Vertical Lemon Cake Recipe
Prep Time
45 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Chill for
2 hrs
Total Time
3 hrs
Savor our Vertical Lemon Cake, bursting with spring-refreshing citrus flavors throughout the creamy frosting, soft cake, and smooth filling.
Servings: 12 servings
Ingredients
Lemon Curd
- Zest and juice from 4 lemons (around ½ cup/4 floz/120 ml)
- ¾ cup (6 oz/170 g) granulated sugar
- 6 large egg yolks, at room temperature
- ½ cup (4 oz/115 g) butter, softened and diced
Sponge Cake
- 8 large eggs, separated and at room temperature
- ¼ cup (2 oz/57 g) plus ½ cup (4 oz/115 g) granulated sugar
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (3 ⅓ oz/94 g) cake flour*
- Powdered sugar, for dusting
Mascarpone Whipped Cream
- 1 ½ cups (12 floz/360 ml) heavy whipping cream
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (8 oz/225 g) mascarpone
Instructions
Make the Lemon Curd
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In a small saucepan, combine the lemon zest, juice and sugar over Medium heat until simmering and the sugar has dissolved.
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Gradually pour the hot mixture over the yolks while whisking the whole time. This is to warm up the eggs before adding them into the saucepan.
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Return this mixture to the saucepan and reduce the heat to Low. Whisk constantly over Low heat until the mixture thickens to a pudding-like consistency, 4 to 5 minutes.
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Lastly whisk in the butter before passing the curd through the sieve to remove any lumps.
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Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the curd and refrigerate to let it cool completely before storing in the fridge until needed. It can be kept in the fridge for up to 7 days.
Make the Sponge Cake
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Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and butter and line a 13x18-inch jelly roll pan.
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In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk or using a handheld mixer, whip the whites on Low speed for 2 minutes until foamy.
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Turn the mixer to Medium-High speed and whip for 3 to 4 minutes, until soft peaks form.
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With the machine still running, add the ¼ cup (2 oz/57 g) sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Continue whipping to stiff and glossy peaks and then scrape the whipped egg whites into a clean bowl and set aside.
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In the same mixer bowl add the egg yolks, the remaining ½ cup (4 oz/115 g) sugar, lemon zest, juice and salt. Whip on High speed until pale and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir the flour into the egg yolk mixture.
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Remove from the machine and fold in ⅓ of the whipped whites into the egg yolk mixture to lighten the batter and then add the remaining whipped whites and gently fold in until evenly combined.
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Spread evenly into the prepared pan and bake for 15 minutes, until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
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Let cool for 5 minutes and then, while the cake is still warm, dust with powdered sugar, place parchment paper or a kitchen towel on top of the cake, put a cooling rack on top of the paper and flip the cake over so it is on the cooling rack. Remove the pan and cooling rack and carefully peel off the parchment paper from the cake.
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Starting at a short end, roll the cake up to mimic the roll you will be doing later. Doing this while the cake is still warm helps the cake to roll easily later without cracking. Set aside.
Make the Mascarpone Whipped Cream
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Place the cream, sugar and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment or using a handheld mixer and whip on Medium speed to medium-soft peaks.
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Mix the mascarpone to loosen it a little before stirring into the whipped cream. Do this step by hand and not on the mixer. Refrigerate until ready to use. Note, if it has softened a little before you assemble your cake, then whisk it up by hand.
Assembling the Cake
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Spread the lemon curd evenly all over the cake. Follow with a thin layer of whipped cream. Take care not to add too much cream or it can be difficult to roll later.
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Cut the cake lengthwise into 3 even strips, each roughly 4-inches (10cm) wide.
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Starting with the short end of one strip, roll up the cake. Line up the next strip where the first strip ends and keep rolling up the cake. Repeat with the last cake strip and then, looking to see which end is flattest, carefully stand the cake on a serving plate.
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Use the remaining whipped cream to first fill any unevenness at the top and then to frost the top and sides.
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Decorate with some lovely fresh flowers and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 6 hours before serving to let set. Best enjoyed the day it’s assembled.
Recipe Notes
- Cake flour can be made using my substitute recipe here. Or simply replace it with the same amount of all-purpose/plain.
- This vertical cake uses a sponge cake base that contains no butter or oil, and the egg whites and yolks are whipped separately. Significantly, it's a lighter, drier style of cake that will readily absorb syrups or other flavorful fillings.
- A genoise cake uses whipped whole eggs and some fat, usually clarified butter.
- In contrast, a chiffon cake uses separated, separately whipped yolks and whites, like a sponge, but also includes fat like genoise (but usually in the form of oil). All three of these types of cakes can be baked as the base for this cake, yielding slightly different textures.
- Go ahead and try different bases to find your favorite one!
- Filling variations are limited only by your imagination! Alternatively, you can use a different curd, such as lime, passionfruit, or even raspberry curd. Additionally, you can also use jam instead of curd or use a buttercream flavor of your choice instead of whipped cream.
- However, in a pinch, you can also use store-bought lemon curd (shh!!!).