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Lemon cake cut to show filling.
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4.73 from 18 votes

White Cake with Lemon Filling and Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

This stunningly beautiful white layer cake with lemon filling, topped with tangy lemon cream cheese frosting, is a show stopper. A special occasion dessert that is classic and delicious!
Prep Time45 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Additional Time2 hours
Total Time3 hours 15 minutes
Course: Cakes & Cupcakes
Cuisine: American
Servings: 10 servings
Author: Rachel Gurk

Ingredients

Cake:

  • 1 box (16.25 oz.) white cake mix (choose your favorite brand)

Lemon Filling:

  • ½ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup cornstarch
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2 egg yolks
  • ¾ cup water
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • ⅓ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest (you'll need more for the frosting)

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • 1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
  • ¼ cup butter, softened
  • 2 to 3 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest

Instructions

For Cake:

  • Prepare white cake as directed on box in two round 8 or 9 inch pans. Cool completely on wire rack.

Lemon Filling:

  • Have all your ingredients ready before you begin. Mix sugar, cornstarch and salt in small saucepan. Add egg yolks and mix until egg is 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 bowl and cover surface with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • In a large bowl, with electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter until fluffy.
  • Add powdered sugar and lemon juice; beat until light and fluffy. Fold in lemon zest.

Assembling Cake:

  • Slice off very top of each layer of cake to create a flat surface (not mandatory, but helpful)
  • Place bottom layer on cake stand or flat plate. Tuck pieces of wax paper under cake which you can remove after frosting and have a neat cake stand when finished (again, not necessary, but helpful).
  • Spread lemon filling on top of bottom layer. Do not go all the way to the edge (leave about a quarter inch border).
  • Place second cake layer on top of first (I like to do it upside down so the top of the cake has crisp edges). Frost entire cake with cream cheese frosting.

Notes

  • Unless you're going to serve the cake within a couple of hours, it should be covered and refrigerated.
  • If you prefer, omit the lemon filling. Make a double batch of frosting and spread a layer of frosting between the layers.
  • Your choice of canned frosting can be substituted for the homemade frosting.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 505kcal | Carbohydrates: 104g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 57mg | Sodium: 458mg | Potassium: 49mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 79g | Vitamin A: 266IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 122mg | Iron: 1mg

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