Name: Italian lemon cream cake recipe
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 65 min
Yield: 12
Ingredients: 312.50 ml plain flour; 1 tsp baking powder; 1/4 tsp bicarb soda; Pinch salt; 90g butter, softened; 187.50 ml caster sugar; 40.00 ml olive oil; 2 eggs; 1 tsp vanilla essence; Zest of 1 lemon; 80.00 ml lemon juice; 125.00 ml milk; icing sugar, for dusting; 125.00 ml plain flour; 82.50 ml icing sugar; 1/2 tsp vanilla essence; 40.00 ml butter, melted; 300ml thickened cream; 82.50 ml caster sugar; 250g mascarpone

by Greer Worsley Last updated on 10/05/2022

This delicious Italian lemon cake consists of two thin layers of lemony vanilla cake filled with a sweet and tangy lemon mascarpone cream. And baked into the top of the cake is a crunchy crumb. - Greer Worsley

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp bicarb soda
Pinch salt
90g butter, softened
3/4 cup caster sugar
2 tbsp olive oil
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
Zest of 1 lemon
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup milk
icing sugar, for dusting

For crumb topping

1/2 cup plain flour
1/3 cup icing sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
2 tbsp butter, melted

For lemon cream filling

300ml thickened cream
1/3 cup caster sugar
250g mascarpone
Zest of 1 lemon
2 tbsp lemon juice

Method

Step 1

Preheat oven to 160C conventional. Grease a 22cm springform tin and line the base and sides with baking paper.
Step 2

In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, bicarb and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or using hand-held beaters, cream butter and sugar until pale. Add olive oil and continue beating until fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, then mix through vanilla and lemon zest. Combine lemon juice with milk and stir - it will curdle. Add to mixing bowl with the flour mixture, and beat until just combined, scraping down the sides if necessary. Pour into prepared tin and smooth I not an even layer.
Step 3

To make crumb topping, combine flour and icing sugar in a small bowl. Add vanilla and melted butter and mix into a crumbly consistency. Sprinkle over cake batter in pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan.
Step 4

To make lemon cream filling, whip cream with sugar until stiff. Fold through mascarpone, lemon zest and juice.
Step 5

Once cool, remove cake from pan. Use a large serrated knife to cut cake in half through the centre into two thin rounds. Place bottom round on serving platter. Top with lemon cream mixture and spread into an even thick layer, slightly domed in the centre. Carefully place the top half of the cake on top of the cream layer. Sprinkle with a little icing sugar.