This Italian lemon cream cake is my version of the popular one from the Cheesecake Factory. This cake has fluffy vanilla cake layers, a filling of lemon mascarpone cream, and the outside of the cake has a lemon crumb topping. Powdered sugar is dusted over the whole cake for a pretty finish.
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🍋A perfect cake for spring
This Italian lemon cream cake is perfect for spring! It has a hint of lemon flavour, so it's not too strong of a lemon flavour, like some lemon desserts. The cake is made of vanilla layers, so the lemon is just in the filling and the crumb topping.
This cake can be made in advance to make it easier. I made the cake layers in advance and froze them. I made the crumb topping and the lemon mascarpone filling the day before I wanted to serve it. Assembling the cake was very easy after everything was prepared.
If you like lemon desserts, try my lemon meringue cheesecake, lemon lovers trifle, lemon pound cake loaf or fudgy lemon brownies! All these recipes are also perfect for spring!
🥘Ingredients
Ingredient notes
- Lemon - you will only need one for this recipe.
- Whole milk - you can also use buttermilk or 2% milk.
- Unsalted butter - If you use salted butter in this recipe, leave out the additional salt.
- Mascarpone cheese - Mascarpone cheese gives this cake an authentic Italian flavour. If you can not find it, you can substitute with cream cheese.
🔪Instructions
Cake layer
In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set it aside and beat butter and sugar together in a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the beater attachment. Add vegetable oil and eggs, and mix to combine, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Slowly mix in vanilla extract and milk.
Stir dry ingredients into the cake batter and then pour the batter into two greased and parchment paper lined 8 inch cake pans. Bake at 350°F (177°C) for 25-30 minutes. Allow the cake to cool in it's pan for 5 minutes, and then turn it out onto a wired rack to cool completely.
You can make the cake layers in advance. I froze mine for 2 days before I wanted to serve the cake.
Crumb Topping
Spread flour on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350°F (177°C) for 5 minutes. This cooks out the raw taste of the flour. Let cool for a few minutes.
In a large bowl, whisk cooled flour and powdered sugar together. Using a pastry cutter, forks, or your hands, cut in cold butter into the dry ingredients. You want the butter to coat all the dry ingredients and the size to be small. We don't want big chunks on our cake.
Stir in lemon zest and vanilla, and store it in the refrigerator to get it cold, about 1 hour.
Lemon Mascarpone Cream Filling
Whip heavy whipping cream in a large bowl to stiff peaks, and set aside. In another large bowl, mix mascarpone cheese, powdered sugar, lemon zest and juice. Gently fold in whipped cream. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Assembly
Place one layer on a cake plate. Reserve ¾ cup of filling, and spread or pipe the rest of the filling on top of the cake. Place the second cake layer on top. Spread the reserved cake filling all over the top and sides of the cake.
Press crumb topping all over the tops and sides of the cake. Dust powdered sugar all over the cake. If not serving immediately, wait to dust the cake with powdered sugar. Powdered sugar will seep into the cake after awhile.
For more step by step photos, see the web story for Italian lemon cream cake.
✔️Expert tips
- Break up the steps by making the crumb topping, cake filling, and/or the cake layers ahead of time.
- While the mascarpone cheese gives this cake an authentic Italian flavour, you can substitute with cream cheese if you would like.
💭FAQs
You can freeze just the undecorated cake layers. The filling in this cake, would not freeze and thaw well. Wrap the cake layers in plastic wrap and then a layer of aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and decorate the cake.
It's made of vanilla cake layers, a lemon mascarpone cheese filling, and a buttery lemon crumb topping.
Yes, because this cake has mascarpone cheese in it, it needs to be stored in the refrigerator. Take it out and leave at room temperature 2 hours before serving.
📖Related recipes
📋 Recipe
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Cheesecake Factory Italian Lemon Cream Cake
Equipment
- 2 8" round cake pans
- 1 baking tray
Ingredients
Vanilla Cake
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 ¼ cup s granulated sugar
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup whole milk room temperature
Crumb Topping
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter cold
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Cake Filling
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup mascarpone cheese room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
Vanilla Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line the bottoms of two 8 inch round cake pans with parchment paper and grease the sides.
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
- Beat butter and sugar together in a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the beater attachment. Add vegetable oil and eggs, and mix to combine, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Slowly mix in vanilla extract and milk until combined.
