Lemon Mascarpone Cake Recipe

This lemon mascarpone cake is three 8 inch lemon buttermilk layers filled with whipped mascarpone cream and covered in a lemon cream cheese frosting. It takes about 2 hours from start to finish, most of that cooling time, and serves 12.

The layers are soft and bright with zest and juice. In between sits the quiet part: cold cream and mascarpone whipped with a little powdered sugar, so it tastes like lemony sweet cream rather than cheesecake. The one thing to get right is temperature. Cool layers, cold filling, and a short chill before frosting.

Lemon Mascarpone Layer Cake by the Numbers

• Pans: three 8 inch round pans, greased and lined with parchment
• Oven: 350°F (175°C), 22 to 26 minutes
• Time: 30 minutes prep, about 25 minutes baking, 1 hour cooling
• Serves: 12 slices
• Filling: 1 cup cold heavy cream, 1 cup (225 g) cold mascarpone, ½ cup powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• Frosting: butter, 4 oz cream cheese, 3 cups powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons lemon juice and zest

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Mixing the Lemon Buttermilk Layers

The batter uses all-purpose flour, not cake flour. Three layers plus a soft cream filling need a crumb with some strength, and cake flour layers can tear when you stack them. Fresh lemon gives the flavor here: 1 tablespoon of zest (about 2 lemons) and ¼ cup of juice. Bottled juice tastes flat next to it.

Cream the softened butter and sugar on medium-high for 3 to 4 minutes, until it looks pale and fluffy and has grown in the bowl. That air is a good part of the lift.

Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the zest, lemon juice and vanilla. Do not panic if it looks a little curdled after the juice goes in. Acid does that to a butter batter, and it comes back together once the flour is added. Room temperature eggs and buttermilk keep the curdling to a minimum.

Add the dry ingredients in three parts and the buttermilk in two, starting and ending with flour. Mix on low and stop as soon as no dry flour shows. Beating after that point builds gluten, and the layers bake up tough and dense instead of tender. No buttermilk? Stir 1 tablespoon lemon juice into 1 cup milk and let it sit 5 minutes, or thin sour cream with a little milk.

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Baking Three 8 Inch Layers Evenly

Divide the batter between the three pans. A kitchen scale makes this quick and keeps the layers the same height, which matters when you stack them. Smooth the tops right to the edges.

Bake at 350°F and check at 22 minutes. The layers are done when a toothpick in the center comes out clean, the top springs back when pressed lightly, and the edges are just pulling away from the pan. Most ovens need 22 to 26 minutes.

Cool them in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack. Let them cool all the way, about an hour. Warm cake melts mascarpone cream on contact, and I have rushed this before and watched the filling slide. If you like this lemon base on its own, my lemon cake from scratch uses the same juice and zest balance.

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Whipping the Mascarpone Filling Without Splitting It

Chill the bowl and beaters first. Whip the cold heavy cream on its own until soft peaks form, then add the cold mascarpone, powdered sugar and lemon zest and keep whipping until it is smooth and holds a stiff peak.

Watch closely at the end. It goes from soft to stiff in under a minute. Mascarpone is very high in butterfat, and if you keep beating, that fat clumps and the cream turns grainy, like it is starting to become butter. If that happens, fold in 2 to 3 tablespoons of cold cream by hand with a spatula. Do not put it back under the mixer.

Buy full-fat mascarpone that is firm and smooth in the tub. If it looks watery or grainy before you start, it will not whip well. Keep the finished filling in the fridge until the layers are ready.

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Mascarpone Inside, Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting Outside

The mascarpone cream goes between the layers only. The outside is a lemon cream cheese frosting: 1 cup softened butter and 4 ounces cream cheese beaten smooth, 3 cups sifted powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons lemon juice and 1 teaspoon zest, whipped for 2 to 3 minutes. A drop of yellow coloring is optional.

Why two creams? Whipped mascarpone is light but soft, and on the sides of a tall cake it starts to slump once it warms up. The butter and cream cheese frosting holds its shape and gives clean edges. If you would rather have mascarpone on the outside too, use a sturdier mascarpone frosting made for spreading, or the lemon buttercream for a sweeter finish.

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Stacking and Chilling the Cake

Level the layers with a serrated knife if they domed. Set the first one on a cake stand and spread a thick layer of mascarpone filling over it, leaving about ½ inch bare at the edge. The weight of the next layer pushes the filling out to the sides, and that border keeps it from squeezing out.

For more lemon, dot the filling with small spoonfuls of lemon curd or a little chopped candied lemon peel. Some bakers also brush each layer with a spoonful of limoncello before stacking. Add the second layer, more filling, then the top layer.

Now chill the filled cake for 30 minutes before frosting. It gives the cream time to firm up, and the stack stops shifting under the spatula. Then frost the top and sides with an offset spatula, smooth or in soft swoops, and finish with thin lemon slices, zest or fresh berries. Keep it in the fridge until serving.

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Making the Cake a Day Ahead

The layers can be baked a day ahead. Wrap them well once completely cool and keep them at room temperature, or freeze them for up to a month and thaw in the wrap. The assembled cake keeps covered in the fridge for up to 3 days because of the fresh cream filling.

Cold frosting tastes muted and firm. Take slices out 15 to 20 minutes before serving so the frosting softens and the lemon comes through, while the filling still holds.

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Lemon Mascarpone Questions

Can I use cream cheese instead of mascarpone in the filling?

Yes. Beat the cream cheese until completely smooth first, then whip it in with the cream. Expect it to taste tangier and feel a little denser, more like cheesecake than sweet cream.

Why did my mascarpone cream turn grainy?

It was whipped too long, so the butterfat started to clump. Fold in 2 to 3 tablespoons of cold cream by hand and it smooths out.

Does lemon mascarpone cake need to be refrigerated?

Yes. It is filled with fresh cream and mascarpone, so keep the cake in the fridge and only leave it out for about 2 hours while serving.

What else goes well with lemon and mascarpone?

Berries. Raspberries fit best, as in this lemon raspberry cake. For a no-bake version of the same flavors, try lemon tiramisu, or the strawberry shortcake cake with mascarpone for a summer cake.

Pin it for the next birthday or spring brunch. For a nuttier lemon layer cake, the lemon pistachio cake is the one to bake next.