Lemon Cake Filling – so easy!
Posted: 05/15/2020
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Creamy and tart, lemon cake filling takes minutes to make. Brighten cakes and desserts with sunny homemade lemon custard.
Do you love the tartness of lemon and the creaminess of pudding? Do you enjoy bright and light desserts? Well, who doesn’t, right? Lemon cake filling, made from scratch in your own kitchen, will be appreciated by everyone. It’s versatile enough to use in a lot of different desserts or to serve in a dessert bowl, without any embellishment.
About this lemon cake filling:
While making lemon cake filling yourself may seem daunting, it’s really not difficult at all. You’ll be able to make this custard-like filling in 15 minutes. You won’t need any special equipment and you won’t need to learn any fancy cooking techniques.
Lemon filling is so good, you’ll want to leave a fair amount of it in the pan for the cook’s enjoyment. Hey, I’m talking about you! Don’t deny the urge to sample what the pan has to offer. That’s your bonus.
How do you make lemon filling from scratch?
Lemon cake filling is a one-pan recipe.
The ingredients are basic:
- lemon juice
- butter
- egg yolk
- sugar
- cornstarch
- salt
- water
You’ll mix the dry ingredients in the pan, blend in the egg yolks, whisk in the water and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil and thickens. Stir in the butter and lemon juice, adding a bit of lemon zest, too, and you’re done! It’s so easy.
What’s the difference between lemon filling and lemon curd?
Lemon filling or custard is usually thickened with cornstarch and can be cooked in a regular saucepan. Lemon curd is richer, with more egg yolks and lots of butter, no water or cornstarch, and is usually made in a double boiler. They can be used pretty interchangeably.
What flavors of cake go well with lemon cake filling?
Lemon cake filling goes well with white cake, yellow cake, or lemon cake. Try it layered in a trifle with pound cake, angel food cake, or lady fingers.
How to use this lemon filling:
Because this lemon filling recipe is very simple, there aren’t a lot of ways to make it uniquely your own creation. However, there are lots of different ways to use it.
Of course, you can use lemon filling as a filling in a layer cake. Or serve it in a bowl with a dollop of whipped cream as a dessert on its own. Make lemon custard tarts with pre-baked pastry shells or mini phyllo cups. Layer it in a trifle with angel food cake or pound cake, with fresh strawberries. Or make regular cupcakes extra special with a hidden jewel of lemon filling.
Storage Tips
Lemon cake filling will keep in the fridge up to a week, tightly covered.
More Lemons
Okay, I realize “lemon” can have a double meaning, as in “this recipe is a real lemon” but that’s not true of these recipes. You’ll love these lemons:
- Lemon Pudding (a wow! recipe with only three ingredients, no cooking necessary)
- Meyer Lemon Parfaits
- Lemon Meringue Pie Cookies (makes 2, perfect for a special occasion)
- No-Bake Lemon Berry Cheesecakes (my mom loves this recipe)
- Meyer Lemon Mug Cake (gluten-free)
- Lemon Clementine Crinkle Cookies
- Meyer Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies (you can use regular lemons if you don’t have Meyer lemons)
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
1/2 cups
Creamy and tart, lemon cake filling takes minutes to make. Brighten cakes and desserts with sunny homemade lemon custard.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 egg yolks
- 3/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- ⅓ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
Instructions
- Have all your ingredients ready before you begin. Mix sugar, cornstarch and salt in a small saucepan. Add egg yolks and mix until egg yolks are completely mixed with dry ingredients. Whisk in water until mixture is smooth.
- Cook over medium low heat until just boiling. Mixture will be quite thick. Immediately remove from heat and stir in butter. Gradually whisk in lemon juice until smooth. Stir in zest.
- Pour into a bowl and cover the surface of the filling with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1/4 cup, Calories: 139kcal, Carbohydrates: 23g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 72mg, Sodium: 96mg, Sugar: 17g
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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Husband’s take: Ben loves white cake with chocolate frosting, but the guy doesn’t complain if I’m making cake.
Changes I would make: None are necessary!
Difficulty: Easy!
Gloriana says
Hi! I’m trying this recipe for my baking class hehe but I was wondering if I can use this filling bc I need to take my cake to class at room temp bc we’re gonna use fondant… do u think this filling Can hold aprox 8 hrs in room temp? Thank u!
Rachel Gurk says
Oooh, I don’t know. I think it should be okay but I can’t say for sure. It also has egg in it so it’s best refrigerated.
Barb A. J. says
I have been looking a long time for a Lemon Filling to be used between two Cake layers and on top of the cake, surrounded the outside of the cake with a white frosting. I’ve read where canned Lemon Pie Filling is to soft. So, I’m extremely glad to find this. I want to make a cake or two for a cake walk at church for Fall Fest. I’m sure the children will enjoy themselves and also this homemade Lemon Cake. It’s my favorite for sure. I will make me one too. I’ll share with my family, depending on what’s left that is. Lol ! Thanks Rachel !!
Rachel Gurk says
I hope you love it!
Jacquie says
WOW it was so easy to make. It came out perfect. I will never buy store bought again! I loved that you can make it as tart as you want it.
Rachel Gurk says
So glad you liked it! Thanks for leaving a review!
Marinna says
Just made this recipe. Super easy and loved it! My only suggestions for the instructions would be to stir the mixture constantly while it’s heating, to keep it from clumping and to use a silicone whisk. The taste of this recipe is delicious and it yields a really good amount for the 4 layer (3 lemon filling layers) cake I’ve made.
Rachel Gurk says
Thank you for your feedback!
Tracy says
The lemon flavor is excellent, very rich! After mixing the dry ingredients with the egg yolks, the mixture was clumpy and didn’t combine very quickly with the water. It seemed like it took longer to complete this recipe than it should have. Is there a reason you don’t mix the water and dry ingredients together first then add the egg yolks?
Rachel Gurk says
We tested this recipe a few different ways and found this to be the best method.
Jack Philpot says
Looks great and use it a lot in the cakes I make but would much prefer if you used grams and millilitres as it is much better in larger sizes
Rachel Gurk says
Thank you for the feedback :)
Kay says
Just made the filling for christening cake . Thank you
Rachel Gurk says
You’re so welcome!
Ana says
I just made this recipe and is delicious thank you so much for the recipe!!
Rachel Gurk says
So happy to hear it! Thank you for leaving a review!