- Stir dry ingredients into the cake batter and then pour the batter into prepared cake pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool in their pans for 5 minutes, and then turn out onto a wired rack to cool completely.
Crumb Topping
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Spread the flour out on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes to cook the raw taste out of the flour. Let cool for a few minutes.
- In a large bowl, whisk cooled flour and powdered sugar together. Using a pastry cutter, forks, or your hands, cut in cold butter into the dry ingredients. You want the butter to coat all the dry ingredients and the size to be small. We don't want big chunks on our cake.
- Stir in lemon zest and vanilla extract. Store in the refrigerator until the mixture gets cold, about 1 hour.
Lemon Mascarpone Cream Filling
- Whip heavy whipping cream in a large bowl to stiff peaks, and set aside.
- In another large bowl, mix mascarpone cheese, powdered sugar, lemon zest and juice. Gently fold in whipped cream. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to use.
To Assemble
- Place one cake layer on a cake plate. Reserve ¾ cup of filling, and spread or pipe the rest of the filling on top of the cake.
- Place the second cake layer on top. Spread the reserved cake filling all over the top and sides of the cake.
- Press crumb topping all over the tops and sides of the cake. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days.
Notes
- Break up the steps by making the crumb topping, cake filling, and/or the cake ahead of time.
- While the mascarpone cheese gives this cake an authentic Italian flavour, you can substitute with cream cheese if you would like.
Hannah
Delicious cake! I brought it to a family gathering and it was all gone in the end. I highly recommend this and I will be making it again!
Nina
Thank you for the great review 🙂
Kim Kaalekahi
Absolutely delicious. Tastes just like the one i used to get from the Cheesecake Factory. The only thing, is my cake was dense and the only difference was whipping the egg whites and folding it in. Will definitely make this again
Nina
Thanks for the great review! 🙂
Tathy
Please turn comments back on under this posted recipe on your Pinterest. I never view comments on recipe blogs because the ads are so excessive, but had comments been turned on, perhaps other people that have tried this recipe could have let us know that the cake would be very small. And that 3 eggs is apparently not the right amount.
Nina
Hi Tathy! I make an income from those ads. That is how I can keep this website running and provide free recipes. However, I will check my Pinterest account and make sure comments are turned on.
Stephanie
The amount of frosting the recipe makes is overkill for how tiny two 8” cakes turn out…seriously, these are teeny-tiny. I recommend doubling the cake mix to make the proportions make more sense.
This cake overall is very light on the sweetness, which isn't a bad thing. I find the cake (minus the frosting) to be a little underwhelming, but okay if you bump up the lemon in the frosting. Overall it tastes good, but not stunningly so. I don’t see myself making it again.
Carolyn Fiore
Made a very nice tasting cake. I used the wet pan rings and the cake rose just fine while baking. As others have stated, the vanilla cake is rather dense and dry. I’m wondering if it was supposed to have 3 eggs instead of two. The recipe states 2 eggs but your photo of ingredients shows 3. I’ll make the filling and crumble topping again but I’ll probably use another vanilla cake recipe that I know will be better. My Sicilian husband liked it…so that earns it 5 stars!
Nina
Thanks for pointing that out. I will update the recipe. I'm so glad your husband loved it! 🙂
Steph
Hi! I made this cake just now and I also ended up seeing “3 eggs” when I clicked “jump to recipe,” so that may have helped…however, here is a little tip: when baking something that has the potential to be dry (cake, bread, muffins), I exchange vegetable oil for apple sauce! Just a 1-to-1 ratio. While the recipes may not turn out in other ways, the things I bake are never dry! Give it a try ☺️
Vicki
I'm making this recipe now. I'm somewhat confused as the recipe calls for 2 large eggs, but the photo above the recipe showing the ingredients shows 3 eggs. I've used 2 after checking other recipes for the same cake that used 2. Could you please clarify?
I'll rate and do a review once the cake is done and served.
Thank you.
Nina
Hi Vicki! 2 eggs is correct. I updated the recipe and didn't change the ingredients picture. Sorry for the confusion. I hope your cake turned out really great! 🙂
PattyNJ
mmmm..... this sounds so good....I'm going to make this on Sunday for it make up Easter dinner I had to postpone....I think I'd like to put in some white chocolate crushed with the topping..... wondering if it will be too sweet....I guess I can taste test that first before actually putting it on the cake....I can hardly wait!!
Nina
That sounds so good! Let me know how it goes 🙂