A big cake to have fun or for a great occasion: the Layer cake lemon poppy has everything to please you… A soft base of lemon cake, a creamy lemon curd and a mascarpone icing. We love its lovely tangy flavor and its crunchy side with poppy seeds.

If you've never made a layer cake before, don't be afraid of the task at hand. You can do it in advance and do it several times if necessary. For the decoration of the layer cake, it is not necessary to have a perfect icing. Let your desires run free!

What you'll love about this lemon poppy layer cake recipe

flavors : if you like lemon cakes in general, then this layer cake is for you! Inside the lemon poppy layer cake, there is lemon juice and zest. The poppy seeds bring a little nutty side that goes very well with the lemon.

The lemon curd also brings a little tangy touch in this recipe. It is placed between the layers of cakes at the time of assembly.

The icing made from mascarpone whipped cream is slightly vanilla, to counterbalance the tangy effect of the lemon.

Texture : the cake itself is soft but dense enough to stand well in layer cake format. It is essential otherwise everything collapses! The lemon curd and the icing are very smooth. The mascarpone added to the whipped cream helps to freeze it a little more, which facilitates the decoration.

Difficulty level : I would say average level! Once you have the appropriate molds, a pastry bag, a spatula, I think you have everything in hand to successfully assemble your layer cake.

How to make this lemon poppy layer cake?

We start with the lemon cake. This step can possibly be done in advance (1 or 2 days). If necessary, the 3 cake discs surrounded by cling film are kept until assembly.

We whisk the powdered sugar and the butter, then add the eggs. Then the fermented milk (bought or made yourself) and the dry ingredients are alternately poured. Then add the lemon juice and zest with the poppy seeds. The dough is divided equally between 3 molds 15cm in diameter before being placed in the oven.

Secondly, we tackle the lemon curd (lemon cream). This step can also be done in advance. In a saucepan, we whisk the butter and sugar before adding the lemon juice and the eggs. The lemon curd should be cooked over very low heat and without stopping stirring.

Last step vanilla icing : we whip the cream and the icing sugar into whipped cream. We incorporate mascarpone and vanilla. It's ready !

For assembly, all parts must be well cooled. Place the first cake disc on the serving dish, sticking it with a knob of icing. Then with a pastry bag, we mark out a circle of icing all around: this makes it possible to garnish the inside with lemon curd. We coat the lemon curd with vanilla icing then we place the second cake and so on ...

Finally, just cover the entire layer cake with icing. You can use a pastry bag with a decorative tip or a spatula for this.

How to properly store your lemon poppy layer cake

Once decorated, and before tasting it, it is best to put it on approximately 30 minutes in the refrigerator to facilitate cutting.

The lemon poppy layer cake can be stored in the fridge for about 2/3 days. Beyond that, its icing would lose its flavor.

It is possible for you to freeze it. Cake discs can be frozen (without frosting). Once decorated, the lemon poppy layer cake can also be frozen. To do this, cut small portions and store them in airtight boxes before freezing them.

Other recipes to try

If you like this kind of big cakes / layer cakes, then I urge you to take a look at these other recipes from the blog: the Oreo layer cake version, Layer cake gingerbread, Chocolate layer cake, Raspberry coconut layer cake, Carrot cake layer cake version, Raffaello layer cake version.

If you make this recipe, don't hesitate to tag @liliebakery on Instagram so I can see your beautiful cakes!

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