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5 from 5 votes

Lemon Curd Cake {gluten-free}

This Gluten-Free Lemon Curd Cake is a real homey cake with bright fresh citrus flavour. Homemade lemon curd is sandwiched between lemon and vanilla infused sponges which are covered with a cloudlike lemon curd swiss meringue buttercream.
Prep Time50 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time1 hour 30 minutes
Course: Cake
Cuisine: British
Servings: 16 generous slices
Calories: 681kcal

Ingredients

  • 320 g caster sugar
  • zest of 2 lemons
  • 240 g unsalted butter room temperature
  • 6 eggs medium
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 180 g gluten-free plain flour
  • 180 g ground almonds
  • teaspoons baking powder
  • ¾ teaspoon salt

Lemon Curd Filling:

  • 150 g lemon curd

Lemon Curd Buttercream:

  • 210 g egg whites about 7 medium egg whites
  • 350 g caster sugar
  • 490 g unsalted butter
  • 150 g lemon curd
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions

  • Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/160°C/gas mark 4 and line and grease 2 x 8 inch round cake tins.
  • Beat the sugar with the lemon zest and butter until light and fluffy.
  • Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well between additions.
  • Add the vanilla extract.
  • In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, almonds, baking powder and salt then beat into the rest of the ingredients.
  • Divide the cake batter between the two tins and bake for 30 minutes.
  • Remove from the oven. Allow the sponges to rest for 5 minutes before carefully removing from the tins and cool completely on wire racks.

Lemon Curd Swiss Meringue Buttercream

  • Heat the egg whites and sugar in a bain marie or double boiler, whisking constantly until the temperature has reached 71°C.
  • Remove from the heat and pour into a stand mixer with a whisk attachment. Whisk until the mixture forms stiff peaks and the temperature has reduced to about 32°C.
  • Change the attachment to a paddle attachment. On a low speed add the butter slowly cube by cube. When you have almost added all the butter the mixture will look curdled. Do not fret – this is supposed to happen and just means you are nearly done, just continue to add all the butter. Once the butter is totally incorporated the buttercream will miraculously become a smooth velvety consistency.
  • Add the lemon curd and salt and mix until thoroughly combined.

Assembly

  • Place one of the sponge layers on an 8 inch cake board and spread the lemon curd from the centre of the top of the sponge almost to the edges.
  • Place the second sponge layer on top and cover the top and the sides of the cake with the buttercream.

Notes

Eggs – I usually use medium eggs in my baking recipes. Add the whole eggs one at a time. It makes the sponge lighter. If the eggs are dumped in all at once you risk losing the air you just whipped into the butter and sugar.
Gluten-Free Flour - I used Doves Farm Gluten-Free Plain Flour. It’s the most widely available in the UK. However, any gluten-free flour blend will be fine here.
Ground Almonds – I don’t want the almond taste to be too pronounced here. The almonds are used to give the cake texture and bind it together so I use ready ground almonds from the supermarket. If you grind them yourself the almond flavour will be more pronounced.
Does your batter look curdled? After you mix in the eggs the batter seems to curdle. Don’t worry at all, there is a lot of fat in this cake from the butter and the eggs. As soon as you add the flour then the mixture comes together. Although it won’t appear smooth due to the ground almonds.
Homemade Lemon Curd - I really recommend you follow this recipe for an absolutely delicious Easy Lemon Curd but of course you can certainly use shop bought if you don’t have time.
Swiss Meringue Buttercream – for troubleshooting any problems which may arise making your buttercream see the content of this post for detailed advice. Remember, it’s very hard to break SMB, any problems can usually be fixed.
Store – This cake can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. Remove from the fridge for at least an hour to come to room temperature before serving.
Freeze – You can freeze the whole finished cake. Chill in the fridge to allow the buttercream to firm before wrapping well in cling film and tin foil. You can freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost completely before removing the cling film and tin foil.

Ingredient measurements

  • Please note when you see ‘grams’ listed as opposed to ‘millilitres,’ or any other term of measurement, that is not incorrect. I weigh all of my ingredients, including liquids, for accuracy.
  • US customary measurements for the ingredients provided are based on a conversion calculator. This recipe was tested with metric measurements and I recommend using a digital scale to weigh ingredients for the most accurate results. READ MORE >>> Why you should always weigh vs measuring with cups

Nutrition information

Please note that the nutrition information provided below is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. It will vary based on the specific ingredients you use. Please seek a professional nutritionist’s advice for further clarification.
The nutrition serving is for 1 slice of cake, assuming the pie is cut into 16 servings. 

Nutrition

Calories: 681kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 46g | Saturated Fat: 25g | Cholesterol: 159mg | Sodium: 216mg | Potassium: 93mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 54g | Vitamin A: 1229IU | Calcium: 68mg | Iron: 1mg