow out its savory flavor notes. What olive oil really brings to this cake is moisture and texture.

What kind of lemons should you use to make lemon olive oil cake?

Most lemons in grocery stores are either Lisbon or Eureka lemons, and either type is good for this cake. If you want to use Meyer lemons, which have a sweeter, more aromatic flavor, you certainly can. The resulting cake will leave a sweeter impression overall.

Can you use homemade lemon curd in this cake recipe?

Absolutely, you can use homemade lemon curd but to prevent your cream filling from being too runny make sure the curd you use has a thick texture that can hold its shape when dolloped onto a plate. If your lemon curd is more of a pouring texture it’s likely to add too much moisture to the cream filling and give it a runny texture.