Go Back Email Link
olive garden lemon cream cake recipe

Lemon Cream Cake Recipe

Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings: 10 servings
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 box (15.25 oz) white cake mix
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 tbsp lemon zest
  • 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 8 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 2 tbsp lemon curd
  • 1 tbsp milk

Method
 

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Mix cake mix, 3 eggs, 1/3 cup oil, 1 cup water, and 1 tbsp lemon zest for 2 minutes. Divide between 2 greased 9-inch pans and bake 26 to 30 minutes. Cool completely.
  2. Whip 1 cup heavy cream to firm peaks and refrigerate. Beat 8 oz cream cheese with 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, 2 tbsp lemon juice, and 1 tbsp lemon zest until smooth. Fold in the whipped cream.
  3. Stir remaining 1 tbsp lemon juice with 1 tbsp milk and 1 tsp powdered sugar to make the lemon soak.
  4. Brush soak over the first cake layer, spread 2 tbsp lemon curd on top, then spread half the cream cheese filling over it. Add the second layer soaked side down, spread remaining filling over the cake, and refrigerate 30 minutes.
  5. Whip remaining 1 cup heavy cream with 2 tbsp granulated sugar to stiff peaks. Frost the chilled cake, scatter lemon zest over the top, slice, and serve.

Notes

The active prep takes about 30 minutes, but build in at least 1 hour for the cake layers to cool and 30 minutes for the assembled cake to chill before frosting. You can split the work over 2 days: bake the layers the night before, wrap them, and fill and frost the next day. The lemon flavor gets a little more pronounced after a few hours in the fridge, so a make-ahead approach actually works in your favor here.